Ellington

After five years of upping the ante with their annual Halloween bash, the Boneyard Boogie, organizers said bigger wasn't good enough this year.

Much bigger, though? That was more like it, said Justin Casey, who co-founded JMJ Productions, the local event planning company responsible for the Boogie.

"Last year, we went big. This year, we're just going huge," he said. "I think some people are going to be in awe when they walk in and see it."

In 2009, the Boogie was held in the Loose Cannon Art Gallery, where it moved after a three-year stint in East Ridge. This year, the fifth annual event has been moved to a larger facility, the Collective Visions Event Hall, to accommodate a sound and lighting rig Casey said is on par with the equipment used by Widespread Panic while on tour.

The two-night event will kick off tonight at Collective Visions Event Hall. Tickets, which are for one or two days, include unlimited food and drink as well as an extensive musical lineup. Tonight will focus on rock artists, including Nashville-based concept rockers The Protomen. Saturday night will feature dance/electronic musicians, including the Colorado-based duo Signal Path.

Photo booths will be set up to take pictures for an online costume contest. All attendees are required to wear a costume, whether an elaborate production or something thrown together last-minute, Casey said.

Casey and co-founder Justin Lyons started Boneyard Boogie in 2005 as a way to offer an event tailored to their friends, who were uninterested in other Halloween events around town.

Over time, mostly through word of mouth, it has grown into an annual spectacle, Casey said.

"We went way above what anyone expected. For years, that's what's set us apart from everyone else," he said. "We want to make sure that everyone has fun and has a night they can remember forever and will have something to talk about with their friends for weeks after."

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205.