I actually grew up in the Bay Area and then moved to San Francisco. Early on, I became friends with people like Cleve Jones and Gilbert Baker. We put together the first Pink Saturday in San Francisco, and from there, we helped launch the city\u2019s Halloween celebration. Eventually, we were all busy with different projects, so we passed it along to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.<\/p>\n
One day, I saw a job listing in the paper that said, \u201cTravel the world, promote Palm Springs.\u201d I thought, \u201cThat\u2019s me.\u201d My friends had always said, \u201cAll you do is talk about Palm Springs\u2014you should be getting paid to promote it.\u201d So for four years, I traveled internationally to promote all aspects of Palm Springs.<\/p>\n
After that whirlwind, I started my own business and returned to event production. I produced major events like Idyllwild Jazz in the Pines and was executive producer for Opera in the Park, which still happens today. I began developing my own events too, which gave me the freedom to work with the people and brands I believe in.<\/p>\n
About 12 years ago, Dick Castcamp, a local bar owner in the Arenas District (who has since passed), approached me and said, \u201cJeff, we need you to take over Halloween.\u201d The event had plateaued and needed someone with vision to elevate it, and showcase the district. That\u2019s when Halloween Palm Springs became what it is today. We\u2019ve grown it every year, bringing in Grammy-winning artists like Thelma Houston and Evelyn \u201cChampagne\u201d King. It\u2019s not just a costume party \u2013 it\u2019s a full-on world-class experience.<\/p>\n
Halloween on Arenas is legendary \u2013 not just for costumes, but for drag shows, celebrity hosts, and even international porn stars. For those who\u2019ve never been, what can they expect this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n Halloween falls on a Friday this year for the first time in a while, so we\u2019re making it a two-night event, and it also coincides with Leather Pride Weekend. We\u2019ve themed the nights accordingly:<\/p>\n Friday, October 31st is MASKED \u2013 all about lavish costumes, masks, and our big costume contest.<\/p>\n Saturday, November 1st is UNMASKED \u2013 a leather, fetish, and fantasy street party. The street will fully transform overnight, and we\u2019ll have some of the world\u2019s top DJs like Hector Fonseca and Luciana, the Queen of Electro. They\u2019ve both played circuit parties worldwide.<\/p>\n We\u2019re calling it two nights of dance parties, because people come to dance. We\u2019ll also have incredible culinary options, like TacoZarro, a kind of celebrity food truck chef who caters for Acrisure Arena and major events. And El Salvador Restaurant is coming too.<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s lineup includes our costume contest (around 7:30 PM), followed by platinum-selling pop diva Dev \u2013 you probably know her from \u201cLike a G6\u201d and \u201cIn the Dark.\u201d We also have DJ Juan from Beatbox SF, local favorite DJ Modgirl, and DJ Jeffrey. From start to finish, the street is going to be alive with music, energy, and celebration.<\/p>\n Palm Springs is evolving quickly, especially since COVID. How has the city\u2019s changing scene shaped your events, and how have your events influenced that evolution?<\/strong><\/p>\n When I worked for the Bureau of Tourism, the average age in Palm Springs was 58. Now it\u2019s around 45. More people are moving here to open businesses, especially younger professionals from LA, San Diego, and New York.<\/p>\n The restaurant scene has exploded with chef-owned concepts, and the hotel industry is attracting investors who are completely renovating properties. We\u2019re seeing more LGBTQ+ folks, of course, but also straight allies who want to be part of the vibrant, inclusive culture here.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just a retirement town anymore. There\u2019s real opportunity, especially with things like the new College of the Desert West campus, which will offer programs in media and hospitality. That means local students can graduate and stay here, something that wasn\u2019t possible before.<\/p>\n Switching gears \u2013 at a time when LGBTQ+ rights, especially trans rights, are under attack nationally, how do you see Palm Springs as a place of visibility and resistance?<\/strong><\/p>\n I was fortunate to grow up in San Francisco and be around people like Cleve Jones, who taught me the power of civil disobedience and activism. I was in ACT UP. I worked on the first March on Washington. I was there when the gay choral movement started after Harvey Milk\u2019s assassination.<\/p>\n Now, I sing with the Palm Springs Gay Men\u2019s Chorus, and we use music as a form of social justice. Our community is under real threat again, particularly the trans community. Here in Palm Springs, we support them however we can \u2013 through clothing drives, visibility, advocacy.<\/p>\n I always say: when one group is targeted, others usually are too. Hate is rarely limited to one group. That\u2019s why I work to bring people together \u2013 across race, religion, gender, identity \u2013 to stand against hate in all forms. That\u2019s how we protect each other.<\/p>\n Speaking of activism, do you see celebrations that embrace joy in our community like Palm Springs\u2019 Halloween on Arenas as a form of protest in themselves?<\/strong><\/p>\n Absolutely. Joy is resistance. Visibility is resistance. Look at someone like Keith Haring. His graffiti and subway art were acts of protest. They made people feel something. That\u2019s what art does. And I think joyful, unapologetic celebration is a form of protest too, especially when others try to silence or erase us.<\/p>\n Art has always been political. Take Gilbert Baker, who created the rainbow flag. When people dance in the streets, unapologetically queer, proudly in costume -that\u2019s protest. That\u2019s defiance. That\u2019s hope.<\/p>\n The arts are under attack. PBS, Lincoln Center, institutions that shaped American culture are being defunded or devalued. We need to fight for them. And we need to bring back the basics \u2013 telling our stories, marching, being out. Harvey Milk said, \u201cTell everyone you\u2019re gay.\u201d Because once people realize their neighbor, their doctor, their contractor is LGBTQ+, it changes hearts and minds.<\/p>\n Young people today often feel like, \u201cWe\u2019ve won our rights.\u201d But rights can be taken away. They need to know who Harvey Milk was. They need to understand Stonewall. Because if we forget, we risk repeating history.<\/p>\n You mentioned working with Cleve Jones. Could you share something about him that the public might not know?<\/strong><\/p>\n In the early days of the Names Project, I worked alongside him doing press, coordinating volunteers. It was hard. San Francisco and New York were the epicenters of HIV\/AIDS. We were losing people constantly.<\/p>\n Cleve knew the power of creativity. The AIDS Memorial Quilt wasn\u2019t just art. It was healing. It gave mothers, siblings, and friends a way to grieve and feel seen. It built community. And even today, with HIV still impacting lives, we need something like that again, something creative and soul-nourishing to remind people this crisis isn\u2019t over.<\/p>\n Not all activism is protest signs and rallies. Sometimes, it\u2019s music, fabric, dancing in the streets in your full authentic self. That\u2019s protest too. That\u2019s power.<\/p>\n Looking back on Halloween past, any standout performances, wild moments, or costumes that have been etched into your mind rent-free for all time?<\/strong><\/p>\n Absolutely. One of the most incredible performances was Thelma Houston. Her agent told me, \u201cShe\u2019s 80, but she\u2019ll blow your mind.\u201d And wow! She performed like she was 25. Just amazing energy and professionalism.<\/p>\n As for costumes, one year we had a group called School of Fish. About 12 people dressed identically in fish costumes, complete with fins and bubble guns. They moved in formation through the crowd like they were swimming. It was magical! And surprisingly, they didn\u2019t win. Edward Scissorhands took the crown that year. But the creativity every year continues to blow me away.<\/p>\n With the national rise in anti-LGBTQ+ and especially anti-trans rhetoric and policy, how do you see Palm Springs as a beacon of resistance and visibility?<\/strong><\/p>\n I was fortunate to come of age in San Francisco, working alongside people like Cleve Jones, who was a major part of the movement. I was involved in Act Up, the Names Project, and so many early HIV\/AIDS protests. Civil disobedience was our tool. We marched, we organized, and we fought.<\/p>\n Now, in Palm Springs, we actively support our trans community with clothing drives, visibility events, and resource connections. We understand that hate rarely targets just one group. It\u2019s intersectional. If they hate LGBTQ people, they also likely hate Black people, Jewish people, immigrants, and women\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n My goal with events is to bring people together, to showcase joy as resistance, to build bridges, and to remind people: our power lies in community.<\/p>\n For folks who don\u2019t throw events or have a big platform, do you have any advice for how they can participate in activism during the Halloween season?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes. Get engaged. Read up on local and national policies. Support political candidates who align with your values. Even a $1 donation helps. Volunteer. Show up. Protest.<\/p>\n And if you\u2019re celebrating Halloween, do it loudly. Be creative, be bold. Wear costumes that send a message, or spark conversation. You never know who you might inspire.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/558175628_25229536143310580_2942340940440953600_n-1-600x600.jpg\")
Halloween on Arenas by Hocker Productions<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/557588095_25229536116643916_1416356494927863029_n-600x600.jpg\")
Halloween on Arenas by Hocker Productions<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/508080841_24317769174487286_6569885931060270833_n-600x400.jpg\")
Halloween on Arenas\/Photo courtesy of Jeff Hocker<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/506462045_24317769214487282_7418741808246286469_n-600x400.jpg\")
Halloween on Arenas\/Photo courtesy of Jeff Hocker<\/p>\n