When my daughter was about 3 years old we began a tradition to host a neighborhood Halloween Parade. I wanted to do something Halloween-y that wasn’t late at night and wasn’t scary. The fact that she got to wear her costume one extra time is a bonus.

I picked a day, created a flyer, and passed them out in the neighborhood. Then I panicked – how in the world was I going to pull off a parade?? In this Pinterest-obsessed world we live in, I decided to buck the system and make it simple.

Everybody dressed up, we met at the end of a cul-de-sac, and walked about ¼ mile to my house where I had snacks and goody bags for everyone. Several neighbors waited along the route to hand out candy to the parade. I carried a portable CD player playing a Halloween mix CD. A lot of the kids sang along to the Monster Mash and Ghost Busters theme song. When we arrived at my backyard, we ate and visited and the kids played in the back yard.

neighborhood halloween parade community halloween fun nashville

That was my vision for a Halloween Parade. I know, it’s really pretty lame. But you know what? They loved it! Every year people ask if/when we’re having it again and look forward to it. The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter if there are lots of decorations or overly-thought-out plans. It’s more about community and getting together with friends and neighbors.

My daughter is 10 years old now and even though she isn’t as excited about the parade anymore, she still participates and enjoys it. I can’t imagine that we’ll stop hosting it anytime soon. It’s a great way to connect with neighbors we don’t get to see very often and it’s always a lot of fun.