What to Know
- Anaheim Fall Festival & Halloween Parade
- The festival will take place Oct. 26 at 11 a.m.; the parade dances through the heart of Anaheim at 7 p.m.
- Free entry
- Parade organizers have collaborated with several local artists on special projects; Anaheim artist Gustavo Jaimes created the design for the event's new fundraising t-shirt and donated it to the event
- $25; the t-shirt will be for sale at the festival and parade
Spying Andy Anaheim, the merry mascot of the Anaheim Fall Festival and Parade, or Mr. Pumpkin Head, another popular character, can thrill any youngster in the days before Halloween.
Hold up one second: Absolutely everyone who loves this venerable and bright celebration adores the cheerful icons of the parade, those fanciful figures that have helped make this enduring October event something special.
Now a new t-shirt with a design by Anaheim artist Gustavo Jaimes is paying stylish tribute to Andy, Mr. Pumpkin Head, and other hallmarks of the festival and parade, which has festooned the city for a century.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
We're pausing here for to wow-out about that: Any Halloween event that's been around for a decade or two is impressive, but 100 years feels almost mythic.
Andy Anaheim, that ant-tastic cutie, is rocking a mummy look on the fundraising t-shirt, which also features Día de los Muertos imagery and a nod to the event's glowful Halloween Tree.
Mr. Jaimes donated the design to the event's organizers, so every tee sold will help the popular parade keep on keepin' on, along with the daytime festival that takes place just ahead of the procession's sparkly start.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
Find the $25 t-shirt for sale at both the festival and parade on Saturday, Oct. 26.
The festival "will have a larger footprint on Center Street" in 2024, share the organizers, due in large part to the huge attendance in recent years (some 50,000 people in 2023).
The 2024 party will mark "the second half of its centennial celebration with new floats, entertainment, and more!"
Talk about a heartfelt, super-dedicated effort: Over 100 volunteers help to stage the spectacular, an upbeat extravaganza that is known for its nostalgic notes, retro flair, and community-supporting spirit.
Other regional artists have given their talents and oomph to the event, while businesses such as Ruby's Diner help to bolster the bash through fundraising efforts.
It's a real homegrown, homespun affair, with locals lending a hand, their time, and their vision, all to help the festival's continued vibrancy and that playful powerhouse of a parade.
Want to volunteer? Here's where you start, ardent Anaheim aficionados and lovers of Orange County-fied cool things.
