The Las Vegas Halloween Parade

Very cool event! We missed the actual parade, but the party goes on late. We got there around 9pm and surprisingly found street parking pretty quickly and within a good walking distance.
There were a lot of fire breathing art cars on display after the parade, and at the end of one area the Dancetronauts had a stage and a large crowd. Their stage was pretty sweet, with smoke ring blower, lazers, lights and gogo dancers. The other larger art cars had their own dj and sound system too, so music everywhere you went.
All the bars around the area were packed, and most people were in costumes. Very fun night that can me completely FREE if you so chose to. There are food trucks and stands around that you can get food at if you’re hungry, and they even had bars set up around the area and most I saw had little to no line.
The only reason why I didn’t give 5 stars was bc the final party area could be a little larger. Hopefully next year will be even bigger.

What a fantastic experience to have been involved in!
This still relatively new event is heavily helmed by the Downtown Project/​Zappos and the Burning Man community, so there’s a little bit of everything to be seen. A good number of the floats are art cars that you would find from the Black Rock City event (which is basically a week long parade anyway), so there’s lots of fire, lots of lights, lots of outrageous costumes, and lots of lively dance music. Perfect for a parade!
There are also local community sponsors, such as the local SAG-​AFTRA acting community, members of the Downtown Project, the Zombie Apocalypse Store and many others, so it’s a huge, quirky collection of Bohemians, artists, and fun-​loving folk out to have a good time, and make it into a show.
With Downtown becoming more inhabited, the parade can only get better. Once the parade ended, the Dancetronauts came out and kept the party going for the rest of the night. It was a loud, colorful, and crazy experience, and long overdue to happen for the Las Vegas community. I’m very grateful to see events like this come to the city and Downtown, and hope this becomes the standard, rather than the exception.
I’m already looking forward to next year…

Haven’t you always wanted to be in a parade but lacked a float? The float-​barrier makes your average parade rather elitist. You are relegated to a spectator even if you know you’re true parade material, and this is why I love the Halloween Parade! All you need is a costume, and you too can be IN the parade. You can even win a prize in one of the multiple costume categories. The parade attracts all types from Burning Man veterans to curious tourists to sweet transvestites to families… yes, all types are welcome and all types march proudly! If you’re an overachiever, you can create an art car or a float, but it’s not necessary. (Although that is on my bucket list: to have an art car or float in the Halloween Parade!)
Of course, if you prefer spectating, that’s an option too. There is plenty to look at. This year one of my favorites was an illuminated fishing boat and hooked fish. The fish was built around a scooter, and the scooter was pulling a little trailer with a boat. Ingenious cuteness at its best!
Every year on Halloween it happens whether it’s a Monday or a Saturday, so you never have an excuse to stay at home or be without a costume! It’s true local flavor at its best.