For paradegoers, this year's biggest change is the route: Arts in the Dark moves to Columbus Drive in Grant Park on October 24 after a decade on State Street. Organizers say the growing audience has outpaced the space available along State Street's narrower sidewalks.
The 12th annual parade began in 2014 and has followed State Street for the past 10 years, according to Block Club Chicago. Organizers estimate State Street could hold about 100,000 spectators, while Columbus Drive's wider streets and sidewalks can accommodate more than 100,000. Co-founder and artistic director Mark Kelly told Block Club the audience has probably doubled over the years.
The route returns the parade to its starting point: the first Arts in the Dark was held on Columbus Drive in Grant Park before the event moved to State Street, according to Environmental Encroachment. This year's procession starts at Balbo Drive at 6 p.m. on October 24, heads north through Jackson Boulevard, and runs until 8 p.m., rain or shine.
Columbus Drive And Other Grant Park Events
Columbus Drive has also appeared in plans for other major Grant Park events. The City of Chicago’s 2026 Lollapalooza notice listed Columbus Drive from Monroe to Roosevelt for closure July 27–August 3 for that separate festival. The notice documents the closure dates but does not specify resulting access or transportation effects; it does not describe a closure for Arts in the Dark.
A Bigger Stage Means Bigger Spectacle
The new route also comes with designated food truck zones along its east side and vendor stations on the west side before the parade begins, according to BroadwayWorld.
The procession brings together about 105 groups and roughly 4,500 performers, compared with roughly 60 cultural groups in earlier years. This year's lineup includes a fire-breathing dragon, a 60-foot glow worm, hundreds of handmade puppets, dramatic masks and two giant alebrijes. Organizers say the participating groups represent nearly every Chicago neighborhood, with creative young people making up about 75 percent of the groups.
The parade is incorporated into Columbia College's curriculum, and more than 150 students there are building giant lantern puppets for the procession. Chicago photographers and architects created 50 headdresses inspired by the city's buildings. More than 100 contingents are expected to march in 2026, including local institutions such as After School Matters, Ballet Folklórico de Chicago, the South Shore Drill Team, Trinity Irish Dance and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Honoring Chicago Voices Instead Of A Grand Marshal
Arts in the Dark does not have a traditional grand marshal this year. Instead, the parade is honoring several Chicago figures: Grammy Award-winning musician, producer and composer Peter Cottontail; longtime 93XRT radio host Marty Lennartz, who has spent 45 years on the air; Chicago's poet laureate Mayda de Valle; and Barbara Gaines, founder and artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
Kelly, who is encouraging attendees to arrive in costume, said Halloween is “the artist's holiday” and that the parade seeks to unite and celebrate Chicago's creative work. A DIY costume contest presented by Goodwill Greater Milwaukee and Chicago is also part of this year's festivities, with a submission deadline of October 5.
A Homecoming Backed By City Hall
Arts in the Dark is produced by LUMA8 and is part of Chicago Fall Fest 2026.
LUMA8 and the City presented a companion South Side event, the Upside Down Halloween Parade, in Washington Park on October 28, 2023. The parade's accolades have also drawn national attention over the years, with the event named among the top 10 Halloween events in the U.S. by USA Today, praised by Forbes, and ranked among the top six Halloween celebrations worldwide by Wanderlust Magazine.
