Europa Village’s Dark Circus: 21-Year-Old Employee Brings 'Carn Evil Cirque du Mal' To Life

TEMECULA, CA — The usually serene courtyards of Europa Village's C'est La Vie winery were transformed into a dark circus under the banner of “Carn Evil Cirque du Mal” — a Halloween dinner, dance party and maze that drew hundreds of costumed guests last weekend.

Behind the twisted spectacle of fog, flickering lights and shrieking clowns was a 21-year-old employee at Europa, who has quietly become the winery’s master of fright.

Jayden Maciel, a banquet lead at Temecula's premier village of wineries, not only works full-time coordinating events and serving guests, but he also designed and built the clown-centric haunted maze that anchored the winery’s Halloween ball for two nights in a row, Oct. 24 and 25.

“It was the second year that Europa asked me to build them the haunted maze,” Maciel said. “This year, they kind of gave me the entire event — the inside and outside — which I was super happy about.”

Maciel, who has worked at Europa for two years, first caught the attention of his supervisors after they learned he had been building elaborate haunted houses at his family home in Corona for about seven years.

“We noticed there were fewer kids walking through our neighborhood on Halloween, so my family and I started putting on a little haunted house walkthrough to bring it back,” he said. “It just kind of blossomed from there.”

Maciel loves a good jump scare. He sort of considers himself an adrenaline junkie when it comes to horror.

Last year’s Europa maze featured “Old World Europe” ghost stories inspired by Marie Antoinette and the catacombs of Paris. This year’s Cirque du Mal leaned into carnival horror — a disorienting blend of circus lights, sinister laughter and blood-smeared clowns that left guests gasping and laughing in equal measure.

The evening wasn’t just about jump scares — it was a full-scale Halloween spectacle. Guests arrived in elaborate costumes, many dressed as circus freaks, jesters and clowns to match the event’s sinister carnival theme.

Outside the maze, attendees enjoyed a lavish buffet featuring gourmet bites and Halloween-themed desserts, along with themed cocktails and wine pours from Europa’s own cellar. A live DJ kept the energy high as guests danced beneath strobe lights and posed for photos among vintage circus props and stilt walkers, transforming the winery’s courtyards into a surreal mix of horror and celebration.

Patch attended the ball on Saturday and took note of the high-quality maze, particularly the clowns that led us through a ball pit, a sensory detail that Maciel takes pride in.

Maciel, who performed inside the maze as one of the clowns, said his goal was to make each room more immersive than the last.

“I love adding details that mess with people’s senses — what they smell, feel or hear,” he said. “It makes the experience more intimate and unexpected.”

Maciel’s family and friends helped bring his vision to life through their homemade horror collective, Dead Freaks. One of the breakout performers was “Pickles the Clown,” a roaming character who entertained — and terrified — guests waiting in line.

“My friend was super good at the clown voice, so we brought him back,” Maciel said. “Everyone loved Pickles.”

Pickles, Maciel says, even has his own Instagram account.

Maciel said he hopes to continue growing as both a leader at Europa Village and a designer in the Southern California haunt scene. His long-term goal is to see Dead Freaks produce professional haunted attractions and someday showcase their work at Midsummer Scream, the region’s largest horror convention, which takes place in Long Beach every summer.

Dead Freaks is composed of Maciel, his sister, and a band of his closest friends, who are usually eager to help build and volunteer for any haunted house that Maciel creates.

“Each year, we’re just getting better at decorations and design,” he said. “This year’s Cirque du Mal was probably my favorite thing I’ve ever done.”

Visit the Hidden Fang Vampire Speakeasy in the wine cave through Nov. 2, and be sure to watch for what's next up at Europa Village Wineries and Resort, prepare for fall festivities and feasts.

Learn more at www.europavillage.com.