October 22, 2026
For 29 years, Halloween on Halsted meant one thing: a parade at 7 p.m. This Saturday, October 31, the Northalsted Business Alliance is marking the Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade's 30th year by adding something it calls "New! Daytime Family Programming For 2026." That's a free street festival that starts at 11 a.m. and runs until 10 p.m.
The added hours put the family part of Halloween on Halsted for the first time. Halloween is on a Saturday this year, and the new daytime fest overlaps with the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce's Little Monsters Crawl a few blocks east. As a result, Lakeview's Halloween now runs on set times. Some hours matter for your car, some for the kids, and one decides when Halsted stops being a block party and becomes a parade route. Here is the day in order.
The first deadline comes four hours before the fest opens. From 7 a.m. Saturday until 2 a.m. Sunday, November 1, street parking is banned on Halsted from Belmont to Addison. The ban also covers the side streets back to the nearest alley: Melrose, Aldine, Buckingham, Roscoe, Newport, Cornelia and Brompton. The organizer's notice says plainly that violators will be towed.
The address ranges matter if your car usually sits on one of those blocks:
| Street | Affected addresses |
|---|---|
| Halsted | 3200 N to 3600 N |
| Melrose | 720 W to 758 W |
| Aldine | 800 W to 830 W |
| Buckingham | 720 W to 820 W |
| Roscoe | 732 W to 820 W |
| Newport | 800 W to 840 W |
| Cornelia | 732 W to 820 W |
| Brompton | 743 W to 800 W |
From 10:30 a.m., the same streets close to all traffic until 2 a.m. The closure covers more ground than the party does. The festival itself takes up the five blocks from Aldine to Brompton, listed as 3300 to 3526 N. Halsted. The car restrictions start a full block south at Belmont and run north to Addison. If you live on Melrose, south of the festival, you still have to move your car by 7 a.m.
Time Out Chicago's listing suggests the Red Line to Addison and the 8, 36 and 152 buses. The 8 runs on Halsted, which will be closed to vehicles from 10:30 a.m. on, so check CTA before you count on that route.
This is the hour the 30th-anniversary change created. Halsted goes pedestrian-only at 11 a.m. The fest includes a kids zone with games, Halloween crafts and inflatables, plus trick-or-treating at more than 25 Halsted businesses. There are also more than 50 vendor booths, a 360-degree photo camera, live local music and street performers. Adults 21 and older with valid ID can buy beer, spirits and fall-flavored toddies. Vendors set up on the cross streets next to Halsted, so they stay open through both the block party and the parade.
The Little Monsters Crawl also starts at 11 a.m. It runs until 2 p.m., and families go business to business along Broadway, Belmont and Clark. Some shops invite kids inside, and others set up a table out front. The chamber says dogs are welcome too. The Clark Street list is long, and many stops have something for the adults as well:
The Clark Street route alone runs from 3801 N. Clark south past 2900, through more than a dozen stops. The two events overlap for three hours. Families with young kids can do the Crawl, which ends at 2 p.m., and still reach Halsted while the kids zone is open. Or they can start on Halsted and finish on Clark. The chamber's page lists every participating business by street, Broadway and Belmont included, so it's easy to map a route before you leave.
When the Crawl ends, the parade's preparations begin. Costumed marchers check in for their number bibs between 2 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. at the registration tent on the east side of Halsted near Belmont. The schedule lists the staging address as 3211 N. Halsted. Entering the contest costs $5, and it's open to all ages. Watching the parade is free. The organizer encourages signing up in advance but will take day-of entries.
Pets can march or watch if they are leashed or carried. The parade goes on in rain or snow.
This is the most important change of the day, and it's easy to miss if you arrived early. At 6 p.m., Halsted is cleared so the parade can set up. Everyone at the fest moves to the sidewalks behind the barricades. The organizer suggests using that hour to visit vendors and Halsted businesses before picking a spot to watch.
The spot you claim at 6 p.m. is effectively your seat for the parade. If you spent the afternoon in the middle of the street, plan to be on the curb before 6.
The parade starts at Halsted and Belmont at 7 p.m. and ends at Halsted and Brompton around 8 p.m. The organizer says the parade usually features more than 300 costumed participants. The 2026 lineup includes:
Block Club Chicago's Halloween guide lists the Halsted fest and parade among dozens of Halloween events across the city. Few of the others run from late morning into the night.
The costume contest and after-party take place in the NoHa parking lot at 3514 N. Halsted. Judges pick finalists in five categories: Character, Creative, Scary, Group, and Youth for kids under 13 with an adult. The prize pool is $4,000. Each category pays $500 for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third, and the Group category awards one prize. Contestants must be present to win. The night continues with live music, DJs and drag performances, and the official event ends at 10 p.m. Parking and traffic restrictions stay in place until 2 a.m.
Halloween Saturday leans so heavily on Halsted and Clark this year partly because Wrigleyville's park is closed. Gallagher Way hosted its Halloween events earlier in the month and closed to the public on October 26 for the Christkindlmarket build-out. On Halloween weekend, the Clark Street portion of the Little Monsters Crawl is the main family event near the ballpark.
After Halloween, the next Lakeview events take place on Diversey, at Gallagher Way and on Lincoln Avenue:
| Dates | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 1–15 | Discover Diversey, with specials and limited-time menus at participating businesses | Diversey, Lakeview East |
| Nov. 20–Dec. 31 | Christkindlmarket Wrigleyville | Gallagher Way, 3635 N. Clark St. |
| Nov. 22, 6–7:30 p.m. | West Lakeview Tree Lighting, with carolers and goody bags | Lincoln and Wellington |
The Lakeview East Chamber says the list of businesses and offers for Discover Diversey is still to come. Christkindlmarket's listed hours are 3–9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Sunday.
At HL2R Group, we keep track of Lakeview's calendar because it shapes the blocks our clients live on, from tow deadlines on Halsted to the month Gallagher Way spends as a holiday market. If you're curious how this kind of street-level activity factors into what your home is worth, ask us for a home valuation. We'll walk you through the numbers for your block.
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