The SPOOKTACULAR!
For the past ten years, the Queens Museum’s second floor galleries have been transformed into a spooky space for the most fun-filled and distinct costume party of the year, The Spooktacular!
Designed and produced by Queens Museum artist and educator Gregory Corbino, and originally conceived by NYC Director Jenny Romaine, The Spooktacular is a family event full of interactive installations, live musicians and circus performers, art-making, puppetshows, dancing, and tasty treats for all ages.
Sets, games, props and installations are all made by hand in Gregory's studio at the Queens Museum. 98% of all materials to build the Spooktacular are gathered from Materials for the Arts, and compromise the garbage, unused, and retired materials from New York City's commercial art world. With these materials, a pot of paper mache glue and a small budget, Gregory transforms 5000 sq ft of gallery space into a Spooktacular installation that thrills young and old alike. Each year more than 400 people join the costumed characters, brass band, and Savvy Soul Line Dancers to bring the Spooktacular universe to life.
All proceeds go directly to the Queens Museum's Education Department which partners with New York City Public Schools to bring Queens Museum educators into classrooms.
Spooktacular Games
Out of This World's Fair 2020
Boneyard Boogie
2019
A rainbow transported from the 1970's pours out the top of a gigantic platform heel complete with skeleton fish swimming inside as you enter the Boneyard Boogie. Step inside the Disco Queen Photo Booth! Play tic tac toe with giant pink skulls! Try to stack the vertebrae in the Spine Tingling Tower Puzzle. Send a letter aboard the Ziggy Stardust Rocketship. Disco magic spreads across the Queens Museum second floor, and bedazzled skeletons are ready to boogie down!
MONSTER METROPOLIS
2018
Walking through the Art Deco marquee, held up by a pink tentacles of a craken, visitors enter the Montster Metropolis. The Subway is overrun by mischevious monters and Medusa lays her 15 foot tounge on the gallery floor. Medusa Bowling anyone? Enormous paintings of monsters hang from the ceiling, in joyful, scary, and confused poses. A huge grinning mouth produces boxes full of monster body parts needed to be re-assembled however you see fit. Bigfoot has crashed through the museum roof, and two enormous feet invite you to have your picture taken. Smile! You're now a citizen on the monster metropolis!
BOO! YORK CITY
2017
Passing the statue of liberty in a Dia De Los Muertos mask, and through the open subway doors of the Spooktcaular Subway line, visitors to Boo! York City follow twisting roads on the gallery floor, to the five boroughs of Boo! York City. In Manhattan they cross a menacing tight rope strung between glittering skyscrapers. In Brooklyn they toss apples into prospect parks living trees. In the Bronx the visit the skeleton animals of The Bronx Zoo, to balance feathers. In Staten Island, they send a ghost ferry back and forth above the Museum atrium. And in Queens they visit the ruins of the World's Fair, finding beauty in its decay.
ENCHANTED FOREST
2016
Green, pink, blue, sequined, twisting, swaying and dancing trees invite visitors into the Enchanted Forest. Inside the forest visitors could walk a high wire between stumps, balance feathers, and try their luck at the ball toss. Canopies of fabric and cellophane created a shimmering treescape that delighted all who passed beneath.
SPOOKTACULAR BALL!
2015
In Gregory's first Spooktacular Ball, the Circus has come to town. Nearly 1000 feet of hand made pennant banners created the feeling of a circus tent above museum goers heads. In the three ring circus a skeleton dog jumps through a hoop, while a skeleton tiger jumps through a ring of fire, while a skeleton horse jumps over whoever stands in front. A hall of mirrors skewed reality and Circus Amok performers ranted and raved.