Hundreds of costumed dogs will trot through Marina Vista Park on Saturday as Long Beach's Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade celebrates its 25th year. The parade kicks off at 2:30 p.m., with a vendor and pet-adoption fair running from 12:30 to 4 p.m., and spectators can watch for free before heading home in plenty of time for trick-or-treating.
The milestone event, organized by longtime community fixture Justin Rudd and his nonprofit, the Community Action Team, is scheduled for 5355 E. Eliot St., according to justinrudd.com. Haute Dogs began in 2001, per the same site, making this year's parade a quarter-century milestone for the Long Beach tradition, as NBC Los Angeles notes in its coverage by Alysia Gray Painter.
Spectating is free, and attendees can bring their own folding chair for a free spot in the second row, or pay $6 cash on-site for one of roughly 500 front-row seats inside the park, the organizer's site states. Dog owners looking to enter the parade can register in advance for $10, pay $20 on event weekend, or spring for a $35 VIP entry that walks near the front of the pack, per Fun With Kids in LA. Costumed humans without dogs can register for free and will lead the parade at 2:28 p.m., two minutes ahead of the dogs.
A Pet Fair Alongside the Pageantry
Beyond the parade itself, a pet adoption and vendor fair will run from 12:30 to 4 p.m. with food trucks on hand, according to Visit Long Beach. All participating dogs must stay leashed, and organizers have said the event will proceed rain or shine, per the same account from Fun With Kids in LA.
Over the years, the parade has featured costumed crews dressing their dogs and themselves as the Scooby-Doo gang, Barbie and her friends, and the Flintstones family, NBC Los Angeles reports. Justin Rudd, who founded both Haute Dogs and the Community Action Team, remains the event's organizer and a fixture of Long Beach community fundraising, according to his own history page.
Crowd Counts and Past Winners
Just how many dogs will show up Saturday depends on which source you believe. Justin Rudd's site projects more than 350 dressed-up dogs for an event lasting about 40 minutes, while BringFido puts the figure at more than 450 costumed dogs with handlers. Last year's 24th annual parade, held in Belmont Shore on October 26, 2025, drew more than 350 costumed dogs and entertained roughly 1,500 spectators without dogs, per Justin Rudd's own recap, and a Long Beach team took first place with their entry “Lick-ed: The Wicked Paws of Oz,” as reported by the Press-Telegram.
The parade has also built a fundraising track record for the Community Action Team, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose donations are tax deductible, according to Justin Rudd's history page. The 2025 event helped raise about $1,000 for the organization, and the Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade has raised thousands of dollars for the group over its run, per NBC Los Angeles. Past beneficiaries have included spcaLA's P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, the Seal Beach Animal Care Center, and Friends of Long Beach Animal Shelter and Recreation Dog Park, the organizer's site notes.
Whether this year's turnout lands closer to 350 or 450 costumed dogs, Saturday's quarter-century celebration promises to keep a longstanding Long Beach tradition alive at Marina Vista Park, with plenty of time left in the day for families to get home before the trick-or-treaters hit the sidewalks.
