The Denver Halloween Costume Contest: $2,500, Judged Fair, Crowned at Midnight

The largest costume contest in Colorado happens at midnight on October 31, on a stage above the biggest dance floor in the metro — $2,500 in cash and prizes, judged by people who build costumes for a living, decided in front of the whole room. People plan their entries all year for this. Here’s everything: the rules, the night’s timeline, what the judges look for, and why we run it the way we do.

1. 8:00 PM — Registration opens with doorsFind the contest table at the entryway to the Haunted Forest ballroom. Your photo and cell number are taken — that’s your entry. Then go enjoy the party; there’s no line to hold, no waiting around.
2. 11:00 PM — Registration closesHard cutoff. If your costume takes assembly, arrive with time to spare — the best entries every year are the ones that registered early and calm, not sprinting at 10:58.
3. 11:00–11:30 PM — Judges select the top 20Professional performers, makeup artists, and costume designers review every entry. KLP has zero input on who advances. If you’re chosen, you get a text — return to the contest table by 11:30.
4. Midnight — The runwayThe top 20 walk the stage over the main dance floor, one at a time, with the whole Palace watching — including the 41 balcony rooms above.
5. The crowd votesThe room picks its three favorites. Not an app, not a follower count — the actual crowd, in the actual moment.
6. The final roundThe top three face the judges one last time, and winners are crowned on stage the same night. Nobody waits three days for an Instagram post to find out.

$2,500 in total cash and prizes — the largest purse of any costume contest in Colorado.

Our judges are professional performers, makeup artists, and costume designers — they see technique the crowd doesn’t. 

Craftsmanship. Construction, materials, finish. Handmade beats store-bought at this level, and the judges can tell the difference from thirty feet.

Transformation. How completely you disappear into it. Makeup, movement, silhouette — the entries that win don’t look like a person in a costume.

Originality. The tenth version of this year’s movie character faces a steeper hill than the thing nobody’s ever seen.

Stage presence. The runway at midnight is a performance. Thirty seconds, whole room watching — the winners perform their costume, not just wear it.

The house can’t pick the winner. Finalists are selected by independent judges — KLP has no input, and we’re proud to put that in writing. Winners here aren’t friends of the promoter.

No online voting. Contests decided by social media votes crown whoever has the most followers, not the best costume. Ours is decided by the people standing in the room, looking at the actual work.

Experts and the crowd share the power. Judges bring the trained eye that catches craftsmanship; the crowd brings the energy that catches magic. Neither can carry a weak costume alone — you have to win both.

You compete, then you party. Register in two minutes, then go dance — the text system finds you if you advance. No standing in a holding pen all night while the party happens without you.

The whole room is the competition. Costumes are mandatory at Paranormal Palace, so you’re not the one dressed-up person at a bar — you’re the best of a thousand people who all showed up. Winning here means something.

Decided the same night, in front of everyone. Crowned on stage at the Palace, not announced in a caption on Tuesday.

Seventeen years of this contest have raised the standard to movie-level. A few moments from past Palaces 

Build for the stage, not the mirror. The runway is above a dance floor with theatrical lighting. Big silhouettes, reflective elements, and anything that lights up or moves reads from distance; subtle details that only work up close don’t.

Plan your thirty seconds. Every finalist gets a moment at midnight. A walk, a reveal, a gesture in character — the entries that rehearse a beat beat the entries that just stand there.

Make it survive four hours of party. Judges see you at midnight, not at the door. Costumes that can dance, sweat, and still look finished at 11:59 have a structural advantage. (Room upstairs = a built-in repair station: our hotel takeover page explains why serious contestants book one.)

Register at 8, not 10:58. Early registration means your photo is taken while you’re fresh, and you spend the night competing-while-partying instead of stressing a deadline.

Know the one hard rule. No weapons as props — real or fake, no exceptions, no matter how integral to the character. Design around it from the start. Full event rules are on our FAQ page.