Hello, everyone. This is your one and only Spookfest mod. I wanted to take a moment to say a few more words on this event.

This was the sixth year of Spookfest, and my fifth hosting after the founders handed over the keys. And yes, this account is managed by one person! For the last four rounds, only one moderator has been navigating the front-facing aspects of this event. Running Spookfest and Unholy Week is a labor of love, and I'd like to thank my council of friends who continue to help me as sounding boards in the background on the best way to keep this event up and running.

I have to admit, there are often moments where I think the latest round I host will be the last, but I finish a round and receive such kind messages expressing how much some people enjoy this event, and that's enough to make me feel relieved we all found the strength to pull off another round.

I saw "we" often because Spookfest ultimately is a collective effort. Even if there is only one person managing the account and graphics, Spookfest really is only as strong as the people who make it possible—most notably the contributors, but also the people who enjoy what Spookfest has to offer hold all the power in the success of this event.

In 2023, when Spookfest was limited to NCT, we only received 2 entries, both by the same author. It was demoralizing, to say the least. To be fair, that year the account fully shifted into being managed by one person, and I wasn't posting frequently leading up to the event. I distinctly remember feeling like not many people cared that year—and when we didn't receive more than 2 entries, people came forward expressing sorrow that the event was essentially...non-existent.

I put forth more effort in rounds after 2023 to make the event more vibrant, engaging, visible—but that's about as much reach as I can do. I almost gave up on Spookfest entirely when I hosted Unholy Week in 2024 (which was a success) but even that felt like pulling teeth to get any sort of read if people were interested! A friend suggested opening to more fandoms, and I set up surveys (which had a hard time receiving much engagement), and there was enough support for this suggestion.

To every person who has ever liked, retweeted, replied, or shared our event to others—your outreach has helped Spookfest stay running. If I could ask you one favor: please continue to do this. Please share this event amongst friends you think might be interested, in Discord servers and group chats—your sharing means so much. I feel silly and desperate to ask anyone to like and reply to tweets, but those small gestures help me get a temperature gauge for how the round will go. Can you blame me after what happened in 2023? A week ago I had a mini panic and was swearing up and down 2025 was going to be the last round.

I'm still floored by how much this event has flourished the last two rounds since opening it to all k-pop fandoms. Spookfest's goal is to hold space for those with a desire to create the obscure, the macabre, the left-of-centre...and make it a little easier for an audience to find it. We honor these creations in October annually with Spookfest, and in March/April during even numbered years with Unholy Week.

There may or may not be a survey going out later to receive feedback on this latest round—an opportunity for people to provide earnest thoughts anonymously. However, the account's DMs are always open and I'd love to hear from you. Now that the 2025 event is over, I'll be on the account less, but just know Spookfest is lingering in the recesses of my mind most of the year and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

With that, thank you again for keeping the spirit of Spookfest alive! It would be nothing without all of you.

— Anonymous Spookfest Mod