Chicago to Host First-Ever Halloween Festival and Nighttime Parade Saturday

Chicago will host a first-of-its-kind, all-day Halloween festival Saturday that will end with a nighttime parade through the city.

The Oct. 24 inaugural event dubbed “The Halloween Gathering” will kick off at 2 p.m. with an art festival of events in Millennium Park along Michigan Avenue's Chicago Cultural Mile.

Until 5 p.m., the space will offer family-friendly activities such as mask-making workshops, free performances, pop-up installations, interactive experiences and even a children’s costumer contest in Maggie Daley Park.

As the sun sets, a Halloween parade will begin at 6 p.m. on Columbus Drive, traveling north from E. Balbo Drive to Monroe Street.

“Imagine a parade filled with large spectacle, legions of lanterns, costumes, performances, music, dance, dramatic lighting, moving platforms and more,” the Chicago Cultural mile said of the event on its website.

Following the parade, the Thriller Dance Mob will put on a free show for spectators until 8 p.m. Chicagoans were able to enter to be a part of the mob themselves by registering online.

For more information on the event, visit chicagoculturalmile.org. 

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