In celebration of pumpkins, witches, and bags full of candy, IT searched the country for Halloween festivities suited for those of us too old (tear!) for trick-or-treating. Below we've listed three events worth your travels:
Tampa, Florida: Help the mythical Mama Guava "take the bore out of Ybor" with her annual Guavaween in Ybor City, Tampa's historic Latin district. The Halloween happening brings in about 80,000 guests during its nighttime celebrations; festivities include the Mama Guava Stumble Parade, cooking and costume contests, and various big-name bands/artists (Slick Rick, LeToya, and Seether) performing on four different stages. Entry: $15
New York, New York: This year New York's Village Halloween Parade has chosen an Ancient Celtic communal fire theme.
To clarify, "the procession will be led by a retinue of dancing Jack-O-Lantern and Squash Blossom Giant Puppets bearing the communal fire and its guardian spirit within a great pumpkin lantern," writes Jeanne Fleming, the artistic and producing director. Anyone can march in the parade, so long as you line up on 6th Avenue (south of Spring Street and north of Canal) between 6:30 and 8:30 pm. With more than two million people in attendance, the event is the nation's largest public Halloween celebration. Entry: Free
Lahaina, Maui: Join more than 20,000 ghouls and goblins crammed into a span of three blocks for Lahaina's 17th annual Halloween celebration. Beginning at 4:30 p.m. with a costume parade for the wee ones, the night moves on with live Afro-Latino and reggae performances, a variety of costume contests (like the Ghoulish Gala Karaoke Costume Contest), and general (well, raucous) celebrations. Entry: free. However, if you're not already on the island and/or you don't have reservations to stay in town, you're too late. Many hotels book up a year in advance, so book today for next year's trip to Maui.
Prefer another destination? Madison, Wisconsin; Anoka, Minnesota; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Salem, Massachusets all have celebrations worthy of your Tweety Bird costume too.
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Among all options, I think NYC Halloween parade will be great.
This year, in honor of the Hudson–Champlain Quadricentennial, NY's Village Halloween Parade has chosen Terra Incognita as its theme. One might laugh today at the matter-of-fact declaration of mystery expressed in this simple phrase. Yet these days, as we confidently plot our course by GPS and globe-trot vicariously via GoogleEarth, Terra Incognita is nearer to us than ever. Our era’s own Northwest Passage assumes the full dimension of dread and promise that marked the voyages of Champlain and Hudson 400 years ago; except that now, in the immortal words of Peter Schuman, “We are all in the same boat.” Together we sail into the uncharted waters of an economy in turmoil and a planet in catastrophic upheaval. At the same time, the winds of change blow us toward new virtual worlds, astounding discoveries, and global communities, bringing us closer to new and strange shores. Terra Incognita reminds us that we have known unknowns before, and that just beyond the Dragons always lies a meridian of hope.