Every August, monsters from all over creep, crawl and slither into downtown Greeley for a very special occasion — Monster Day.

The day allows monsters to gather in celebration of their uniqueness and individuality and to show the public that being different is something to embrace, not run away from.

This year the event is going virtual on Saturday, Aug. 22, offering monsters of every color, shape, size and age the opportunity to still take part in Monster Day in a COVID-19-safe way.

“We want to keep the brand alive this year and the folks at Distortions Unlimited are very well versed at video production already, so it was a natural move,” said Alison Hamling, director of Experience for the Downtown Development Authority. “The health and safety of our attendees, vendors and partners are of our utmost concern as we continue to face this novel global health crisis.”

With the 2019 event drawing in more than 7,000 people, organizers felt it would be “irresponsible and against guidelines” to host this year’s event as an in-person activity, she explained.

“As the guidelines stand today, we would only be allowed just under 200 people on each plaza at any given time,” Hamling added.

So what can monsters expect from the virtual event?

The virtual event will be a combination of pre-recorded and live stream content from on-site at Distortions Unlimited in Greeley, Hamling explained.

“There will be a series of videos released all throughout the month on ‘Monster Mondays’,” Hamling said. “They will cover the history of the event, vendor segments, monster makeup hints and tips, and more.”

One of the events scheduled is a virtual costume showcase.

“We all agreed that the biggest thing we will miss this year is all the family photo-ops with the monsters and costumes,” Hamling commented. “Especially of the children who attended.”

The costume showcase allows people to dress up in their best monster attire, snap a photo and submit it through the event’s Facebook Messenger at m.me/MonsterDayGreeley. Participants should include their name, who/what their costume is called and their Instagram handle if they have one.

Entries will be showcased on the Monster Day Facebook page and a panel of judges will pick their favorite entries to be shown in the Monster Day Virtual Celebration on Saturday, Aug. 22. Photos must be submitted by Monday, Aug. 17 to be entered into the contest.

Each year Monster Day introduces a new mascot, and this year will be no different.  Organizers will be introducing the event’s newest monster to the mix during one of the video segments. The newbie will join Greeley Gremlin, Chewbie and Galaxee. Collectors of the series will have the opportunity to purchase the new mascot as well.

“Monster Day Greeley culminates two of our greatest loves in one fun event,” Ed Edmunds, co-owner of Distortions Unlimited said. “We’re excited to keep the spirit of the festival and celebration of all things monster alive by bringing aspects of the event online.”

In addition to showcasing everything monster, the annual event raises money for the Colorado-based nonprofit “Don’t Be a Monster.” The nonprofit offers unique and entertaining anti-bullying programs to students across the country.

A “Monster-thon” during the live stream event will offer people the chance to donate to the nonprofit.

For more information on 2020 Monster Day activities, to tune into “Monster Monday” broadcasts or to see photos from past Monster Day events, go to https://bit.ly/3kpqTfk.