On Wednesday Oct. 29, the town of Vienna transformed into a lively display of costumes and performances as the annual Vienna Halloween Parade came to life. For the 79th year in a row since 1946, the community came together to celebrate an early Halloween.
People from all over the town flocked the streets for a little over an hour, watching as Maple Ave. filled with endless streams of Halloween floats, school groups, local organizations and businesses, sports teams and even firefighters and police officers.
The event is more than just celebrating Halloween—it’s a celebration of culture. The parade’s performances help connect and bring together people from all around the world.
“I’m going to be dancing a traditional [Bolivian] dance called ‘Caporales’,” said Asad Ortiz, a performer in the parade. “I look forward to giving it my all.”
The parade has been a staple of Vienna life for generations, uniting families, local schools and organizations.
“We do a really good job of continuing the tradition in Vienna,” said Kathy Blevins, Recreation Program Coordinator for Mature Adults. “[The parade] brings out the young and the old, and it really shows [our] community pride.”
What made the parade flourish is the time, effort and resources put into it.
“We start [planning] around June or July,” Blevins said. “It’s worth it [though,] looking at how well the event is organized, especially in getting information out to the community and providing information on road closures and where to drop off participants.”
The organized nature of the parade isn’t the only thing that makes it stand out from others. Unlike typical parades that follow the same format every year, the Vienna Halloween Parade features a new theme each year, ensuring that no two parades are ever the same. This year’s theme was “Broadway on Maple”, blending music, Halloween and theatrical creativity.
“Having a different theme excites people,” Blevins said. “You’re [not just] going to go and see the same scary masks, skeletons and things like that.”
The diversity of the parade’s celebrations brings a new spin to the nostalgic event. While each October brings new performances and themes, the same cozy and familiar spirit that locals have grown up with is not forgotten.
“I’ve been attending for 25 years,” said Rachel Russel, a parade spectator. “The floats, the music, it’s all really cool. It’s really fun to see people having fun, and that’s what brings me back each time.”
