Anaheim's Halloween Parade Is Older Than Disneyland, and Volunteers Still Build It

On October 30, 1924, city leaders held the first nighttime parade through downtown Anaheim, the Los Angeles Times reported. According to PBS SoCal's Artbound, Babe Ruth was its grand marshal. They organized it to give young people an alternative to a night of Halloween pranks.

According to the organizers' own history, Halloween in early Anaheim meant soaped windows, uprooted fences and damaged property. In 1923 the local merchants association set up a Halloween festival with games and costume contests to give kids something better to do. It worked, so the next year they added a nighttime parade.

Most of what makes the 2026 edition on Saturday, Oct. 24, easy or hard to enjoy goes back to that starting point. The event is free, run by volunteers and squeezed into a few downtown blocks, so road closures and timing affect everyone who comes.

From 75,000 Spectators to a Small Local Event, and Back

The parade grew quickly. PBS SoCal, citing the Orange County Register, reported that it drew about 75,000 people by the 1970s. It was broadcast on television for a time in the 1960s, and Disney's studio was involved before Disneyland opened in 1955. So the city's best-known Halloween tradition is older than the theme park.

Then downtown changed. PBS SoCal describes the parade losing momentum as Anaheim grew from an orange-grove town into a tourist destination and residents moved away from the downtown core. The Orange County Register dates the start of the decline to the 1980s. The parade kept going, but on a small scale.

The comeback came from people who lived in the neighborhood. Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily, two former Disney art directors who had worked on "Fantasmic," bought an 1897 Victorian in Anaheim's historic colony after exploring the area on a free afternoon. They joined the Anaheim Historical Society, kept finding the parade in old photographs, and learned it was still happening, just much smaller. Kidney told PBS SoCal that unless you lived in the community, "you wouldn't really know about this parade."

Working with local businesses, community members and Disney, they relaunched the parade in 2012 with a deliberately old-fashioned look. That included rebuilt versions of the 1953 "Flying Sasser" and the 1951 "Rocket Witch." Sources give different years for the revival. The Register has dated the start of the revitalization to 2011 and, in another article, to 2013, while PBS SoCal's account points to 2012 for the relaunch. Attendance came back as well: PBS SoCal reported nearly 45,000 people at the 2014 parade.

Today a volunteer nonprofit runs the event. The Los Angeles Times identified Daily as the nonprofit's interim president in 2024, and Anaheim's October 2023 City Council minutes credit volunteer residents, donations and city support.

How Saturday, Oct. 24, Runs

The day is a single long program, and the parade comes at the end. Here is the schedule as the organizers and Downtown Anaheim list it:

Center Greens is the city park in the middle of downtown, just around the corner from the parade route. The car show has a history of its own. The Register's 2025 preview noted that the car show was returning for the first time since 1957.

The route is short and has three legs. It starts at Anaheim Boulevard and Broadway, turns left onto Center Street Promenade, then heads down Broadway and ends at Broadway and West Street. The announcers are volunteers who call the parade in English and Spanish. This year the English announcer is at the Car Show Stage at Lemon Street and Center Street Promenade, and the Spanish announcer is in front of Car Park 3 on the Promenade. If you want commentary in a particular language, pick your spot on the curb with that in mind.

The floats keep the history visible. Last year's lineup, as the Orange County Register described it, included marching bands, community groups, old floats rebuilt alongside new ones, a Day of the Dead "Bisabuela" float and an Anaheim mayor's trolley float. The organizers describe the event as a celebration of Halloween, Día de los Muertos and the harvest season, and the Anaheim High School band has marched the route in past years. As of this week, the organizers haven't announced a 2026 theme or grand marshal.

Parking Depends on Timing

Because the parade runs straight through downtown, road closures shape the whole evening. The organizers warn of "many road closures the day of the event." Your parking options change during the day:

• Center Street Parking Garage: free, on Center Street across from the Anaheim Downtown Community Center.
• Center City Parking, CarPark 3: free, near the route on Center Street Promenade.
• Anaheim Parking Center, CarPark 4: paid.
• Anaheim City Hall lot: open, but no cars can enter or leave between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. If you park there for the afternoon festival, your car stays until the parade is over.
• Anaheim High School overflow lot: opens at 5 p.m. for people watching along Broadway, about a 10-minute walk south to the route.

Street parking is limited, too. The organizers note that many surrounding neighborhoods are permit-only and ask visitors to be respectful of residents. The event began as a way to protect downtown properties, so the request makes sense.

The Rest of October Downtown

Parade night is the biggest event in a busy month. The Anaheim Packing District and Center Street Promenade have filled most of the rest of October:

1. FilAm Fiesta, Friday, Oct. 16, 5 to 9 p.m. The Packing District's free third annual fiesta takes over Farmers Park at 412 S. Anaheim Blvd., with Filipino food vendors, live music, street games and a market.
2. Monster Movie Nights, Mondays, Oct. 19 and 26, 7 p.m. Free screenings in Farmers Park: "The Addams Family" first, then "Hocus Pocus." Rain has already moved one screening this season. The Packing District took its Oct. 12 "Casper" showing indoors to Anaheim MAKE, so check its posts if the weather turns.
3. Nightmare on Center Street, Thursday, Oct. 29, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The downtown farmers market goes Halloween for a day on Center Street Promenade, with spooky vendors, trick-or-treating and costume contests.
4. Halloween Boo-Nanza, Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you live on the east side of the city, this free event at Anaheim Hills Festival has trick-or-treating at participating stores and restaurants, plus a DJ, face painting and balloon twisting.

For dinner before the parade, the newest option on Anaheim Boulevard is Ari's Thai Eatery at 430 S. Anaheim Blvd. It soft-opened on Sept. 26 with dishes including pad Thai, pumpkin curry and Kra Pow Duck Breast. The Packing District has tentatively planned a grand-opening celebration for Sunday, Oct. 25, the day after the parade, so watch for a confirmed date.

If you'd like to be part of the parade, the organizers keep a 2026 application on their parade page. Community groups and neighbors have been building floats for this event since 1924.

Traditions like this one, built by neighbors on blocks they know well, are a big part of what I love about this area. If you're new to Anaheim or have a friend thinking about moving to the area, I'm happy to share what I know about downtown, from the best curb along Center Street to the questions that come up in a home search. Let's connect. Gina Oddo