LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – “We’re growing like crazy, and there’s a lot of changes happening this year that I want to share,” Alex Butel said from Lake Havasu’s yearly witch paddle event. Butel has been the event’s coordinator of the broom gatherings for the past three years. Her friend Sara Arnold launched the first event seven years ago.
Originally planned as a fun meetup, their first one consisted of less than fifteen participants. Butel shared it was by word of mouth that in the year that followed, the Halloween fused celebration grew to almost forty participants. “By the next year, we almost had a hundred people. Some 500 witches showed up the first year I hosted it. It was insane and fun,” Butel added.
With the continuation of the ever-growing paddle day, signups have increased this year and the organizer will have the channel closed for the special lake time. “No one’s ever closed the channel. We want to make the event safer and more efficient and exert crowd control,” Butel said. This one will have a lot more city involvement such as insurance, the Lake Havasu police Department, U.S. Coastguard, Lake Havasu Marine Association, city events manager, the Mohave County sheriff, city events director, and much more.
Currently sitting at around eight hundred signups, the anticipated goal is 1,000 participants this year. Anyone interested in casting witch spells while gliding the glistening channel can do so by visiting golakehavasu.com. Local entertainment will be provided by students of Footlite Studio and Beyond Dance. DJ Mian will provide the music tunes. With the event being ticketed for the first time and hosted by the Nautical Beachfront Resort, participants will gain much more for taking part. Such as the exclusive after party entry at the Nautical Beachfront Resort, free raffle ticket to win a new paddle board, and free parking at the resort. The fees will also help pay for the channel’s safety closure.
This year’s Witch Paddle adventure will be taking place on Sunday, October 25 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Bridgewater Channel at 1477 Queens Bay. A portion of this year’s proceeds will go to the Lake Havasu Marine Association.
