Transforming Hallowbaloo

For as long as Mark Tarone can remember, Halloween has been one of his favorite nights of the year.

“I love the inclusion of Halloween,” Tarone says. “The social barriers disappear unlike any other night, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to make new friends, or strengthen relationships with current friends.”

When he moved to the Islands in the 1990s after college, he felt that Hawaii’s Halloween energy was unparalleled.

Hallowbaloo producer Mark Tarone is changing things up for this year’s annual Halloween fest ANTHONY CONSILLIO PHOTOS

“There is really a special spirit,” he says. “People embrace the holiday — people get more involved, more excited in making their costumes, there is more creativity. It’s not just about going out and being super crazy, it’s about a good time together — there really is a lot of aloha here at Halloween.”

But, at the same time, Tarone felt that that energy wasn’t being offered the right platform — Halloween events he’d go to would leave him wanting better entertainment and more to do than wait around to get a drink in a crowded bar. So, he decided to create his own.

Now in its eighth year, the Hallowbaloo Music & Arts Festival has become the main event of the holiday for many, attracting thousands annually. This year’s Hallowbaloo is held Oct. 31, starting at 5:30 p.m. It’s part street festival, part night on the town, featuring food vendors and live entertainment at the beginning of the night, and continuing with celebrations at a number of bars and clubs.

But as Tarone sees it, Hallowbaloo is really all about showcasing the arts, while also bolstering businesses in the area.

“It’s who we are — we are an arts festival,” he says. “There is definitely a party element to Hallowbaloo, but the arts is our core.

“(Hallowbaloo) connects people and strengthens the community, helps the community economically, and gives people that opportunity to celebrate.”

Since its inception, Hallowbaloo has been held in the streets of Chinatown, but for the first time this year, the festival expands to include the Hawaii State Art Museum (HiSAM). There, the first portion of the night takes place — a street festival that runs from 5:30 to 10 p.m. — on the museum’s grounds and in its surrounding streets, where entertainment stages and food vendors will be scattered.

“I’m really excited about HiSAM — it’s an iconic building and it’s amazingly beautiful,” Tarone says.

Throughout the street festival, there will be about 100 artists taking the stage in roughly 30 performance groups — including headliner Booker T. Jones, a prolific music producer and songwriter whose resume includes being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and earning a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Joining Jones at HiSAM’s main stage will be local acts including the Artis brothers and Maryanne Ito. Other stages, meanwhile, will host Mike Love, Taimane, The Infamous Bourbon Boys, DJ Mr. Nick, Discord & Rye, and DJ Super CW (who is tentatively slated to play). Plus, there also are a number of sub-events throughout the evening (see sidebar for details).

It’s not an outright move — Chinatown still will be an integral part of the night: There are eight clubs part of Club Hallowbaloo that you can rove freely with one wristband, as well as plenty of eateries to choose from for a pre- or post-party dinner. (There’s even a free trolley service from HiSAM to Chinatown and back starting at 8 p.m.)

Through his production company T-Rx Entertainment, Tarone organizes events throughout the year that also include the annual Mardi Gras block party and a slew of concerts, as well as a string of events on Maui.

His social organizing continued through his days at University of Pennsylvania, where he’d throw parties at his frat house (“Our tradition was that the band would start at midnight and would stop at 4 in the morning”) and later when he coordinated lacrosse tournaments locally.

These days, when he’s not organizing events, Tarone — who holds a law degree — has a full-time job as a research consultant in legal services.

Also new at Hallowbaloo this year is a $5 admission fee, which Tarone says will help keep the festival going. He admits that financing Hallowbaloo has not always been easy. But it’s the underlying goal — and the impact he’s seen it have — that keeps him going.

When he started Hallowbaloo in 2008, Tarone saw it as a way to support the budding arts district. He hopes that Hallowbaloo is a sort of showcase for Chinatown, “promoting all aspects of the neighborhood — the restaurants, the different entertainment venues, the theatre houses, the music venues.”

To put on the festival, Tarone works in collaboration with the Arts District Merchants Association, a nonprofit that aims to develop and improve the Chinatown area.

“(Hallowbaloo) brings a lot of people down here, a lot of attention,” says Arts District Merchants Association board member Sandra Pohl, who owns Louis Pohl Gallery. “People come from all over just to come to this event, and it showcases all we have to offer in our neighborhood.

“Plus, it’s a fun event, and that is actually all we want people to do — to have a good time in our neck of the woods.”

HALLOW’S EVE

No matter what you’re looking for in your Halloween celebration, Hallowbaloo has got you covered. In addition to performers and vendors at the street festival, there also are a number of side events that go on throughout the evening.

HALLOWBALOO MARATHON

To further support arts and culture, the Hallowbaloo Marathon returns for the second year to raise funds for arts organizations in Chinatown. The one-mile fun run starts from HiSAM at 5:45 p.m. Money raised will go toward groups that include The ARTS At Marks Garage, Hawaii Women in Filmmaking and Hawaii Theatre, to name a few.

“It’s all about supporting local arts and culture (organizations) financially and helping bring awareness to their message and their activities,” says Hallowbaloo producer Mark Tarone.

Plus, race prizes for top fundraisers include a chance to take a selfie with Hallowbaloo headliner Booker T. Jones while he performs, a private concert by Taimane, or a movie at Hawaii Theatre.

HALLOWBALOO BALL

Revelers can start their night at the first-ever Hallowbaloo Ball, which runs from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. inside of HiSAM and throughout the back courtyard. It features music, dance performances and pupus from Chinatown restaurants including Livestock Tavern, Lucky Belly and Grondin French-Latin Kitchen. Tickets cost $80 and include access to the street festival and Club Hallowbaloo.

CLUB HALLOWBALOO

When the street festival ends at 10 p.m., it’s time to head over to Chinatown. Purchasing one wristband gets you into the eight area venues that make up Club Hallowbaloo: Bar 35, Nextdoor, Downbeat Lounge, The Manifest, Fresh Cafe, The ARTS At Marks Garage, Scarlet Honolulu and Square Barrels.

Each venue will have its own Halloween festivities lasting until 2 a.m. Wristbands cost $15 (as of press time, but the price may increase as bands sell out).

Additional details are set to be released leading up to the festival. For more information on Hallowbaloo and a full breakdown of events, visit hallowbaloo.com.