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SOLD OUT! The 2023 Dracuthon Festival

Date / Time

  • October 13, 2023
    7:00 pm - 11:59 pm

Location

2212 Spruce St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103, United States

Sponsored by Kitty and Bob DeMento

Registration

  • Admission is free, or pay-what-you-wish with a suggested donation of $15. 
  • This is an in-person program at The Trinity Center For Urban Life. 
  • This will be an ASL Interpreted event.  Interpreters provided by SIGNINterpreting Service will accompany the readers.
  • Please check your spam folder for your email confirmation. If you have questions, please call (215) 732-1600 or email [email protected].

Register for the Waitlist

Description

Join us on Friday the 13th of October as we read selections from Bram Stoker’s ghastly and chilling novel Dracula, from nightfall to midnight. Local actors will read aloud the first four chapters of the novel: Jonathan Harker’s journal account of his harrowing visit to Castle Dracula. 

Joining us will be Matt Kirkland, creator of the wildly popular Dracula Daily substack, and Josh Hitchens, author and theatre maker. Both will be signing their books. You can pre-order Kirkland’s book from our official local bookseller here: Pre-Order Dracula Daily

The Rosenbach is the home of first editions of Bram Stoker’s novel, as well as his manuscript notes for Dracula, including over 100 pages of outlines, early plot ideas, and research records, compiled by the author over the seven years he developed and wrote the book.  What better way to encounter the King of the Vampires than at this nighttime, Halloween-season reading? 

In addition to the reading, this year’s Dracuthon will include vendors, book signings with authors, and the opportunity to sign up for other vampire-related Rosenbach programs. Food and drink, including beers, wines, and a signature Rosenbach cocktail, will be available for purchase for part of the evening. 

Vampire (or Vampire Hunter) costumes are encouraged.  We will have a parade of those in costume and prizes will be awarded!

Our vendors:

The Head and the Hand Books (new books, including books by Kirkland and Hitchens)

For the Love of Used Books (used books)

Dracula Beyond Stoker Magazine

This Rosenbach program will take place at the Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (22nd and Spruce Streets, just 2 blocks from the Rosenbach) 

The event is pay-what-you-wish, and advance registration is encouraged.

The Trinity Center for Urban Life at 22nd and Spruce Street