Anaheim Fall Festival celebrates its 100th anniversary in Southern California this October
Anaheim, California may be most well known for Walt Disney’s original theme park. But long before there was Disneyland, the Anaheim Fall Festival was celebrating Halloween and the Autumn season in a major way. The festival returns this year for its 100th anniversary on Saturday, October 28, 2023.
In addition to the festival, the Anaheim Halloween Parade will march down the streets for its 99th year. “The Anaheim Fall Festival and Halloween Parade represent a welcoming, family-oriented, whimsy-filled day of classic hometown Halloween fun and a throwback to Anaheim’s small-town roots,” states Jody Daily, president of the Anaheim Fall Festival. “Now that the festival and parade are celebrating their back-to-back 100-year anniversaries, we are proud we’ve been able to keep the festival and parade feeling authentic, handmade, and citizen-centric, with a design nod to the 1950s but representing the terrific cultural diversity of today’s Anaheim.”
Initially known as the city’s Halloween Carnival and Festival when it launched in 1923, the purpose was to offer children wholesome activities to take part in. These included dunking for apples, carnival games, costume contests, and special treats. The hope was with these options for kids to enjoy, it would put an end to traditional Halloween pranks and mischief.
The fun has certainly grown over the years as the Anaheim Fall Festival features a towering Halloween tree, game booths, strolling entertainment, live music, food, magicians, storytelling, giveaways, and informational booths from some of Orange County’s top companies and civic organizations.
For one night each year, the Anaheim Halloween Parade marches through parts of downtown Orange County, still leaning into its small-town feel. Spectators will enjoy a nighttime pageant of marching bands, jack-o-lanterns, ghosts & goblins, and floats full of spooks and whimsy, all along the mile and half parade route.
The festival occurs on Center Street Promenade in downtown Anaheim from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., followed by the parade kick-off at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 28, 2023. The parade steps off at Broadway and Anaheim Blvd to Center Street Promenade, down Harbor Blvd., then west on Broadway to Manchester. Learn more at AnaheimFallFestival.org.
