Welcome to Coney Island, the Halloween Masked Ball’s newest instalment of fun – and a world where the magical and macabre got jiggy and sired a litter of fabulous freaks, glamorous geeks and utterly grotesque human marvels. It’s going to be a blast and we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away.
In just a few weeks’ time, the gates will creak open at the sixth Halloween Masked Ball, which this year takes its inspiration from New York’s infamous pleasure beach and boardwalk. This outlandish event in deepest darkest Cornwall has grown to become Europe’s largest – and most deliciously indulgent – Halloween dance music extravaganza.
The theme of this Halloween’s walk on the wild side is ‘freaks, geeks and human marvels’; a reference not only to the tormented and twisted sideshows on offer, but also to the revellers themselves – the ‘Ballers’ – who dress to excess, party like there’s no tomorrow, and help make the sensory-overloading event the highlight of the hedonist’s calendar it has become.
October 29th sees the Ball return to its Halloween home in Helston, at Los Flambardos – a working theme park, with enough rides, thrills and spills to give Coney Island a run for its money.
For the un-blooded, the Halloween Masked Ball is a rollercoaster ride through a dizzying kaleidoscope of more than a dozen creatively-curated venues, each with its own demented theme and devilishly decadent decor, all set to a scorching musical score.
New for this year is the Coney Island Stage, hosted by club legends Bugged Out, where party perennials Hot Chip will provide the soundtrack to live shows so surreal you’ll be having flashbacks and night-terrors for years.
Jinal’s Technodrome, another new addition not for the faint-hearted, will rack up the thrills as well as the beats per minute with its mind-warping audio-visual violence – just remember to scream if you want to go slower.
Like Coney Island itself, the Halloween Masked Ball is a totally immersive experience with surprises behind every door and every mask. There are live theatre shows, interactive venues, state-of-the-art lights, lasers and special effects – as well as more than 50 DJs and acts, including LTJ Bukem, Camo & Krooked, DJ Yoda, Ewan Pearson, Karma Kid and Felix Dickinson.
Venues to be discovered and digested include the Hospital Records hosted Grand Ballroom, The Asylum taken over by Loose People lunatics, Fangz (the ‘80s disco), Durty Disco’s Warriors Stage, 45 Live’s Big Wheels of Steel and Future Garden’s Disco Diner.
Masked Ball director Kelvin Batt said: “The team and I are really, really, excited about this year’s event. When you step inside Halloween Masked Ball: Coney Island, it’s going to be like stepping into another world.
“It’s such a fantastic venue for our Halloween show and we are using every nook and cranny to give everyone a totally immersive experience. It’s a real privilege to be able to put something like this on.”
The Halloween Masked Ball takes place on Saturday, October 29, at Flambards Theme Park, Clodgey Lane, Helston, TR13 0QA.
Further details including accommodation, coaches and tickets can be found at www.maskedball.net
Date: 29th October Location: Flambards Theme Park, Helston, Cornwall
Tickets for 2016 are available now through See Tickets. Masked Ball operates a tiered ticketing system with price bands for tickets changing over time – the sooner you buy, the cheaper it is.
Entry is strictly 18+ only. For more information and tickets visit www.maskedball.net and follow festival news on Facebook @TheMaskedBall
To be in with a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Halloween Masked Ball, simply answer this question.
Where is Coney Island? Email your answer to comps@carvemag.com
The competition winners will be announced on 12th October.
Bonomelli continued his tear through the early rounds. – WSL / Laurent Masurel
The Boardmasters, Cornwall resumed in cleaner two-foot surf under a bright Cornish sun and saw competitors from almost all divisions take part in the second day of competition.
The remaining four heats of the QS Men’s Round 3 were first completed and witnessed the surprise eliminations of local favorites Alan Stokes, Luke Dillon and Kit Innes.
In the afternoon, men longboarders entered their final regional event of the season, and while the European title was decided at the previous stop in Galicia, surfers went out just as motivated to conquer the coveted Boardmasters trophy.
Newquay waterman Ben Skinner (GBR), 31, left no chance to his opponents in his opening matchup on home turf, and controlled the heat from start to finish with authority. The former event winner edged out Emilien Fleury to advance into the quarters where he’ll be facing compatriot Adam Griffiths (GBR).
“I’m so stoked just to be at home, it’s so nice after the three events and a lot of travelling,” Skinner commented. “Boardmasters has a 31-year history of some amazing events, as I was a kid it’s always something I looked up to so now to have the longboarders be part of it is amazing. I started surfing this event about eight years ago I think and have won it a couple of times, so I’m definitely looking to add one event title to my resume this year.”
Skinner’s salute to the huge crowds gathered at Fistral. – WSL / Laurent Masurel
“That’s just a whole different feeling being at home and having my wife and kids, and all the support from everyone down here it’s pretty special,” he continued. “There’s a lot going on for sure but I love it, even the distractions.”
Defending event champion Edouard Delpero (FRA), 26, bounced back after an early elimination in the QS division yesterday with a solid win in the over 9-foot board category. The young Frenchman found a better rhythm and negotiated the flat sections perfectly to post an impressive 14.74 heat total for his quarterfinal ticket.
Edouard Delpero knows a thing or two about nose-riding, too. – WSL / Laurent Masurel
“It’s complicated out there and you really have to be active, scouring the lineup to find the little ones that reform and offer a longer wall,” he reflected. “Unfortunately yesterday I couldn’t find the right waves, but today it was a little bit easier on a longboard and I managed to do ok. This event is awesome, very different from what we’re used to and a nice little escape in the summer. I hope I can continue to surf well and maybe even beat my brother for once if we do surf against each other later in the event.”
Said brother, Antoine Delpero (FRA), 30, rounded up the day with an uncharacteristic average performance, but enough to see him move into the quarters as well where he’ll match up with local Brit Sam Bleakley (GBR).
Bleakley will look to upset the current European Champion in the quarters. – WSL / Laurent Masurel
More information on the full festival lineup is available at boardmasters.co.uk.
The Boardmasters, Cornwall are scheduled from August 10-14, 2016 at Fistral Beach, Cornwall – England. For all results, photos, video highlights and press releases, log on to worldsurfleague.com.
The Boardmasters, Cornwall are supported by Surfers Against Sewage, Carve Mag, Corona, Relentless, Cornish Orchid, The Stable and MagicSeaWeed among others.
REMAINING BOARDMASTERS MEN’S QS RD3 RESULTS:
Heat 5: Bruce MacKie (BRB) 11.00, Tristan Guilbaud (FRA) 10.50, Che Allan (BRB) 9.56, Lens Arancibia Avila (FRA) 7.73
Heat 6: Monty Tait (AUS) 15.10, Jake Marshall (USA) 13.24, Chris Friend (AUS) 11.07, Alan Stokes (GBR) 7.60
Heat 7: Angelo Bonomelli (ITA) 10.76, Louis Gillick (AUS) 8.34, Luke Dillon (GBR) 8.10, Shaun Burns (USA) 6.67
Heat 8: Arthur Lassee (FRA) 8.30, Jayce Robinson (GBR) 8.00, Jared Hickel (AUS) 7.30, Kit Innes (GBR) 3.00
UPCOMING BOARDMASTERS MEN’S LQS QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS:
QF 1: Ben Skinner (GBR) vs. Adam Griffith (GBR)
QF 2: Emilien Fleury (FRA) vs. Josh Le Marquand (JEY)
QF 3: Edouard Delpero (FRA) vs. Ben Howey (GBR)
QF 4: Sam Bleakley (GBR) vs. Antoine Delpero (FRA)
BOARDMASTERS MEN’S LQS RD2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Ben Skinner (GBR) 14.33, Emilien Fleury (FRA) 14.30, Izaak Lawton (GBR) 7.23, Robin Henry (FRA) 7.17
Heat 2: Josh Le Marquand (JEY) 10.33, Adam Griffith (GBR) 9.84, Joe Hornbuckle (GBR) 7.07, Jordan Zervas (GBR) 5.53
Heat 3: Edouard Delpero (FRA) 14.74, Sam Bleakley (GBR) 10.87, Edward Wilson (GBR) 8.14, Martin John (GBR) 3.74
Heat 4: Antoine Delpero (FRA) 11.23, Ben Howey (GBR) 8.83, Jack Unsworth (GBR) 8.07, Stephan Hudson (GBR) 2.90
BOARDMASTERS MEN’S LQS RD1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Emilien Fleury (FRA) 16.00, Jordan Zervas (GBR) 7.03, Louis Thomas Hudson (GBR) 6.33
Heat 2: Josh Le Marquand (JEY), Robin Henry (FRA)
Heat 3: Martin John (GBR) 4.60, Stephan Hudson (GBR) 3.44, Russel Mullins (GBR) 1.00
Heat 4: Ben Howey (GBR) 14.10, Edward Wilson (GBR) 6.57, Toby Lowe (GBR) 4.13
Filmed for the upcoming TV documentary Britains Sharks the video shows up to 200 blue sharks tucking into a dead humpback whale in an area called The Celtic Deeps between Cornwall, Wales and Ireland.
Dr Nicholas Higgs, a research fellow at Plymouth University’s Marine Institute, set up the experiment with Ben Fogle during the filming in the Celtic Deeps, a deep water trench between the coasts of Cornwall, Wales and Ireland.
Dr Higgs said: “When a whale dies it can float for weeks, and be carried along by the current for miles while being fed on by scavengers. Elsewhere in the world, we know that a huge range of animals will come in to feed, everything from great white sharks to tiny worms. But we’ve never had the opportunity to study one in the UK because when a whale washes up, it is taken to landfill.
“We had no idea what might come along to the feast. I would never have predicted that you’d have this many sharks eating this much of the whale at the surface,” he said.
“If you’d asked me six months ago about what was likely to happen to this whale, I would have said that you might get ‘a few nibbles here and there’, but most of that whale would end up on the seabed. What we’re seeing here is a huge proportion of it just being eaten and taken away by these sharks.
Britain’s Sharks is broadcast on ITV Friday, March 25, at 9pm.
Sharks spotted off the UK and Ireland include mako’s porbeagles, blues and baskers. Although the water is perfect for great whites there have been no corroborated sightings even tough scientists have been trying to find them for years and conditions are ideal.
Carve’s oceanography department however issue a warning for weavers which are about to come back to haunt the beaches.
