Kandi at Escape Halloween
Two Halloween nights at the NOS Events Center: blackout and UV kandi that reads under stage light, how many singles to bring, and the official bag rules.
Dates and venue
- Dates
- October 30-31, 2026
- Where
- San Bernardino, CA
Verified on August 30, 2026 against the organizer's own page. Dates, hours and policies change — check the official page before you book anything.
The same page lists clear bags up to 12" x 6" x 12", non-clear clutches up to 6" x 9", and hydration packs with no more than two main compartments and one smaller compartment, empty on entry.
Age policy
The organizer's Hours & Info page states: "You must be 18+ to enter and 21+ for alcohol/VIP."
That is the organizer's policy, not ours. This site is written for adults regardless of who the event lets in.
Palette prompts
- Black
- UV Orange
- UV Purple
- Glow Green
- Smoke
Colors, not artwork. Nothing here copies the event's own visuals.
How many to prep
There is no correct number. These are ranges for 2 days, based on how hard you plan to trade — round down if this is your first one.
10
Light
You will trade if someone asks. Mostly singles, one piece you like.
20
Trading
You are starting handshakes. A full trade arm plus a cuff to remember.
40
Active trader
You prep for weeks and restock daily. Bring cord and spare beads too.
More on the split in how many kandi to bring.
What people trade here
Escape is two nights, both of them after dark, and it is the one weekend a year where a costume carries the fit and the kandi has to survive on top of it. That pushes the whole stack toward high contrast: black bases with one loud color, UV beads that go acid the second you walk under a wash, glow beads charged in the daylight before doors.
Because everyone is in a costume, plain color is doing more work than a clever phrase. A blackout single with four UV beads in it reads from further away than twelve letters nobody can focus on at 1 a.m. Save the long lines for the daytime lot and the shuttle queue.
Carry plan
Late October in San Bernardino swings from warm afternoon to genuinely cold night, so you will be putting on and taking off layers over your arms all evening. Load the trade stack on the arm your sleeve does not cover, and move the keep arm under the jacket where nothing gets snagged.
If your costume has gloves, cuffs or anything that goes over the wrist, decide before you leave whether the stack goes over or under. Peeling six singles off to get a sleeve on in a crowd is how you lose them.
Bag policy
Escape publishes bag dimensions on its own Hours & Info page — clear bags to a stated size, small clutches, hydration packs empty on entry. Read that page for the year you are going. Nothing on this site is a substitute for the current list, and a costume prop that reads as a mask or a weapon is a separate rule you should check on the same page.
Kandi on your body has never been the issue. Loose beads, cord and scissors in a bag is what slows a gate down. String at the hotel, wear it in.
Policies change between editions. The official page wins over anything you read here.
Three to make for it
Ten lines that land here
- BLACKOUT
- UV ONLY
- LIGHTS OUT
- STAY WEIRD
- CREATURE
- GLOW STACK
- AFTER DARK
- HYDRATE
- FOUND YOU
- GET HOME SAFE
Letter beads run out around twelve characters on a single. Browse the whole phrase library.
Trade etiquette, short version
Ask before you trade. Never pull anything off somebody's arm, and never take a piece somebody says is a keeper. If someone says no, that is the whole answer — you are not owed a trade, and neither are they. A gift is a gift: accepting one does not put you in debt.
Full version: trade etiquette and the PLUR handshake.
Leave no trace
Loose beads are litter. Cut cord ends, dropped letter beads and the plastic bags they came in all end up on the ground where you strung them. String over a tray or a towel, bin the offcuts, and pack out what you brought in — campgrounds especially.
Before you go
Water, food, hearing protection, and people who will notice if you are not okay. Read festival safety and the organizer's current rules — the official page wins over anything on this site.
Independent kandi guide. Not a craft kit brand. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any festival, promoter, venue, or artist. Festival names are used only to identify the events discussed.