Richmonders rise from the coffin for the Vampire Ball

Cora Perkins, Assistant Spectrum Editor 

Richmonders came back to life on Saturday as goths, cosplayers and curious mortals gathered to haunt Scott’s Addition for the annual Richmond Vampire Ball. The Hofheimer was transformed into a den of the undead as attendees roamed the halls, their sharp fangs shining through the shadows.  

Nov. 8 was a night full of dark, gothic attire and eerie celebration. The event encouraged every vamp attending to bring canned food donations for Feed More, a charity focused on fighting hunger in Central Virginia. 

The ball was separated into two sections of The Hofheimer, a bar encased in books called “The Library” and a ballroom-esque area, complete with a glowing red stage held by skulls with hellhounds guarding either side. 

In addition to ghouling on the dance floor and enjoying quiet conversation by the bar, the ball had performances by dancers and DJs, body and face painting, art vendors and even a coffin photo-op.  

First-time attendee Maxx enjoyed looking at all of the vendors at the event, even purchasing a themed necklace from jewelry vendor CircleCircle Brand. For Maxx, the most exciting part of the ball was getting to interact with other members of the gothic community.

“It’s just meeting people who have the same interests as me,” Maxx said. 

Julie Cristobl, another first-timer of the ball, said the event was enticing to those who wished the spooky season could have lasted longer. The season felt short-lived, according to Cristobl, so the ball helped to re-vamp the feeling of Halloween. 

Vampires of all kinds prowled from room to room, with dark corsets, curving horns, and glitter-adorned canes. Some dressed as traditional vampires, others as iconic, pop-culture creatures, such as the Cullens from Twilight. Cristobl went as a vampire’s victim and was most excited to see the makeup and dress. 

“I like to people watch, so I love looking at all of the outfits,” Cristobl said. 

Davina Louise, co-founder of AfterDarkRVA, said the event is meant to be a space for people to be themselves and meet others. 

“Dressing up, having fun, bringing people together,” Louise said. “We’ve had people meet their future wives and stuff in their lives.”

AfterDarkRVA is a collective project created by Louise and Mark Bagget.  Louise is the founder of DC Creators and Body Art Collective, which collaborates with AfterDarkRVA to create events such as the Vampire Ball. 

“We’re both cosplay enthusiasts, I’m a creator myself.” Louise said. “So it meshes well with [Bagget’s] events, and so we came together to really blow it up.” 

The project is relatively new, according to Louise. Her initial goal was ensuring the event could be successful — now, she said she wants to focus on staying in Richmond. 

“I would love to work with the locals, they’re creative,” Louise said. “For me, I’m all about the creative side, calling creative people together and telling those who don’t think they’re creative, that they actually are.” 

For more information about creep-tacular events from AfterDarkRVA, visit their website afterdarkrva.com.