Chances of spotting Pennywise in the crowd at the Anaheim Halloween Parade, October 28th? Oh, we’d say about 100%. The beloved celebration of all things hair-raising and spine-tingling draws kitschy costumed revelers like an unattended candy bowl on a front porch draws sugar-fiending trick-or-treaters. Slather on the makeup, finish gilding your get-up, and join the fun.
Festivities kick off at 11am with the Fall Festival on Center Street Promenade. Think old-timey games (bobbing for apples, anyone?), craft booths and enough Fall-themed eat and drink to make the most die-hard lover of all things pumpkin-spice long for a nice, fresh salad. Parking is available in the Center Street parking structure. Expect crowds.
At noon, expect hordes of wee Wonder Women, pint-sized Pokemon and bantam-weight Batmen, taking the stage for the Kiddie Costume Contest. Register your mini monster between 11-11:45am to ensure them a spot in the time-honored spectacle. Entries are capped at 300 participants.
When the sun sets and the bad moon begins to rise, it’s parade time. Ninety-four-years-young, the Anaheim Halloween Parade is enjoying a Renaissance of late, thanks to the rise of maker culture, Pinterest and glue-gun-wielding DIY enthusiasts. The flotilla of floats draws inspiration from vintage Halloween memorabilia, and frequently, from historic parade photos. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Anaheim Halloween Parade was so popular, it drew more than 150,000 spectators to the parade route, and was televised live throughout L.A. and Orange County.
This year’s parade begins at 6pm at Broadway & West Street, traveling through Center City via Center Street Promenade. It reaches its end at The Packing House, which, coincidentally, makes a supernaturally good destination for post-parade quaffing, noshing and nibbling. Fang-tastic!
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