Bacardi Returns as Spirits Partner for Janelle Monáe's Los Angeles Festival
The rum brand will sponsor the second annual Wondaween: Creature Carnival, an event scheduled for October 29 at a secret location in the city.
By Vikram Harrison ·
Bacardi has renewed its role as the official spirits partner for the Wondaween Festival: Creature Carnival, an event organized by singer Janelle Monáe. The partnership marks the second year the rum brand has supported the one-night celebration, which is scheduled to take place on October 29 at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles.
Monáe has treated Halloween as a central creative outlet for decades. Growing up in Kansas City, she dressed as the character Chucky and slept in the mask, a habit her mother noted with concern but affection. In recent years, the preparation for her costumes has become a multi-year process. For her 2024 appearance as E.T., Monáe told People that the costume was two years in the making. She works with designer and tailor Alex Navarro and stylist Alexandra Mandelkorn to construct these elaborate ensembles.
This year, Monáe has adopted a full creature aesthetic for the festival. Her look features a wrinkled, green-tinged prosthetic face with one eye replaced by a hot pink swirl. She wears a peachy pink shag wig beneath a black hat, paired with a ruffled white blouse, black-and-white striped suspenders, and layered strands of pearls and black beads. The costume includes prosthetic hands with bloody knuckles. In promotional material, she holds a Spookito, a Bacardi cocktail created as a Halloween variation of the classic mojito.
Monáe described Halloween as a "happy space" that has been important to her since childhood. She told The Hollywood Reporter that the holiday opens a conversation about becoming agents of joy and imagination. "I do this because my heart needs it," she said. She maintains that she embodies each character from morning to night, stating in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that when she says she was a specific character, she was that person for the entire duration of the day.
The Wondaween festival has expanded over the past two years. In 2025, the event included a vampire-themed segment at the Santa Monica Pier, where Monáe wore a black latex cape and fangs. Prior to that, she appeared as The Cat in the Hat on the Jennifer Hudson Show and as a Frankenstein-style figure at a premiere in October 2025. The current edition, Creature Carnival, focuses on the prosthetic and monster theme for the October 29 date.
The Spookito featured in Monáe's promotional imagery consists of 1.5 ounces of Bacardi Superior rum, one ounce of lime juice, 0.5 ounces of simple syrup, 0.25 ounces of grenadine, and eight to ten mint leaves. The recipe instructs users to muddle the mint with lime juice and simple syrup, add the rum and crushed ice, and stir gently. The drink is topped with soda water and finished with a drizzle of grenadine and a mint sprig garnish.
The festival is scheduled to occur tomorrow, October 29. Monáe will host the event, which serves as the second annual installment of the Wondaween series. The location remains secret until the day of the event.
