Haunted Carnival @ CTRL Collective

 1. A Haunted Carnival guest dressed as a French maid chills out in a virtual world

 2. Costumed revelers sidle up to the bar for drinks

3. A man engages his muscles  in a very physical VR encounter

 4. A hipster and a cat make the rounds of the carnival

 5. Fully immersive VR takes a guest into another world

The creative co-working campus CTRL Collective transformed on Oct. 26 into a freaky funhouse with food trucks and a frightening Ferris wheel to celebrate Halloween. Psychotic clowns chased costumed ghouls through a scream-filled maze while other partygoers enjoyed over a dozen different virtual and augmented reality experiences.

Some of the VR highlights included a bloody Roman gladiator battle from Colosseum VR, where many participants struggled to keep their virtual head. Paranormal Evidence from Next VR allowed guests to experience the hauntings of a 19th-century insane asylum.

Those who didn’t want to don a VR headset could enjoy IRL carnival games and photo booths or join the monster mash on the dance floor.

Ten percent of the Carnival’s proceeds benefitted the CSSSA Foundation, a nonprofit that raises a diverse array of private sector funds for the California State Summer School for the Arts.    

— Shanee Edwards