Wear your Halloween costumes and catch all the great action at Uptown Westerville’s final Fourth Friday street festival of the year, from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25.

This special Fourth Friday is our traditional Midnight Madness festival each October. Uptown’s merchants and restaurants get into the Halloween vibe for the occasion, and more than 100 festival vendors will be in on the fun, too.

Look for the purple and orange “Magical MIDNIGHT MADNESS” stickers as you browse the event. Vendors with the stickers will have candy on hand for trick-or-treaters!

The 2024 Midnight Madness Fourth Friday will be packed with entertainment and activity areas. The special attractions Oct. 25 will include:

Science is the Star!

Check out Science Street set up along East College Avenue, featuring:

• Jack Brown – The Science of Electric Cars
• Rumpke Recycling Game
• Franklin County Soil and Water – Stormwater Plinko!
• Westerville C.H.A.T. (Community Health Action Team) – Halloween Safety Trivia (with candy prizes!) and “Name the Bones” skeleton
• The Courts Family of Scientists – Boo Bubbles and Electrostatic

City Hall Courtyard

• Don’t miss the Monster Mash Dance Party with DJ Matt Ryan and a lighted dance floor in front of Westerville City Hall, 21 S. State St.

March over to Park Street

• The Otterbein University Marching Band will perform for spectators on Park Street at 7 p.m.

Wizards’ world at the library

There will be so much to do at the Westerville Public Library, 126 S. State St. The library’s Wizards and Wands Festival continues. Check out Agnes, the new giant dragon arts installation on the library’s roof.

And celebrate a variety of fantasy fandoms from The Lord of the Rings to Percy Jackson and Dr. Who. Enjoy performances, complete missions, and explore magical worlds. Libraries are places that inspire magic, filled with stories that can take you to extraordinary worlds.

Since 2018, the Wizards & Wands Festival has embraced that sense of wonder by bringing books to life and creating an unforgettable experience for the Westerville area community. People of all ages and passions come together champion the power of stories

WSO on West Main Street

Enjoy a series of performances by the Westerville Symphony Orchestra during the evening, along West Main Street near the David Myers Art Studio & Gallery, 7 W. Main St.

The Symphony has some musical tricks in store for Fourth Friday spectators, including:

• Halloween Day with Brass Quintet
• Halloween Candy will be passed out!
• An Instrument Petting Zoo will be set up, featuring the Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, and Tuba.

Generations for a generation

As they have at each Midnight Madness since the event was created, students from Uptown’s Generations Performing Arts Center, 11 W. College Ave., will perform through the evening along the first block of West College Avenue outside the studio.

Read all about founder Angie Haver and Generations’ 25^th anniversary year here.

But wait, there’s more!

The above 500 words may seem like a lot going on for any festival. But not for Uptown Westerville Inc.’s Midnight Madness Fourth Friday!

Just a sample of other fun planned for the Oct. 25 event includes:

• Candy stations at street vendor stations and activities. (Look for those “Magical MIDNIGHT MADNESS” stickers!)
• Many Uptown Merchants will extend hours and stay open late for Midnight Madness.
• DORA drinks!
• A Haunted Walk at Java Central, 20 S. State St.
• Entertainment from the “DIY Stuntman.”
• Entertainment on West Main Street from PhilUP Balloons.