Lexington Production Snapshot— Festivals, Permits, and Local Resources
Lexington video production teams have a packed late-October calendar: horror conventions, glowing jack-o-lantern trails, fresh casting calls and a newly streamlined permit process converge to test even the slickest schedulers. Whether you’re a national brand or a hometown Lexington camera crew, the details below keep your slate on time and under budget.
HI-IMPACT WEEKEND HEADLINER
ScareFest Weekend returns Oct 17-19 with celebrity panels, a juried film block and vendor rows inside Central Bank Center, drawing thousands of genre fans and industry scouts. Expect load-in congestion on West High Street—city traffic officers will hold curb space only for productions that attach lane-closure plans to their permit PDF.
Main-Stage Premieres
Kentucky Theatre launches a fresh print of Frankenstein on Oct 24, part of its annual “Monsters & Mayhem” series that routinely sells out midnight slots. Just a mile away, Antagonist Productions opens The Last Dracula the same night, offering low-cost rehearsal windows earlier that week for crews needing gothic interiors.
Key Halloween Events
- PumpkinMania, Transylvania University – Pumpkin carving fest Oct 26; lit display nightly through Oct 30.
- Pumpkins, Frights & Movie Night, Gatton Park – Free movies & carving booths Oct 25, 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
- Jack-o-Lantern Trail, Raven Run – Self-guided lights Oct 22-25; no drones allowed on trail.
Permit Checklist
- Apply via City Special-Events Portal; bundle insurance, site map, drone docs.
- Park-shoot fee: $75/day; street use remains fee-free.
- State-park UAV work needs a separate drone permit filed 7 business days ahead.
Casting & Studio Openings
Backstage still lists 17 open roles, including a grooming-brand spot (pays up to $4,900) and a Halloween digital campaign filming Oct 20-22. LEX Studios—Kentucky’s largest purpose-built soundstage—offers 50 k sq ft, cyc walls and a new LED volume at 40 percent off for late-month bookings.
Community Meet-ups
The Bluegrass Film Club hosts a horror double-feature talk Oct 21 at Greyline Station—an easy networking stop for PAs between prep days. Meanwhile VisitLEX’s Pumpkin Patch Classic 5K on Oct 11 has already passed, but its social-media footage is free to license for background plates.
Drone & Flight Notes
Kentucky’s state permit demands a detailed flight plan, Part 107 cert and aircraft registration; Lexington Metro Parks outright bans recreational drones at Freaky Flicks sites, so coordinate off-site launches. LAANC windows near Blue Grass Airport can close weekends for air-traffic volume—check 48 hours out.
Closing Take
From ScareFest’s cosplay chaos to glowing pumpkin rows, the next 14 days offer textures any lens can love—if your paperwork’s airtight. File that single-PDF permit, snag studio slots before rain clouds roll, and harvest the autumn energy lighting up Central Kentucky. When the credits hit, you’ll have footage as rich as a Thoroughbred’s stride.
