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Alameda homes Halloween display with political theme attracts attention
A homeowner in Alameda is mixing Halloween with politics ahead of election day. The elaborate display is attracting a lot of attention.
ALAMEDA, Calif. - One East Bay homeowner is mixing Halloween with politics.
Each year, Dan Balsam puts up an elaborate display,
But this year, he said he's focused on the election. And it's attracting a lot of attention.
"This lets us be creative and express our political views, and entertain our neighborhood all at the same time," Balsam said, showing off the display he created on the front yard of his home in Alameda.
It's located at the corner of San Antonio Avenue and Union Street.
He called it "The Project 2025 Halloween Carn-evil."
Balsam's home is one of many in Alameda decorated for Halloween, but it stands out in part because of its political theme.
"This was definitely one of the houses we wanted to see," said Erin Ardito, an Alameda resident who came to see the display with her two young children.
She said it was "elaborate and creative."
Balsam described it as a "MAGA carnival."
It's a satire of the homeowner's anti-Trump views.
The display has 11 booths, one freak show and a graveyard.
"We have carnival games out here like ‘wack-a-socialist,’ ‘knock down a migrant,’ ‘fund a trip for a Supreme Court justice,'" said Balsam, who is a lawyer by profession.
He said he started creating political-themed Halloween displays in 2017.
He switched to Broadway themes in recent years.
But he decided to bring back the mix of Halloween and politics because this presidential election could have "monstrous" implications.
"It's very interesting and the time that they took to actually make this and inform the whole neighborhood," said Kevin Mesa of Alameda who stopped by to see the intricate setup.
Balsam's young son, Ryan, helped his dad put up the display.
"Even though I'm 11, I still think of politics. I get to learn about stuff that's going on in the real world," said the 5th grader.
Balsam said the display is largely for entertainment with a focus on current developments, including a booth with french fries, a reference to former President Trump's visit to a fast food restaurant.
The homeowner said his display has been well received.
Pedicab operators have made his home a stop.
"This is phenomenal. It's so great, and it's so important in an election year," said Shadrach Close with Ratchet Rickshaw which is offering pedicab tours of decorated homes in Alameda.
"Alameda is a very liberal city. It's very democratic. You can drive around and see all the signs that say Kamala and Walz," said Ardito .
But there has been some push back.
"Someone will drive by occasionally and yell at us, but we don't care," said Balsam.
"There's some people who try to avoid politics. If they're walking by, they'll get a little flavor of what's going on," said Balsam.
The homeowner said the display will stay up at least through election night.
Each night the lights will stay on until about 9:30 p.m.
And it's free to see the display.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU