This year, Halloween festivals are back with a vengeance. Because of the pandemic, Halloween festivals and destinations were closed in 2020. This year, however, that has changed for most states, although with a lot of restrictions.
In fact, according to CNN, many events have been toned down while others have been altogether postponed until next year. Take, for example, Tarrytown in New York.
Tarrytown is a small village in the Hudson Valley. Every Halloween, the village holds a parade inspired by the Headless Man lore of the neighboring Sleepy Hollow village. This year, however, they canceled the parade.
Elsewhere in the country, both local and foreign tourists are looking forward to the spooks offered by other events and festivals. Are you already preparing to enjoy the Halloween season? If you want to make your outfit more memorable, you can go to a wig store and find the best hairstyle. Then, have the right accessories and pieces to put your outfit together.
Do you want to know where these festivals are? Here they are:
Festival of the Dead, Salem, Massachusetts
Arguably one of the most popular Halloween destinations in the country, thanks to its history, the city of Salem in Massachusetts doesn’t fail its visitors with its Festival of the Dead. Although the city celebrates the Halloween season from September to November, the festival is a month-long celebration of everything spooky.
Because the city’s history is tied to witchcraft, most of its events for the festival are centered on witches. The series of events features the Salem Psychic Fair and Witches’ Market, Witchcraft Expo, The Annual Witches’ Magic Circle, and the highlight, the Official Salem Witches’ Halloween Ball.
Other events include ghost tours, haunted houses, festive fireworks, psychic readings, and psychic-assisted talking to the dead.
Village Halloween Parade, New York City, New York
New York hosts many Halloween festivals every year. However, a few festivals were canceled this year because of the pandemic, namely the parade and block parties in Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, and Nyack.
But don’t fret; there’s still something to celebrate! The annual NYC Village Halloween Parade is still up. It’s a mixture of everything that makes the city unique, an explosion of culture and fright. Even both spectators and parade participants dress up in costumes mainly associated with the Big Apple.
The festival even has giant paper-mache puppets roaming the streets. Truly, the NYC Halloween Parade is a sight to behold. After the parade, you can also choose from many of the after-parties scattered throughout the city.
Spirit of Halloweentown Festival, St. Helens, Oregon
If you liked the 1998 Disney Channel movie Halloweentown, you’d love the Spirit of Halloweentown Festival in St. Helens, Oregon. According to TheTravel, St. Helens is the actual place where the movie was filmed. And ever since people started to recognize the place in the movie, the city has received thousands of visitors during Halloween.
To satisfy the curiosity of tourists, the Riverfront District in the city was transformed into the Spirit of Halloweentown. Since then, the festival has become a month-long celebration of everything spooky. TheTravel further explained that the festival features family-friendly attractions and activities. City organizers even regularly invite the cast of Halloweentown as their guests every year.
You can enjoy haunted houses, pumpkin parades, a car show, a monster fun run, museums and exhibits, and many other activities and attractions in Halloweentown. One of the festival’s highlights is the lighting of the gigantic Pumpkin King that was originally used in the Halloweentown movie.
Krewe of Boo!, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans isn’t just famous for its Mardi Gras parades. It’s also home to the Krewe of Boo! Halloween festival. And just like what happens during Mardi Gras, the Krewe of Boo! is filled with crazy parties and spectacular events.
The Krewe of Boo! Festival features a zombie run, a masquerade ball, VIP viewing parties, a post-parade customer party, a dance-off, a luncheon, a jazz band parade, and different kinds of food entertainment.
What makes New Orleans a great destination for Halloween is its rich history. Much like Salem city, New Orleans had a dark past. The city had a Voodoo queen, a haunted mansion where black slaves were allegedly tortured, an above-ground city cemetery, and many other supernatural events. If you’re up for this kind of adventure, New Orleans can satisfy your curiosity.
Get Your Costume Ready
Anything can happen when you’re enjoying Halloween festivals, so it’s important to get ready for the occasion. If you’re all set up, you’ll be ready to party when you get to any of the festivals above. Have fun!
