Denver’s annual Halloween parade takes place October 17

Most cities have Fourth of July parades and maybe even Christmas parades, but Denver has one for Halloween too! The Broadway Halloween Parade takes over one of Denver’s quirkiest streets this Saturday, Oct. 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. It costs nothing to watch. You just need a costume, a good spot on the curb and maybe a bag for candy.

The parade starts at Fifth Avenue and Broadway and heads south to Virginia Avenue, about 1.2 miles of spooky fun. You can watch from either side of the street along the whole route. Last year more than 80 floats rolled down Broadway, and this year’s float spots sold out before September. Organizers say the floats are “labors of love, built by real people,” not rolling ads. Expect homemade creations, a few haunted surprises and at least one group of video game characters, who put out a call on social media for cosplayers to march with them.

The parade is presented by the Broadway Business Improvement District, and crowds can reach about 30,000 people. That’s a lot of witches, Barbies and inflatable dinosaurs on one stretch of road. Parking near Broadway on a Saturday night is already tough, so consider taking RTD, riding a bike or walking. Bring a jacket, too. The forecast calls for a chilly week.

If one Halloween Saturday isn’t enough, Denver has three of them this year. The 21-and-up Broadway Halloween Bar Crawl hits more than 40 stops on Oct. 24, and the proceeds help pay for the parade. Then Halloween itself lands on a Saturday for the first time since 2020. The next time that happens is 2037, so make the most of it.