Why doesn't Montreal have its own Halloween parade?

Halloween parades are a staple in cities like New York, Chicago, Salem, and Atlanta—not to mention a litany of small towns—so why not Montreal?

J.P. Karwacki

October 30, 2024- Read time: 4 min

A scene from Trouble-Fête, a Halloween event held during Montreal’s 375th anniversary. | Photograph: Veronique Dussault

I don’t understand why Montreal doesn’t have a Halloween parade. Full stop.

Halloween has been celebrated in places like Scotland and Ireland for centuries, and major cities like Sydney and Hong Kong embrace it. In North America, Halloween parades are almost a staple in places like New York, Chicago, Salem, and Atlanta—not to mention all the small towns rallying for the season.

Montreal’s primed for this. For a city known for its festivals, nightlife, and an embrace of the offbeat, a Halloween parade seems like more than a natural fit.

Montrealers know how to host celebrations, filling the streets with costumes, music, and energy. Even now, as I write this sitting in a café in Old Montreal, people are already out in daylight with costumes on, hinting at a city-wide Halloween spirit with no central place to gather.

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