Ease into Halloween with the Mad Hatter Festival

This weekend is Mad Hatter weekend in Coconut Grove. The Mad Hatter Festival is Saturday and Sunday, October 29 and 30. Hurricane Rina is not coming our way, so come out and enjoy the weekend!

Ground zero is The Barnacle (3485 Main Highway), where you'll enter to the sounds of the Coconut Grove Drum Circle as you enter the forest. As you come upon the great lawn out back, tents filled with arts and crafts will extend down to the water's edge.

Out front, easing out along The Barnacle entrance, from The Cloisters to Calamari, artists will line the streets with their wares.

The Chalk It Up! street painting festival has been moved from the lot next to Fuller Street all the way down to the Playhouse parking lot, so the Mad Hatter is basically contained to that end of town now, which is ironic, because the last festival was at the very other end of town, near Mary and Virginia.

The original Mad Hatter spread out around the Grove. Artists set up at various locations and as you walked the village, you would randomly come upon the art. This was nice and quint, but it seems to be more of a festival when contained to one general area.

The Barnacle is showing "Alice in Wonderland" on Saturday evening when the gates open at 7 pm for a 60th anniversary showing of the classic. The movie begins at 8 pm with no entry after 8:15. Movie tickets are $5 per person for ages 6 and over; $3 for ages 2-5; and free for ages under 2.

The Barnacle Society has also planned a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party as the opening reception on Friday, October 28 from 6-9 pm on the lawn of The Barnacle. This quirky lawn party celebrates the opening of the Mad Hatter Arts Festival. Guests are advised to bring their own teacup and follow the white rabbit through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole to The Barnacle to a Wonderland where Tea Party Fare will be served and there will be a cash bar. Wonderland-themed costumes are encouraged.

Reservations and payment for the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party may be made at http://www.thebarnacle.org/, cost is $30 per person.

Proceeds from the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party will be used for the care and maintenance of The Barnacle.

And don't forget your Mad Hatter hat, which is required attire all weekend even if it's a yellow and pink polka dotted witches hat!