Costumed creatures attend a dastardly dance party 8 p.m. Saturday, October 14 at the Institute of the Arts and Sciences. The Monsters Ball Costume Party is part of the 2023 Festival of Monsters, presented by the UC Santa Cruz Center for Monster Studies. The festival includes a free public day (Oct. 13) and a paid academic conference (Oct.14-15), plus an exhibition at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) entitled Werewolf Hunters, Jungle Queens, and Space Commandos: The Lost Worlds of Women Comics Artists.

Everyone is encouraged to come dressed as their favorite monster during this spooky masquerade. There will be yummy refreshments and scary tunes, along with prizes for Best Costume. The ball is open to UCSC students (with free registration) and conference attendees. UCSC Student register here and general conference attendees register here.

The Monsters Ball and the Festival of Monsters are made possible through the support of the UC Santa Cruz Arts Division, the Arts Research Institute, The Humanities Institute, the Department of Performance, Play & Design, Porter College, the Department of Literature, the Institute of the Arts and Sciences, and the generosity of James Gunderson and Peter Coha. Additional support is provided by Bookshop Santa Cruz and Trick or Treat Studios, with media sponsorship from Good Times. Special thanks to artist Zoe Wardrip-Fruin for her poster design.

This event is part of National Arts and Humanities Month.