A Halloween party recreating a 16th-century dancing plague with DJs, cocktails, costumed performers and immersive theater.
The Mütter Museum is hosting Choreomania, its annual Halloween party, on Friday, October 30, from 6 PM to 11 PM. The whole night is built around the dancing plague, that medieval phenomenon that would occasionally seize European towns and leave people dancing uncontrollably until they collapsed. The most famous case broke out in Strasbourg in 1518, when hundreds of people were caught up in it—and that's the specific history the party is playing with.
Inside, the museum is transformed into a 16th-century village, complete with costumed performers and an immersive experience that the museum describes as Sleep No More-inspired. The music runs from the museum's historic ballroom, and the dance floor is paired with a sensory light installation by the artist collective Glimmer Labs. This year's theme is choleric, one of the four humours, so the night leans into fire, passion and physical activity. You're encouraged to come in period costume, anywhere from peasant-core to medieval demonology.
The evening starts with a garden party in the Benjamin Rush Medicinal Plant Garden, and the immersive experience kicks off at 7 PM. General admission includes after-hours access to the Museum and Garden, light bites and a look at special collection items. Sara Ray, PhD, Senior Director of Interpretation and Engagement at the Mütter Museum, says programs like this give visitors a way to engage with medical history in an entertaining format.
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On the decks are DJ Yngfu and DJ Daniela, founder of Deep Playa NYC. Tickets are $85, and the whole thing runs from 6 PM to 11 PM on Friday, October 30, at 19 S. 22nd St.
