A look inside the inaugural Krog Masquerade

Didn’t attend the highly controversial event that blocked a key entrance to Cabbagetown? We’ve got you covered.

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As night fell on Cabbagetown Saturday night, a legion of mask-wearing partygoers descended upon the Krog St. Tunnel for the inaugural Krog Masquerade. The controversial party blocked off the Krog tunnel much of the weekend to motorists and, according to organizers, brought more than 1,000 men and women to what was billed as a “sultry underground event.”

Behind the red velvet curtain that draped the tunnel’s entrance, attendees donned their sexiest costumes, showed off body paint, and danced with $4 16 oz. PBR cans in hand. Masqueraders who paid between $40 and $100 per ticket boozily mingled amid entertainment from a local marching band and performance artists. Legendary street performer Baton Bob was a special guest.

The Krog tunnel walls, which nearly 100 artists and residents buffed in protest last week, weren’t entirely barren by the time the event took place. An event organizer tells CL some artists offered to paint murals before the event. Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces, the company that promoted the Krog Masquerade, did not commission the new murals. Organizers did, however, provide artists with supplies and paint for their works.

But a noticeable amount of graffiti expressed displeasure about the event and the attendees, many of whom were expected to be coming from elsewhere in the city. A sampling of the graffiti tags: “#Fuckhead,” “Enjoy your life little lizard! They’ll probably just paint over you soon,” and “Burn loot kill the rich.” In addition to taking photos with the tunnel’s murals, attendees could pose in front of a green screen set up by organizers. A mural that had been painted inside the tunnel was then digitally displayed behind the partygoers.

We’ve asked AFFPS for a final count of the tickets sold to the Krog Masquerade. When we get that figure, we’ll post an update.

Are you bummed that you missed the Krog masquerade? Were you staying as far away as possible in protest? We sent CL photographer Eric Cash’s inside the tunnel so you didn’t have to attend. Check out our full gallery from the Krog Masquerade here.

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Note: CL misidentified two graffiti tags in the initial post. We’ve updated the post to correct those errors.