Vibing with Vampires: The 2024 Vampire Fair

You can’t get more Halloween than vampires. Since this is the season of spooky mischief, it seems only fitting that we take the time to celebrate these beloved horror classics in all their forms and revel in their glory at the Vampire Fair! So, let’s recap some of the booths and best moments from the event that aired last Hollow’s Eve.

The Vampire Fair was held in the Taylor Memorial Library last October 29th in the morning. Courtesy of host Dr. Erica McCrystal, assistant professor of English, the Vampire Fair, as the name suggests, is about celebrating all things vampire! From folklore and history to pop culture and mass media. Even some niche subjects of vampirism make their home here. It was bustling with attendees from the minute it opened to the second it closed.

Right as you enter the library, you are immediately immersed in an atmosphere that is dark and alluring (so long as you can block out the fluorescent lighting of the quiet area). The original black-and-white Nosferatu (1922), the first vampire film adaptation, played on the projector screen, many presenters dressed the part, and booths were decorated with bats, fangs, and blood galore!

I must admit, it felt strange visiting the vampire fair as an attendee this time rather than a participant. I was the co-host of the Vampires in Video Games booth at last year’s fair. It was super fun studying vampire media in the “Vampires Around the World” course and seeing how it intermingled with something I am extremely passionate about, like video games. I can only imagine how enjoyable it was for this year’s booth runners, hopefully just as, if not more so!

We had a fantastic listing this time around: vampires in music, fashion, anime, animals, females, slayers, children’s media, folklore, and table-top. Some topics from last year have also made a return, offering fresh perspectives on classic media featuring vampires.

The meaning of “vampire” has changed and evolved throughout the centuries, starting as a depraved monster that stalks in the night to a symbol of rebellion and non-conformity. Vampirism is so normalized that it is seen in science, like the feeding habits of many animals being called vampiric, as well as in children’s media, with even the likes of Disney using vampire characters. Vampires can represent the strange as much as the monstrous; it is a meaning that is constantly changing form, much like how a vampire can change into a bat!

Everyone really gave it their all this year, and students were passionate and eager to share what they’d learned. 

“The students went above and beyond in preparing their exhibits,” said McCrystal, head of the Vampire Fair. “There was a great turnout of attendees and a really strong energy in the room!”

With that, we conclude this year’s fair. Vampires are some of the most recurrent and beloved monsters in all of pop culture, it never ceases to amaze me just how much media that make their appearance in. One thing for certain I can tell you about the event: it didn’t suck!

Here's to another fantastically vampiric fair!