Halloween is literally breathing down our necks. Next Thursday (31 October) we will celebrate this festival with its ancient history. This tradition has also spread to Salzburg. And the city’s queer scene is celebrating with it. At Mexxx Gaybar and with the Halloween performance of Magic Garage. This is what queer Halloween will be like in Salzburg in 2024.

Halloween has its origins in the Irish-Celtic festival of the dead called ‘Sauen’. On 31 October, the Celts celebrated the end of summer and the beginning of winter, which for them was also the beginning of a new year. The celebration took place on the evening before All Saints’ Day, which is where the name comes from, as Halloween is short for “(All) Hallows” Eve(ning).

According to Celtic belief, the veils between the world of the living and the realm of the dead were said to be particularly thin at midnight. This invited the spirits to visit the world of the living. To appease the spirits, a place was set at the table, but kept free so that they could join the meal. In addition, people dressed up to hide from evil spirits.

Happy Halloween!

Irish immigrants brought this festival to the United States. There, carved pumpkins and the hunt for sweets ‘trick or treat’ were added to the costumes and Celtic beliefs. So this old custom has also found its way into the present day. Even to Salzburg.

If you are still looking for the perfect party for the night of horror in Salzburg, then the Mexxx Gay Bar is the place for you. The bar is once again imaginatively and creepily decorated. That same evening, the Magic Garage starts with ‘Chainsaw Mascara’ at Jazzit. There, the performers dress up and make up the dead and the living to deliver a unique drag show with Drag-O-Ween. Tickets for the Magic Garage show and party are still available here.

So if you want to have a borderline experience, you should judge your pumpkin, check your make-up utensils and find a suitable outfit in your wardrobe. Since 1 November (All Saints’ Day) is a public holiday in Austria and Catholic Germany, nothing stands in the way of a queer party night between the worlds. Happy Halloween! A contribution from Sebastian Brandstätter and Peter Goebel