A Night for the Arts, the Artists & the Spirits of Spokane

This Halloween, Spokane's creative community is coming together for a night of art, music, and celebration. Spirits of Spokane is bringing an all-ages Halloween experience to The Big Dipper on October 31, featuring live performances, local vendors, food, face painting, trick-or-treating, and costume contests for all ages. With a focus on building community through artistic expression, the event aims to offer something for everyone while celebrating the people and creativity that make Spokane unique.

We spoke with Chey Rivière, the driving force behind Spirits of Spokane, to give us a little more insight on what we can expect tomorrow! 

NW Noise: For those who are just hearing about Spirits of Spokane, how would you describe the event and what people can expect on Halloween night?

Rivière: Spirits of Spokane as a whole is an event I’m hoping helps bring people who live locally in Spokane to come out and really explore their community in spaces they may not have looked into before. We have so many creative and talented people around town that already work so hard to share what they love with the city and there are so many pockets that each have their own loyal following. The goal is to have these events not only showcase specifically our local artists, venues, and businesses but also encourage overall crossover between these creative pockets and create opportunities for Spokanites to find new ways to engage with our local community and discover even more of what our area has to offer!

NW Noise: What inspired you to put together Spirits of Spokane, and what does the event’s mission of bringing the community together through art mean to you?

Rivière: Living here for the last decade, I’ve noticed a pattern of friends and coworkers who lament at the lack of “things to do” especially as the seasons change and the weather cools. 

Honestly, for a long time I was also of the same mindset. It wasn’t until I happened to befriend Prodsynesthete, a local producer and artist who is insanely passionate about music and community, that I was really introduced to Spokane’s creative scene. From there, I soon discovered just how many creative folks reside in town and desire nothing more than to share not only their talent but also skill, knowledge, and opportunity with their local community.

The mission of the event isn’t meant to say Spokane doesn’t have anything else like it but rather to create a space for those unfamiliar with their local scene to comfortably explore what it has to offer.

NW Noise: Why was it important to make Spirits of Spokane an all-ages event, and how do you hope it brings together different generations of the community?

Rivière: It was important to me to make Spirits of Spokane an all ages event because point blank Spokane as a city is all ages. The purpose of community is to bring people together and, while we have made space for the 21+ crowd, we can’t do that without children and families. 

Having events that encourage community, creativity, and general socialization be accessible to not only adults but also our younger generations is integral to fostering unity, expression, and growth for our city.

NW Noise: How do the arts, music, and creative expression contribute to the kind of community you’re hoping to build in Spokane?

Rivière: Arts, music, and creative expression are essential to the kind of community I hope to help build in Spokane because I truly believe they’re integral to overall human health and socialization. Spokane is an insanely diverse town with people from a multitude of cultural backgrounds and encouraging self expression as creating a space for it to reside in allows us to both celebrate our differences and find a sense of belonging. 

NW Noise: What can attendees expect from the performances, and are there any particular moments or elements of the lineup you’re especially excited about?

Rivière: I’m really most excited to see the entirety of the event play out! The artists and I worked hard to both highlight each of their individual sounds but also smoothly transition through the night and I can’t wait to see how it plays out. I also really want to highlight EQ Records Collective and just how many of their artists heard about this event and jumped at the opportunity to collaborate. As insanely talented artists who dedicate so much time towards their community, I think the shared passion between them and all the other artists across the board is going to be really well represented. 

NW Noise: For anyone deciding on their Halloween plans at the last minute, what makes Spirits of Spokane a great way to spend Halloween night?

Rivière: It’s a night that keeps on giving! Not only are you going to have the classic Halloween going out vibe of music, dancing, and drinking but you’re guaranteed to meet some crazy cool people who’ll introduce you to more opportunities to get out and enjoy what our city has to offer.

NW Noise: Looking beyond this Halloween, what do you hope Spirits of Spokane grows into, and what impact would you love to see it have on the local arts community?

Rivière: I hope we can do future events in an array of even more styles. I’ve worked on this for the last year and have made so many new connections that I could probably plan the next 3 themes. This event is much more hip hop/rap and rock/pop but Spokane has a whole range of underground music scenes so getting to branch out into those should be a lot of fun. Ultimately, I would just love to see more people taking the chance to plan community events they want to see. There have been so many people who have expressed their own ideas or asked me how I got started and the honest answer is I just decided to so I did! 

NW Noise: Is there anything else you’d like people to know about the event before Saturday?

Rivière: Come early! We’ll be having a trick or treat meet and greet at 6:30, just a fun way to not only get to know the artists but also get some Halloween candy! We’ll also have a kids costume contest during our all ages portion as well as an adult contest later in the night and anyone who buys any merch or art will be entered in a raffle :)

Whether you're coming for the music, the costumes, or the community, Spirits of Spokane offers a chance to make this Halloween one to remember.