Glow race to take place downtown

   On Halloween night the streets of downtown will light up with people decked out in glow-in-the-dark gear and costumes participating in a one mile walk/run that will end with a block party at the 200 block of Franklin Avenue, for the DowntownGlow event.

Crystal Bocanegra, vice president of operations for Flow Events, creator and organizer of DowntownGlow and UTEP alumni, said that as a former Miner she prides herself in knowing that UTEP students are always searching for things to do in the community.

“We are working with the alumni foundation, Kappa Sigma and other student organizations on increasing awareness of this event at UTEP, so to encourage students, I would say that this is for them,” Bocanegra said. “This event is from a UTEP grad and done with students in mind. Our billboard is right across the freeway from UTEP and that was no accident, it was my personal invitation to students to participate. There will be a 20 percent discount code for students. The code is UTEP. When entered at checkout it drops the ticket price.  That’s how much I love my alma mater.”

DowntownGlow came about because the event’s organizers Crystal Bocanegra, Alby Bocanegra and Robert Martinez wanted to change the perception created by recent publications that El Paso is an unhealthy city with a downtown that has little to offer.  Its mission is to shine a positive light on El Paso by bringing people together for a night to celebrate health, culture and entertainment.

“We didn’t have to reinvent the wheel with this one,” Bocanegra said. “We saw glow runs happening in other cities and saw how successful they were in creating a fun event that promotes health, community involvement and entertainment, so we decided to bring it home. We really looked at ourselves and said ‘why not El Paso?’  We’re tired of the bad rap we have gotten as of late from media about our city being fat and other negative things about El Paso. There are lots of great things happening downtown to include the baseball stadium, the renovation of the Mills Building and future projects. We just want to contribute, even if it’s in a small way.”

The fun run, which can be attempted either on foot or on bicycle, will start on Franklin Avenue and will go around downtown through Santa Fe, Missouri, Durango, San Antonio and Oregon streets before ending back up at the finish line at Franklin Avenue. When participants finish they will be greeted by a live concert with deejays like Diplo, araabMUZIK, Bassjackers and Lucky Date as well as a showcase of half a dozen local acts. The block party will also feature a “Glow Village” with food vendors offering healthy options, booths, merchants and a smaller stage featuring local talent.

“The lineup of artists we have assembled is unparalleled,” Bocanegra said. “Diplo is known for his work on the new No Doubt album, newest Usher song, new Lil Wayne and Lil Twist. He plays the biggest dance music festivals and concerts in the world and now he’s coming to El Paso. AraabMUZIK is a very talented producer and his live performances leave you wondering if he’s even human.”

In addition to promoting good health and the revitalization of downtown, the event will be contributing to the El Paso community in another way. DowntownGlow will be donating $1 of every ticket sold to the Children’s Grief Center of El Paso, a non-profit agency that has been in El Paso since 1995 and strives to promote healing and emotional wellness for grieving children, teens and their families after the loss of a loved one.

Pre-sale tickets for this event start at $35 and discounts for groups will be given. Tickets are available locally at All that Music or online at.downtownglow.eventbrite.com.

Rebecca Guerrero may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.