Awesome People We Met on Day 1 of Escape: Psycho Circus

There’s no denying it: Insomniac Headliners are all kinds of awesome. We’re reminded of this fact at each and every festival, but at Escape everyone really brings their A-game and their up-for-anything attitude. Here are 11 standout individuals we met as we walked through the Psycho Circus.

Name: Lalo & Brittany
Age: Lalo (38), Brittany (28)
Hometown: Lalo (Los Angeles, CA) Brittany (Bay Area, CA)
How many times have you been to Escape? Lalo (3), Brittany (2)
What’s the most memorable Halloween costume you ever wore?
Lalo: My first one was a mushroom mau5head. They gave me the idea to get one of these because I loved it so much.
Brittany: It’s gonna be tomorrow’s outfit. I’m gonna be a bondage bunny with a leash.
How do you escape?
Lalo: I come here—this is my escape. I work all month long, and when an Insomniac event comes along, I’m there. This is my only escape. I’m just straightedge, and when I’m here I’m a whole different person. I’m letting out my aggression and my feelings right here.
Brittany: Insomniac. It’s where I can forget everything for many days and party with my friends.
What scares you the most?
Lalo: Not enjoying myself. That scares me, not having fun. This is my only escape from reality. I work 9–5, and I rave once a month at an Insomniac event.
Brittany: I’m most scared of losing family.

Name: Pickles
Age: 27
Hometown: Victorville, CA
How many times have you been to Escape? Four
What’s the most memorable Halloween costume you ever wore?
I wanna say when I was a scarecrow when I was seven. I was probably in third or fourth grade. I remember taking a lot of time making it. I remember my mom helping me. I think I won a cake at my school.
How do you escape?
I live life every day like it’s the last day I’m gonna live. I just ignore reality; I make my own. I have fun. I’m just out there to be a positive influence and make the world a better place. I try to escape reality every day.
What scares you the most?
Spiders, for sure. They’re just creepy—the eight legs, all the eyes, crawling on you. I used to work at a tire shop, and they were everywhere.

Name: Esteban and Jenn
Age: Estaban (32), Jenn (27)
Hometown: Estaban (Oceanside, CA), Jenn (Bakersfield, CA)
How many times have you been to Escape? Estaban (1), Jenn (2)
What’s the most memorable Halloween costume you ever wore?
Estaban: This one, today. It’s fun, and we’re here. We’re living this life and enjoying it.
How do you escape?
Estaban: Music—it relaxes the soul. It just makes you feel good.
Jenn: Being here. I feel free.
What scares you the most? Losing my son. He is 13.

Name: Tamar (left), Janelle (middle) and Ewok (right)
Age: Janelle (28), Ewok (24), Tamar (25)
Hometown: Janelle (Lakewood, CA), Tamar (Inglewood, CA), Ewok (L.A., CA)
How many times have you been to Escape? Ewok (4), Janelle (2), Tamar (3)
What’s the most memorable Halloween costume you ever wore?
Ewok: This one right now, because my girl made it for me. She made all our onesies. I worked on the hat and made my ball and chain. We painted. I sanded for days.
Janelle: My first Escape last year, when I was Tinkerbell. It was a turning point for me, where I decided to design my own costumes.
Tamar: It sounds cheesy, but I have to say this one, because we actually made it together. It’s gotten the best reaction out of any of the other costumes I’ve ever had.
How do you escape?
Ewok: Basically, I come here and promote our business. This is our escape. We come here to party and do work.
Janelle: By coming here, dressing up as my fantasy character. Whoever I wish to be in life, and doing that for one night.
Tamar: I come to events like this, and I find the nastiest floor, the nastiest set, and I just go nuts. If there’s a mosh pit, I’m in there. If there are light shows to give, I’ll give them. I just want to go crazy and become the demon that I want to be.
What scares you the most?
Ewok: Her outfit, and her temper.
Janelle: The unknown in the future, because you never know what is going to happen despite all your efforts moving forward. Essentially, it’s uncontrollable in some ways.
Tamar: Failure. I don’t ever want to fail. I want to bring my family to a better place through me being successful. I hate failing.

Name: Lock (Megazord)
Age: 27
Hometown: Rosemead, CA
How many times have you been to Escape? One
What’s the most memorable Halloween costume you ever wore?
This has been, because it’s gotten the most attention so far. The ladies love it.
How do you escape?
By going to Escape and having fun.
What scares you the most?
Rita. Dude, Rita is my mortal enemy. And I don’t know what to do about her.

Name: Reana
Age: 25
Hometown: Lancaster, CA
How many times have you been to Escape? Three
What’s the most memorable Halloween costume you ever wore?
I’d say 2013; I was a ventriloquist dummy. It was pretty awesome. I put a lot of work into it. I think I put more work into this one because there’s a lot more detail, but the other one was definitely my favorite.
How do you escape?
I dance and I draw. That usually helps me get away from everything that’s messing with me in life.
What scares you the most?
The dark. Complete darkness. I feel like if I’m in a room and it’s completely dark and I’m by myself, I feel like there’s other people in there with me or like something is gonna jump out and get me. I just don’t feel safe in a dark area.

Name: Ali & Monse
Age: Ali (22), Monse (22)
Hometown: Montclair, CA
How many times have you been to Escape? Ali (2) Monse (4)
What’s the most memorable Halloween costume you ever wore?
Ali: One year I was a hustler pimp. It was the funniest thing. Everyone would come up to me, and they thought it was awesome.
Monse: One year I was a witch, and I had a big, big nose. I had a black wig when I was seven years old.
How do you escape?
Monse: I put on some good music, zone out and just think about happy stuff. Just chill out.
Ali: I surround myself with good people and good friends and, obviously, her—my girlfriend. That’s my number-one escape right there.
What scares you the most?
Monse: Snails, because they’re really slimy, and I hate slimy stuff.
Ali: Snakes—just the thought of them, like these little squiggly things can kill you. It’s just scary.

Name: Anderson (33) and Alonzo (22)
Hometown: Anderson (San Diego, CA), Alonzo (Little Las Cruces, NM)
How many times have you been to Escape? Anderson (1), Alonzo (1)
What’s the most memorable Halloween costume you ever wore?
Alonzo: I’m a theater major, so I’ve always worn so many costumes every week… not just Halloween. I’ve had a zombie costume that I love doing, because it was absolutely terrifying, and I would wear it on campus.
Anderson: Mine would be Randall Flagg from Stephen King. He’s, like, this bloody cowboy dude… and he had a stuffed crow on his shoulder. He can control animals and stuff like that.
How do you escape?
Alonzo: I would definitely say the creative process of making costumes, making kandi, that’s my escape. I can do it anywhere, and it’s definitely something I like doing.
Anderson: I would say any musical/art event, gallery, where you’re not thinking in a traditional, boring way.
What are you most afraid of?
Anderson: Um… real life? (laughs) My biggest fear is being boring.
Alonzo: I almost drowned when I was little, so I would say bodies of water aren’t my thing.

Name: Pocket Chocolate (46) and Laura (30)
Hometown: Ventura, CA
How many times have you been to Escape? Pocket Chocolate (1) Laura (1)
What is the most memorable Halloween costume that you ever wore?
Pocket Chocolate: I think it might be this one, because I can’t think of any of the other ones I’ve worn right now.
Laura: This one, because I made most of it.
What do you do to escape?
Pocket Chocolate: In general, I just like to hang out, chill, veg out with my friends. Music carries me away.
Laura: I just imagine it, and I’m there. My favorite place to go in my head is any location in Harry Potter.
What are you most afraid of?
Pocket Chocolate: I don’t like people jumping out at me; just in general, it terrifies me. It’s hard for me to do mazes and stuff.
Laura: Spiders of any shape and size.

Name: Clarissa (24) and Donny (29)
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
How many times have you been to Escape? Clarissa (1) Donny (1)
What’s the most memorable costume you ever wore?
Clarissa: I’d have to say this one, since I made it all myself.
Donny: Same for me, except I didn’t make this.
How do you escape?
Clarissa: I escape by coming to festivals. This is my vacation! I’m a waitress, so I work every holiday during the year. So, whenever I have this… this is my holiday.
Donny: I escape by going to music festivals. I’m an air traffic controller, by the way. I have to make sure the planes don’t run into each other! This is my escape. Being here is beautiful. I love it.