TAYLOR MCDANIEL |Reporter

New this year, the Dark Carnival will have a king and queen crowning ceremony and two haunted houses with surprise themes.

 The Dark Carnival is on Halloween from 6-10 p.m. on the heritage side of the campus and is free to everyone from students to residents of St. Charles.

Student organizations and local businesses will host booths which will include games, raffles, samples of goods and much more. Attendees can participate in games with chances of winning prizes and participate in different activities.

For kids, there will be carnival games, circus acts, a hayride, inflatables, food and face painting. Older attendees can enjoy those same activities along with two four-story haunted houses with secret themes and an escape room.

This year, the themes “will be very different” from last year; they are going to remain a surprise until the day of the event, according to organizers.

In total, there will be 75 vendors and live music from 8 South.

The carnival is expected to bring in between 5,000-6,000 guests this year, based on the outcome of last year’s attendance.

Attendees are encouraged to dress up in family-friendly costumes.

For the king and queen crowning ceremony, students will submit photos of themselves dressed in their Halloween costumes. Voting for the best costume will take place at Phi Sigma Sigma’s booth. King and Queen will be announced at 8:30 p.m.

“The Dark Carnival is a fun event for all ages and is the perfect, safe way to spend your Halloween this year,” Dark Carnival coordinator John Vanderpool said.