A successful event, the business/student organized Haunted Hike went as smoothly as a moving mass of drunken, costumed(well, some of them) college kids can go. Citations were minimal and the participating bars were all at fire safety capacity with “1 out, 1 in” entrance for most of the evening.
Comparing this first time event to Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street or ECU’s event is just not possible. While student media and Facebook were used to preview the event, none of the major media outlets mentioned it, while covering Franklin Street extensively. No streets were closed for this event and the police to public ratio was very high just like the end of semester hikes. One officer said there were many plain clothes(costumed?)/undercover officers out but that very few citations had been given.
The massive Lego man took the $500 award for best costume- and for good reason, this costume was one of the few thoughtful homemade costumes that could be seen. It was very surprising to see the number of non-costumed hikers. Many docksiders and polos could be observed, mostly oogling the barely costumed girls. Halloween as an excuse for girls to dress like prostitutes has become the commonplace, trying to find girls that chose an alternate route was tough, but many had put in a good effort, including a great female Batman and Robin.
So Hillsborough Street Businesses kept a large portion of students spending in town this holiday and started a new tradition with a good kick off. The lack of drama and modest success that it represents is worth mentioning. Businesses in Raleigh succeed when they put in an honest effort and target specific groups. With our music scene decentralized and mourning from the loss of Kings one can hope that businesses consider the opportunities available and reach out to the young and culturally enthused in Raleigh just like the bars of Hillsborough reached out to the students.