DOWNTOWN — This year's Halloween parade down Grant Park will bring a lot of costumed souls — and soul.
The 2nd annual Halloween Gathering Festival & Parade will kick off at 2 p.m. Saturday in Grant Park. The festival will include live performances, artisans peddling their wares, arts and crafts for kids, and an "interactive experience" involving Marvel's Dr. Strange. Plus a new addition: hundreds of amateur and professional dancers leading what's being billed as Chicago's longest ever "All Souls Train" on the park's Van Buren Bridge. Guests are invited to bring their 70s and 80s gear to boogie along.
Around 6 p.m., or when the sun sets, the festival will segue into a costume parade along Columbus Drive from Balbo Avenue to Monroe Street. The parade will be led by 13 "creative spirit fellows" including celebrity chef Graham Elliot and artist Tony Tasset, and feature performers from groups across the city.
The parade is expected to last till 8 p.m.
RELATED: 5 Fun Things to Do With Kids for Halloween in Chicago
The event, which debuted last year, is being led by the Chicago Cultural Mile Association, a group that boosts Michigan Avenue businesses south of the Chicago River.
“Revelers will be enveloped in an atmosphere where thousands of performers will reach into their imaginations to activate Halloween as the ‘artist’s holiday’ along one of the most prestigious cultural avenues in the world,” Sharene Shariatzadeh, executive director of the association, said in a statement.
The event is free and family-friendly. Masks are not allowed, but face paint and wigs are. Police and other authorities will monitor the parade. Guests are asked not to bring large umbrellas, lawn chairs, or large bags along the parade route.
About 3,500 people on Facebook say they plan on attending the festival.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
