The region has a long tradition of events to celebrate the spooky holiday, and 2024 is no different. Below are some of the events on deck this year.

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Lake Placid

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The Olympic village will host its annual Halloween parade along Main Street on Oct. 31. The event is open to everyone, and costumes for people of all ages are encouraged. The parade kicks off at noon at Saranac Avenue near the intersection of Mirror Lake Drive. Line-up starts at 11:50 a.m.

The parade route goes up Main Street and ends near the Olympic Center. After the parade, Trick-Or-Treating on Main Street begins, where participating businesses will hand out candy through 5 p.m.

The festivities continue with a Halloween Dance for Lake Placid and Wilmington students. The dance is held on the second floor of the Lake Placid Conference Center, with times for different age groups.

¯ 6 to 8 p.m. for middle school students (grades 6 through 8)

¯ 8 to 10 p.m. for high school students (grades 9 through 12)

All of the events are free of charge.

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Wilmington

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Wilmington will kick things off early, as the community has done in the past. The seventh annual Trunk-or-Treat event is scheduled to take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27 at the Wilmington KOA, located at 5591 state Route 86.

In a Facebook post advertising this year’s event, Tina Terry Preston, a member of the Wilmington Town Council who has organized the event in past years, wrote that it is being held early to better accommodate vendors — who volunteer their time handing out treats — by having the event on a Sunday afternoon rather than a work night, with Halloween falling on a Thursday this year.

Trunk-or-treat events function like kid-friendly tailgate parties, where participants meet at one central location to get and give treats, rather than venturing out onto the streets to trick-or-treat at various residences. The events — which began in the 1990s — have gained in popularity in recent years, as families see them as safer and logistically easier alternatives or additions to trick-or-treating.

The event is a large draw for the region. In the Facebook post, Terry said that last year’s iteration had 37 vendors and over 500 children who came from all over the region.

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AuSable Forks

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The town of Black Brook’s Halloween at the Riverside Park, located at 2429 state Route 9N in AuSable Forks, returns this year beginning at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 31. The event features candy, hot dogs, popcorn, s’mores and Black Brook Express Train rides. The event is kid-friendly and family-oriented.