Leesburg hosted its 62nd annual Kiwanis Halloween Parade on Oct. 31 and the streets met no shortage of parade-goers and floats, all decked out in costume. The Halloween parade attracts people of all ages, and at 6:00 p.m. sharp, creative floats and festive bands begin their procession down King Street.

The Leesburg Halloween Parade officially begins at 6:00, but people often show up hours before in order to grab a good spot on King Street. Long time spectators know how crowded it can get, so they like to get there early. As the parade makes its way down the streets of Leesburg, parade participants toss out candy.

In addition to spectators, many people participate in the parade floats, which consist of high school bands, classic cars, police and fire rescue units, organizations, and more.

The Stone Bridge Marching band has participated in the parade for many years now, and each year, they dress up in themed costumes along with the other parade floats and participants, which creates a wide array of costumes for people to see.

“My favorite part about being in the parade is dressing up in costume,” junior clarinet player Andrea Stefanyshyn said. Stefanyshyn dressed up as a glow in the dark jellyfish. “I also like seeing the little kids watching the parade dressed up in costumes.”

The parade crowd is often very responsive and encouraging towards the participants, and according to freshman Sean Lim, this might be because many of the spectators are supporting one of the groups participating in the parade.

“I like when people yell ‘Go Stone Bridge’, or when the kids say that the band looks cool,” Lim said.

Sophomore Mary Decker also mentioned how encouraging the crowd was. “You hear a lot of the kids’ positive comments about how fun the costumes are,” Decker said. Often, there are costume themes within different floats and bands, which parade goers seem to enjoy a lot.

Many people attend the parade to see and support people they know, like junior Caroline Chu went last year to support her brother and the band.

“This was my second time going to the parade. My first time was last year to support my brother and the band,” Chu said. “I really liked seeing and listening to all the floats and bands pass by. I would definitely go again.”

The Leesburg Halloween Parade isn’t only about candy and spooky floats- parade-goers are often encouraged to bring canned goods and paper products for Loudoun Hunger Relief.

In case you missed out on this year’s annual Kiwanis Halloween Parade, don’t get too down- Leesburg also offers countless holiday festivities, including an annual Christmas and Holiday Parade on Dec. 8 beginning at 6:00 p.m. The Christmas parade, much like the Halloween one, will proceed down King Street and through historic Leesburg, and is open to participants.