originally published: 10/05/2025
(EDISON, NJ) -- On Saturday, October 18, 2025, the veil will lift once more as the Darkside Art & Oddities Expo takes over the New Jersey Convention & Expo Center in Edison for a one-day immersive experience unlike anything else in the region. Running from 10:00am–8:00pm, the expo offers a curated celebration of the mysterious, the macabre, and the marvelously bizarre.
After a wildly successful debut in 2024, the Darkside returns with more space, more spectacle, and even stranger surprises... including expanded VIP offerings, immersive performance spaces, exclusive taxidermy workshops, and an all-new indoor, international street food experience.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
*Â Nearly 300 curated vendors of taxidermy, wet specimens, dark art, oddities, occult goods, alternative fashion, horror collectibles, and more
*Â Live tattooing and body piercing by licensed artists from around the region
* Hands-on taxidermy workshops including: Jackalope shoulder mounts and full-body mole taxidermy (with Afterlife Anatomy) and Butterfly pinning and owl pellet dissection (with Brain Fever Artwork)
* Live recording of Mother Knows Death Podcast with famed NJ Pathologist Nicole Angemi and Maria Q. Kane
* Book signing with famed NJ Pathologist Nicole Angemi, with pre-sale copies available when purchasing tickets
* Special guest appearance by Jeff Goodwin, legendary makeup and special FX artist (Blue Velvet, Manhunter, The Last of the Mohicans, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Maximum Overdrive), who will deliver a live masterclass + Q&A titled "Skin as Canvas"
* The Darkside Street Food Experience: a fully themed, indoor international street food court with a dozen curated pop-up food vendors
* Roaming performance art, fire shows, cosplay, immersive photo ops, dark entertainment and more
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are available now at www.darksidenj.com:
*Â General Admission: $20 / $25 at the door
*Â Odd Crew 4-Pack: Discounted 4-ticket bundle
* RIP VIP Experience: $100 per person – limited availability
No-Fee Tickets: Available for in-person purchase at
Out of Step Offbeat Boutique & General Store in Lawrence Township, NJ (@outofstepnj)
Darkside Art & Oddities Expo is an immersive celebration of the macabre, the mysterious, and the offbeat, created by the minds behind the New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market and are the region’s premiere purveyor of the strange, spooky, and sublime. From full-scale expos to twisted night markets, we curate immersive, alternative events for the weird, the wonderful, and the wicked at heart. Founded by award-winning event producer Joseph Kuzemka, who has crafted nearly 100 large-scale events and festivals, Darkside Art & Oddities Expo is a haven for those who revel in the eerie, the strange, and the unknown.
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