- The East Penn area will have a multitude of Halloween festivals in events in October
- New festivals return and set off, while traditional events return
- The first area parade scheduled will be Oct. 18 in Vera Cruz
MACUNGIE, Pa. — The East Penn area will be the place to be when Halloween time approaches.
Multiple parades and festivals are planned in Macungie, Alburtis and Emmaus — returning old Halloween traditions, freshly altering others and starting new ones.
A new event in Lower Macungie Township will take place this month alongside Alburtis' parade returning for its second iteration, and a new partnership will be fueling Macungie's parade.
The long-running Emmaus Parade also is set to take off, making for an exciting latter half of the month for those of all ages in the area.
Here's a list:
Lower Macungie Township Halloween Bash — 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13
A family-focused event for ages 3-11 (accompanied by a guardian) will take place at the Lower Macungie Township Community Center with a live DJ, games and various Halloween activities.
It will be the first of the new annual event to be held at the community center.
Organizers say to "dress in your best costume and dance the night away," with prizes available for those in costume.
A preregistration link can be found here, with an entry fee of $20/person. Those under age 2 are free.
Vera Cruz Community Association Parade — 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18
According to a post on its Facebook page, the Vera Cruz Community Association Halloween Parade in Upper Milford Township is set to form at Mystic Chain Park on Oct. 18.
While the Allentown Hobo Band will no longer be able to attend as originally planned, Emmaus High School Marching band will take part.
A rain date is set for Oct. 19.
Emmaus leads the way with its parade — 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21
The longstanding borough tradition returns again to Emmaus as the first in the area, taking its familiar route through many of the borough's primary streets.
Donations for the parade are being collected at the newly renovated borough hall and locations throughout the borough, such as Yergey's Brewery, Emmaus Public Library and South Mountain Cycle and on the parade website.
The parade will kick off at Keystone and Ridge streets before snaking through 6th, Walnut, Ninth, Chestnut and Main streets before returning.
A rain date is set for 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22.
There will be a 5k race before the parade on the same day.
At Monday's Borough Council meeting, Emmaus also set the date for its trick-or-treat night, set for 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27.
See more about the event here.
Alburtis returns for second year with fall festival, parade, trunk-or-treat
A combination of event is coming to Alburtis, this time under the newly reinvigorated Alburtis Area Community Center.
Last year, a group of volunteers held the small borough's first large Halloween parade event, and this year the event also will include a fall festival from noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 28 at the community center, with a Trunk-or-Treat event to happen in tandem from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
"Also if you live along the route, let's see those decorations and lights go up so we can light up the route!" organizers said via the community center's Facebook page.
The route remains the same as the prior year, with roads set to close at 6:00 p.m.
The fall festival also expects a lineup of 18 different food trucks including recognizable favorites like Yergeys Brewing, Cactus Blue and Rising River brewing, and a live DJ.
See more about the event here.
Macungie's parade partners with Macungie Memorial Park for festival
Macungie Memorial Park and the East Penn Area Chamber of Commerce have teamed up to put on a festival from 4-8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29.
The festival will have a $5-per-family entry.
There, attendees can participate in free kids activities and photo ops, and enjoy live music and food trucks.
The parade will kick off at 7:15 p.m. at Buttonwood and Main streets, with cash prizes for winning parade entries.
Those interested in participating in the parade or volunteering for the festival or parade are told to email macungiememorialparkevents@gmail.com.
Last year, the parade was revived by a group of local volunteers along with a new festival at Macungie Memorial Park after two years in the community without its traditional parade.
"We kind of made it a whole big event for the family," Margaret Young, one of the event's organizers, said last year.
The parade previously was put on by the Lower Lehigh Lions Club, which disbanded due to declining membership and lack of community participation.
See more about the event here.
