Chicago Cultural Mile Association conducts 2nd Annual Halloween Gathering Festival and Parade preview event

Promoted as the "artist's holiday" organizers promise a celebration that appeals to the kid in all of us

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Aug 23, 2016, 09:00 ET

CHICAGO, Aug. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, organizers held a preview event to announce plans for the 2^nd Annual Chicago Cultural Mile's Halloween Gathering sponsored by The Chicago Free For All Fund. The Chicago Cultural Mile's Halloween Gathering is scheduled for Saturday, October 22, 2016, and will gather Chicago's vast and diverse creative communities for an all-day festival, culminating with a festive nighttime parade to which the City of Chicago and neighboring communities are invited.

2015 Chicago Cultural Mile Halloween Gathering Parade

Drawing together world-renowned institutions such as the Field Museum of Natural History, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry as well as unique local organizations such as Bloodshot Records and Intuit as well as and guilds of artists in assorted fields, this spectacle is intended to activate Halloween as the "artist's holiday" along one of the most prestigious cultural avenues in the world.

The 2^nd Annual Chicago Cultural Mile's Halloween Gathering was announced at a news conference at the Art Institute of Chicago and featured J.R. Davis, Chairman and President, Sharene Shariatzadeh, Executive Director of the Chicago Cultural Mile Association, and Mark Kelly, Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Halloween Gathering Artistic Director and Jackie Terrassa the Woman's Board Endowed Chair of Museum Education, for the Art Institute of Chicago.

"We are once again calling on all members of the cultural community to participate in what is quickly becoming an iconic annual event in Chicago," according to J.R. Davis. "We hope to build on our success from last year. In spite of rainy weather, nearly 200 thousand revelers participated in our inaugural event."

"Additionally, we are excited that Mark Kelly, the new commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, is continuing his role as the artistic director of The Chicago Cultural Mile's Halloween Gathering," Davis said. "Mark was instrumental in the success of the inaugural Halloween Gathering by providing both his vision and elbow grease to ensure the event's success," he added.

"Chicago is a city with unparalleled depth of artistic communities and endeavors. This event seeks to harness the artists' energy, emotion, attitude and whimsy while celebrating the contributions they make to Chicago and to the world," said Mark Kelly. "It is a fact that this is a parade like no other. It is our continued aspiration that The Chicago Cultural Mile's Halloween Gathering celebrate the power and scope of Chicago's artistic community and ignite the imagination of an audience of all ages," he added.

The Halloween Gathering event will officially begin at 2:00pm with The Halloween Gathering Festival. "Parks and institutions along the Chicago Cultural Mile will be alive with family-friendly activities including mask-making workshops, free dance and theatre performances, pop-up installations, interactive experiences and more," explained Sharene Shariatzadeh. "Festival attractions will include a children's costume parade around Cloud Gate, also known as 'the bean'; children's workshops in Millennium Park and an "All Souls Train" – the city's longest soul train ever, on the Van Buren Street bridge," she said.

Additionally, street performances and art displays will pop up during the afternoon at points along the Chicago Cultural Mile. The event will culminate at The Chicago Cultural Mile's Halloween Gathering Parade, beginning at 6:00pm on Columbus Drive and travelling north from Balbo to Monroe. The Parade, which once again will be curated, will delight the crowd with spectacle, illumination, music and performance.

The parade will be led by the Halloween Gathering Creative Spirit Fellows. "These Creative Spirit Fellows are being honored for their contributions to Chicago's artistic landscape," said Shariatzadeh.

The partial list of Chicago Cultural Mile Halloween Gathering Creative Spirit Fellows includes Cinespace Chicago Film Studios CEO Alex Pissios; celebrity Chef Graham Elliot; Chosen Few DJ Alan King; Artist Tony Tasset; The DuSable Museum of African American History President and CEO Perri Irmer, world-renowned photographer Paul Natkin, Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago Artistic Director Amaniyea Payne; Puerto Rican Arts Alliance Executive Director Carlos Hernandez; and Lookingglass Theatre Artistic Director Heidi Stillman.

Artists and performers participating at the preview event included Colombian Fest/El Gran Festival Colombiano, Wolfbait & B-Girls, After School Matters, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center and Columbia College.

Chicago Cultural Mile Association partner organizations include: Adler Planetarium, Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill Architecture, American Rhythm Center, American Writers Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, Becker Ventures, Big Bus Tours, Blue Plate Catering, Bridgeview Bank, Chicago Architecture Foundation, Chicago Athletic Hotel, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Library, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Trolley and Double Decker, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Choose Chicago, Chuck's Manufacturing, City of Chicago, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, The Cliff Dwellers, Coalition Energy, Columbia College Chicago, Comfort Suites, David's Tea, Davis Bancorp, Field Museum of Natural History, the Fine Arts Building Studios, Gene Siskel Film Center at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Harbour Contractors, Hard Rock Hotel Chicago, Harris Theater at Millennium Park, Hilton Chicago, Hilton Garden Inn Chicago, Hostelling International, Italian Village Restaurants, JPMorgan Private Bank, Make it Better, McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, McCormick Foundation, Mercat a la Planxa, Metropolitan Capital Bank and Trust, Metropolitan Towers, Millennium Garages, Millennium Park, Modern Classics, Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College, National Louis University, Ossia Musical Forum, Paul Bodine Architects, Pritzker Military Library, Park Grill Millennium Park, Remington's, Renaissance Blackstone Hotel, The Residence at 330, Roosevelt University, Schaffner Communications, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Seven Lions, Skydeck Chicago, Tesori, Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago, Wight and Company, William Harris Lee & Co., Wintrust Financial Corp., Women's Business Development Center, World Chicago.