The arts will come together in a glorifying haunted way tonight at Fairbanks as Head on the Wall Productions sponsors the “Fete des Fous,” or Feast of Fools.
The “Fete des Fous” will mark the grand opening of Fairbanks’ downtown location.
A Halloween celebration by nature, the festival will include art exhibitions and performances from a variety of different arenas, including music, video art, photography and spoken word poetry.
“We’re trying to have a big event and bring together artists of all different genres,” Cynthia Tipton, an owner of Head on the Wall Productions, said.
The evening will begin with a visual art exhibition which includes photography, sculpture, paintings, illustrations, fashion design and functional art, according to the festival’s press release.
“We have a lot of good artist showings,” Tipton said, “We have a lot of beautiful stuff.”
Tipton said that performances will continue throughout the evening, and feature interpretive dance, spoken word poetry and live music from a variety of bands, including Blackgrass, Cadre and Roundhouse.
The “Halloween Spirited Dance Night” will begin at midnight, and will feature two Knoxville DJs, Zeo and XI. The dance continues until the party ends at 6 a.m.
Also featured in the Halloween festivities is the naturally expected costume contest, which will begin around 2:30 a.m.
Prizes include a grand prize of $200 in cash, a $50 gift certificate to Fairbanks and other gift certificates.
Fairbanks is also providing a breakfast buffet, which will begin at 3:30 a.m.
The facility itself has been under construction and open to the public for some months, but will use the “Fete des Fous” as its grand opening event.
The facility offers a unique landscape for all things entertainment, according to Rob Collignan, one of Fairbanks’ owners.
“We have two full service bars, a 1,500 square foot dance floor with the area’s premiere sound system and a pretty good amount of parking on Homberg Drive,” Collignan said.
“We feel like our downtown location was less accessible than where we are now,” he added.
Tipton and Collignan encourage students to come out and participate in the festival.
“First of all, it will be a lot of fun,” Tipton said, “and second, we have a lot of good artists who wouldn’t normally get a lot of exposure. I don’t even know how to describe it. We’ve got it all.”
“I think the ‘Fete des Fous’ will be a very interesting event,” Collignan said. “Quality of food and entertainment are elements that we’ve stressed in our growth.”
The party starts at 7 p.m., with early admission from 7 to 9 p.m. slated at $6. Arrival from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. will cost $12, and late night arrival from 1:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. will be $14.
Also, there is a returning early patron fee of $7 until 2 a.m., meaning that leaving the event before 9 p.m. and returning will cost only $7 rather than the higher price.
Fairbanks is located at 315 Mohican Street in Homberg, and parking is available directly across from the facility on Homberg Drive.
