Fangs and Fire: A Vampire Masquerade Ball at Doylestown's Tile Works |
Fire performers, a ceremonial bronze pour and Dracula's family legacy come to the Moravian Tile Works |
If you have been waiting for a reason to dress up this October, Saturday night delivers.
The Fangs and Fire Masquerade takes over the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, 130 E. Swamp Road, on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 5 to 11 p.m.
It is presented by the VAMPA Museum and the Tile Works, and it is strictly for guests 21 and older with ID.
Tickets are $175 and include a curated dinner.
There is a cash bar, and there are no refunds.
Gates open at 5, and the fire is lit at sunset.
From there, the evening unfolds in five acts, from an opening gathering to the masquerade itself and a closing stretch of music and dancing that runs until 11.
The centerpiece is a ceremonial bronze pour, with molten metal glowing against the Tile Works' dark walls.
There will also be live fire performances, a costume procession with awards, interactive characters, a photo opportunity and an artisan marketplace.
The guest list has real vampire credentials.
Dacre Stoker, the great-grand-nephew of Dracula author Bram Stoker, will be there.
So will Edmondo Crimi, owner and curator of the VAMPA Museum, who will talk about his book on vampire lore.
Several performers and DJs round out the night.
Masquerade attire is required, and gothic elegance, masks and vampire looks are encouraged.
Plan your outfit now, and dress warmly underneath if you will be outdoors after dark.
It is hard to imagine a better setting.
Henry Mercer built the Tile Works in the early 1900s, and its concrete arches and courtyards already feel like something out of a gothic novel.
Add firelight, music and a crowd in masks, and it becomes the most dramatic night out in Doylestown this season.
At $175, it is a splurge, but it is also dinner, a show and a story you will be telling for a while.
Tickets are sold through Eventbrite from the Tile Works' events page.
If it sounds like your kind of night, book soon. |
66 Comments
Join the conversation
The phrase fire is lit at sunset might be the most dramatic sentence I have read all week and I am here for it
A night like this in a building like that with people in masks and molten metal glowing in the dark. That's going to make for some amazing photos.
Glad they are doing 21 plus. Some events like this get chaotic fast when it is all ages
My wife has been looking for a reason to finally wear that costume she bought two years ago. Sending her this right now.
DeShawn B.Ha this is exactly the excuse she needed. Hope you both get tickets before it sells out, sounds like the kind of event that fills up fast.
The sunset lighting the fire is such a nice detail. Someone really thought through the timing of this event.
The fire at sunset is one of those touches that shows real care in the planning, it sets the tone for everything that follows.
Interactive characters can either be really fun or really awkward depending on execution. Hoping they nail it.
Gothic elegance in October at a historic pottery works with fire and a vampire museum curator. This is not a sentence I expected to read today.
Sandra KlineHonestly same. I scrolled back up to make sure I read it right. Only in Doylestown.
Sold through Eventbrite means those tickets will go fast once word gets around. Don't wait on this one.
The costume procession with awards is my favorite part of any masquerade event. People go all out and it's always fun to watch.
I've driven past the Tile Works a hundred times but never been inside. This might finally be the reason to go.
Five acts and it ends at 11. That schedule sounds tight if each act has anything substantial to it.
The evening runs from 5 to 11 p.m., so each act has a reasonable window, and the closing music and dancing stretch all the way to the end to keep energy up.
The artisan marketplace is what I'm most curious about. Hope there's some actual local makers there and not just mass produced stuff.
Henry Mercer would have loved this. The man had a flair for the dramatic and that building was built to impress.
That is a lovely thought, and hard to argue with, Mercer designed that building to feel like a place where extraordinary things happen, and this evening fits right in.
21 and older only is smart for an evening event like this. Makes for a very different vibe than a family Halloween thing.
I looked up Edmondo Crimi's work on vampire lore last year. Genuinely fascinating stuff. Having him speak is a nice touch.
Tom BeckwithDid not know about him at all before reading this article. Just looked him up and now I kind of want to go just to hear him talk.
October 17 is two weeks away. That is not much time to pull together a masquerade look from scratch
A molten metal pour at night surrounded by people in masks is either the coolest thing I have ever heard of or a horror movie opening scene
The tip about dressing warmly underneath your costume is real. October nights in Bucks County can get cold fast especially once the sun drops.
Absolutely, we added that tip because it's easy to commit fully to a dramatic look and then spend the outdoor portions shivering, so layer wisely under those cloaks and gowns.
The costume procession with awards is what sold me. We are going all out
Drove through Doylestown last fall and the Tile Works caught my eye from the road. Now I kind of want to drive back for this
$175 is a lot but when you break it down it is dinner plus a show plus an actual experience. Could be worth it
Masks required is the best part. Forces everyone to actually commit to the theme instead of just showing up in jeans with cat ears.
Henry Mercer would either love this or be very confused by it
Went to an event at the Tile Works last fall and the acoustics and atmosphere are like nowhere else around here. This one sounds next level.
Donna W.Which event did you go to? Curious what the crowd was like. Trying to decide if this is worth the drive from our end.
Sold out yet? Checking Eventbrite tonight
Edmondo Crimi talking about vampire lore in person sounds like the kind of thing you do not expect on a Saturday night in Doylestown
Anyone know if the artisan marketplace is open to the public or only ticket holders
My wife is going to lose her mind when I show her this
The Tile Works honestly already looks like a vampire lives there so the theme makes total sense
Dress warmly underneath is real advice. October nights in Bucks County are no joke
Gothic elegance required attire and I own exactly zero gothic elegant things
Calling it now, the bronze pour is going to be the thing everyone talks about Monday morning
Five acts sounds like a real production not just a party with a costume contest
Went to an event there a few years back and the building alone is worth the trip. Those concrete arches are something else
Cash bar on top of $175 feels like a lot. Hope the dinner is solid
The Tile Works at night with fire and masks is going to look absolutely incredible
No refunds on $175 tickets is a hard no from me
Dacre Stoker being there is wild. Like an actual connection to the original Dracula book
Already bought two tickets. Been waiting for something like this in Doylestown for years
$175 is steep but a bronze pour at the Tile Works sounds genuinely insane to watch in person
So
Five acts is ambitious. Hope they keep things moving and it doesn't drag between segments.
From what is described, the acts move from gathering to procession to the bronze pour to the masquerade itself, so there is a clear thread designed to keep momentum going all night.
Cash bar only at a $175 ticket price is a little surprising. Would've expected at least one drink included.
It is a fair observation, and worth factoring into your budget for the evening alongside the ticket price, the cash bar is a noted detail we wanted readers to have upfront.
A ceremonial bronze pour sounds wild. Like actual molten metal glowing in the dark? That alone would be worth it.
sam_doylestownRight? I had to reread that part. A live bronze pour is not something you see at most Halloween events. That sounds genuinely spectacular.
Gothic elegance is my entire personality so I've been waiting for something like this. Already planning my outfit.
No refunds is a tough policy for a $175 ticket. Hope nobody gets sick that weekend.
It is a firm policy worth knowing before you book, so we wanted to make sure readers saw it clearly before purchasing.
My husband and I did a tour of the Tile Works years ago and it already feels like you stepped into another century. Can't imagine what it looks like with torches and everyone in costume.
Karen M.Same, we did the self-guided tour a few summers back and kept saying it felt like a castle. At night with actual firelight I think it would be unreal.
Dacre Stoker being there is so cool. Never thought I'd see a descendant of Bram Stoker at an event in Doylestown of all places.
It is a genuinely remarkable guest for a Doylestown evening, and his presence gives the night some real literary history alongside all the spectacle.
$175 is steep but if dinner is included and you get to watch a bronze pour with fire performers, that's actually not bad for a whole evening out.
Dave ThompsonThat was my thinking too. A lot of ticketed dinners around here are $80 and you just sit at a table. This has an actual show built around it.
The Tile Works at night with firelight and masks sounds absolutely incredible. That place already gives me chills in broad daylight.
Maria G.Ha same. I took my kids on the daytime tour and even they got spooked by the big kiln room. With fog machines or whatever they do at night it must be something else.