Boo Halloween Party gives back

Some look to Halloween for the costumes or the parties or the scary movies. Others, like North Shelby resident Chris Milazzo, look to Halloween as a chance to enjoy all of those things and to give back.

In 1995, Milazzo and three close friends decided to launch a Halloween party in Birmingham. The Boo Halloween Party started with a DJ and about 100 guests, but in the last 22 years has grown to include a DJ, “scary-oke,” a midnight costume contest and attracts around 1,000 attendees each year. 

 “If you’re looking for just a traditional Halloween party with music and entertainment, and you’re trying to find something with a little bit of a carnival atmosphere, I really don’t think anybody does it as good as we do,” Milazzo said.

They also decided early on to partner with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Alabama, to give back while they celebrated Halloween. Each year, they donate at least $2,500 to the non-profit, Milazzo said, even if “something happens and nobody shows up at the party.”

And while they started donating to LLS when a friend, former director Valerie Hunt, told them about the non-profit, this year their donations hold a little more significance. 

This year, co-founder Mike Walton was diagnosed with APL — acute promyelocytic leukemia. 

After his diagnosis, the LLS website became an important resource. And the research they funded, he said, is part of the reason he’s now in remission. 

“APL is now one of the most curable forms [of leukemia] thanks to research funded by people, including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,” he said. That’s not the case for most forms of leukemia, however, which is why Walton said fundraising is so important. 

Walton said he’ll approach this year’s Boo Halloween Party — Boo 22 — a little differently. He’ll still enjoy all of the party aspects, but he plans to spend more time up front, with the LLS volunteers. 

“Those people normally have a story to tell about why they’re so dedicated or who they’re raising money for,” Walton said. “For me, I have a feeling that there will be a more common bond than I have experienced any other years.”

Boo 22 will take place Friday, Oct. 27 at B&A Warehouse near Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham. For more information or tickets, go to boohalloweenparty.com.