This Halloween, say welcome back to Monster's Ball—a Durham rival to the annual Franklin Street festivities.
Monster’s Ball—an idea conceived by Durham-residents Jeff Johnson and King Kenney in 2008 and temporarily put on hold in 2011—is returning to Ninth Street this year. The party this Halloween will be hosted by Club 9 and feature six local Durham DJs and a contest for best costume with a $500 prize.
“The original Monster’s Ball was a way of saying, instead of going all the way to Chapel Hill to party, why don’t we try to produce a cool party in Durham and use Halloween, which was the biggest event we could get people to do," said Johnson, a Durham native. "Just hang out on Ninth Street and show it some love, and we don’t have to drive all the way."
When Johnson and Kenney created Monster's Ball in 2008, they hoped that it could rival the Halloween parties at Chapel Hill. Monster’s Ball then went on to become one of Durham’s biggest parties until 2011, when Kenney moved away.
“Before Durham had ‘Keep It Dirty’ and the era of all the Durham love, people weren’t hanging out in Durham,” Johnson said.
Johnson decided to bring the event back this year, after noticing the increasing number of parties held in Durham.
“I thought, maybe people are willing to dance and have fun. I think Durham has more of a bar culture, but people still like to dance,” he said.
Besides the top local DJs and costume contest, Monster's Ball will feature a scavenger hunt for miniature monster balls hidden around the club. These tiny balls each contain a gift certificate to a popular establishment in Durham—such as The Parlour, Pizzeria Toro and Offbeat Music.
“We’re just trying to get a more diverse crowd and more and more people back into digging Durham, dancing in Durham, seeing that the only thing you have to do is just go out to a bar,” Johnson said.
Monster's Ball will only be open to adults over 21 years old. Some members in the Duke community voiced their preferences for Chapel Hill parties.
"I think most of my friends are going to Chapel Hill because they’ve just heard more about Halloween at Chapel Hill, and it’s a state school, so there are already more people there," said freshman Emil Thomas. "I think whether I would go to Monster's Ball depends on where my friends are going, because that’s why people go out - to spend time with friends. But [Monster's Ball] sounds fun and it’s close by."
Johnson noted his strong tie to the city as well as his hope to bring out the unique appeal of Durham. He hopes that Monster’s Ball will continue each year, if residents are willing to expand it on Ninth Street.
“[Kenney] and I grew up in Durham, so we saw the city change for the better, so we just wanted to add another thing that could be Durham-centric," he said. "This is what Durham is—Durham is the Monster’s Ball, and it’s a reflection of what Durham is without having to go to another city to enjoy their party.”
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