The most frightening Halloween festivals in the US

Halloween
Halloween

Neighborhoods across the U.S. get most exciting and thrilling during the spooky spirit of Halloween. There is nothing quite as fun, scary and sociable as the famous nationwide celebrations full with surprises, tricks, and treats. People from all generations get involved in the biggest masquerade party of the year, representing goblins, ghosts, American presidents, famous series characters, superheroes and dark clowns.

All over the country, there are plenty of ghoulish Halloween festivals and attractions that are entertaining and frightening millions of people each year. Halloween is becoming more and more a cultural event with a freewheeling spirit of the haunted tours and scary rituals.

Here are some of the most frightening Halloween parades that you can find.

Village Halloween Parade

The annual Halloween Parade that takes place in Greenwich Village, heading up Sixth Avenue. – Author: InSapphoWeTrust – CC BY-SA 2.0
The annual Halloween Parade that takes place in Greenwich Village, heading up Sixth Avenue. – Author: InSapphoWeTrust – CC BY-SA 2.0

One of New York City’s biggest event is Village Halloween Parade located in the West Village and hosting around 50,000 masked people, parading in 3 hours of festival fun. Since 1974, countless amazing costumes, custom-made puppets and carnival creations have been marched the mile long parade. People from the audience can join too.

Sleepy Hollow Halloween

The home of Washington Irving who created the legend of the headless horseman. Sleepy Hollow, New York, is one more great Halloween celebration full of street music, food fair, masks and late night visits to Irving’s grave.

West Hollywood Carnaval 

The creepiest night of the year
The creepiest night of the year

Santa Monica Boulevard gets packed with 500,000 people every year for Halloween. It’s the biggest Halloween street party in the world. Queen of the night is the most popular part of the festival where a superstar celebrity is pronounced a local royalty.

Festival of the Dead

The streets of Salem, Massachusetts, are full of people every October during the Halloween celebrations. The Witchcraft Expo attracts visitors from all over the country who want to get in touch with mediums, crystal balls, and psychics. The festival culminates with the Salem Witches Halloween Ball where hundreds gather to awaken the spirits accompanied with ritual drummers and Voodoo ceremonies.

Emma Crawford Festival

Manitou Springs is a small town of 5,200 people, close to Colorado Springs. Believing this water has healing powers, the pianist Emma Crawford spent the last years of her life there. After her death, the people started organizing a festival with her name as a symbol of respect. The festival hosts coffin races, where impersonators of Emma Crawford ride in wheeled coffins while being pushed by mourners.

Little Five Points Halloween Festival

Let’s get spooky!
Let’s get spooky!

The Little Five Points district in Atlanta every year hosts the Little Five Points Halloween Festival that is a celebration of culinary culture and local arts. The festival includes a parade, food trucks and stages with local musicians.

Las Vegas Halloween 

Las Vegas is famous for making the biggest no limit parties, and Halloween Festival is not anything different. You can enjoy watching the most elaborate and inventive costumes in the world. If you want a real scary Halloween experience, visit Fright Dome and it’s six haunted houses.

Halloween is the spookiest, but probably the most fun holiday we have. Nobody wants to miss the chance to put on a crazy costume and get out on the streets across the country and being scared to the bones.

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stef-zisovska

stef-zisovska is one of the authors writing for Outdoor Revival