Hoboken Ramps Up Halloween With Mechanical (And Funny) Displays

HOBOKEN, NJ —It's almost as if they've been thinking about it for two years.

This year's Halloween displays in the mile-square city of Hoboken — which celebrates its Halloween "spirit" with a traditional Ragamuffin Parade each year — have become more involved than every before, with homeowners adding moving parts, interactive features, smoky cauldrons, and even mini-haunted houses for kids to step inside. And there are some controversial and political displays too.

References to films proved popular this year, from Ghostbusters to Goonies to Beetlejuice, as well as musicals like Little Shop of Horrors.

See below for some of the best. And if we missed a good one, please tell us in the comments below or post it yourself on Patch following these easy instructions!

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Kids and adults alike look forward artist Steven Vizena's installation each year. This year, it's "The Bug Vs. The Weary Superhero." You can see it in person on 11th Street.

An amazing job. Pressing these buttons makes the display do some creepy things, yet kids can't resist.

...And they R good enough for us. Yeah yeah yeah yeah.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

The ghosts of Fifth Street.

Some are bringing candy chutes back (see the link below for photos of last year's chutes!)

Another impressive moving display.

We predict lots of trick-or-treating.

Haunting! People can step inside this house.

And now for the pot (cauldron?) stirrers:

Bringing the debate.

And then there's this one.

Is it meant to be anti-vax, or a cautionary tale of what could happen?

Other Hoboken Halloween Information

• The uptown brownstones, with their huge displays, tend to get crowded on Halloween night. While posts on social media said the city plans to close off the streets, the city said today that there are no set hours to do so, but they will do so if they see crowding.
• After being canceled in 2020, the traditional Hoboken Ragamuffin Halloween Parade returns this year on Oct. 31. Participants can start lining up near 13th Street at 10:15 a.m. in order to start marching at 11 a.m. The Ragamuffin Parade has been a tradition in Hoboken since at least 1963.
• Last year, residents stepped in with creative decorations and candy chutes on Halloween, and kids were still able to fill their baskets with sweets. READ MORE: Hoboken Saves Halloween With Candy Chutes
• See the most hilarious Hoboken quarantine-themed displays from 2020 here

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