Waltham is holding a Lions Club Halloween Parade Saturday, with floats, marching bands and Halloween costumes, followed by trick-or-treating at local shops. The event is set to start at 3 p.m. at Linden Street and Main Street, then travel along Main Street to Moody Street.
Costumes, Candy and a Hometown Kickoff
According to Waltham, MA Patch, the celebration features a community parade, trick-or-treating, and a contest for the best-decorated business windows. The Waltham Lions Club is bringing the fun to town, and organizers describe the route as running from Waverley Oaks Road through Linden, Main and Moody streets, according to the same report. A listing on BXP Perks also places the event Saturday at 3 p.m. in Downtown Waltham, describing it as a family-friendly event with a parade followed by a trick-or-treat stroll.
The parade is being organized by a club with a long local history: the Waltham Lions Club was founded in 1939 and says its community work includes supporting eye research and preventing blindness, as well as assisting local groups and people in need. The Halloween event brings that service-club role into downtown, with the club also planning to collect donations along the route. The club’s history and charitable work give the new celebration a civic backdrop.
The parade is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m.
Floats, Bands and Where to Watch
The downtown parade features floats, marching bands and Halloween costumes.
The parade’s route ends in a downtown district with roots that predate the event by generations. Moody Street is recognized as a historic commercial district, with buildings that form a traditional neighborhood main street and storefronts close to the sidewalk. That streetscape is part of what makes the stretch a natural setting for a walkable parade finish and a shop-to-shop trick-or-treat stroll. A city feasibility study describes Moody Street’s historic commercial character.
Moody Street Shuts Down for the Block Party
Per the route and traffic page, the section of Moody Street from High and Maple streets south to upper Crescent Street near Derby Street is scheduled to close from noon to 4 p.m. for a block party. No-parking signs are planned along that stretch of Moody Street from High Street to upper Crescent Street, with Waltham Police enforcing the restrictions ahead of the closure. The same page lists Alder, Myrtle, Ash, Brown, Robbins, Wadsworth, Orange, Washington, Chester and Dexter streets as side streets expected to feel the effects of the closures.
Spooky on Moody Follows the Parade
Once the parade wraps, the fun continues with Spooky on Moody, where kids can trick-or-treat at participating Moody Street businesses, Patch reports. The stroll follows the Lions parade, and the event also includes a window-decorating contest.
This year’s parade is billed as the start of a hoped-for annual tradition, rather than a longstanding fixture on Waltham’s Halloween calendar. The organizers’ event listing welcomes local groups to participate and says the club will collect donations along the route, with proceeds going back to the community. The event details also identify In A Pickle Restaurant as the presenting sponsor and describe the post-parade trick-or-treating and window-decorating contest.
The celebration also includes a contest for the best-decorated business windows.
