Going To The Toms River Halloween Parade Tonight? Best Get There Early

If you’re planning to go to the Toms River Fire Company 1 Halloween Parade in Toms River tonight, a few words of advice:

Get there early.

Don’t plan to park downtown.

For the second year, the parade is being held on the Saturday prior to Halloween, after a decision made by organizers a few years ago to move it from the long-standing tradition of holding it on Halloween most years. Factored into that decision were lots of issues, including the parade’s impact on children attending school, out-of-town attendance and more.

The parade has long been a huge event -- it’s the second-largest Halloween parade in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records -- but now curbside seating will be at an even bigger premium than it was previously.

Parking, too, is an issue, as the parking lot of the Toms River Shopping Plaza -- home to Kohl’s, Modell’s and a host of other stores -- is the staging area for parade participants.

With that in mind, here are some places to park that are within walking distance of the parade route, which travels south on Main Street (Route 166) from the shopping plaza to Washington Street and then turns left onto Washington. Marchers go all the way to Hooper Avenue, where parade awards are handed out at the county administration building.

• Public parking lot on Water Street, near Baker’s Water Street Bar & Grill.
• Parking garage behihnd the Ocean County Library, off Horner Street.
• Parking lot across the street from the Toms River Post Office, west of Main Street, behind the motel
• Parking lot at the corner of Irons Street and Snyder, a block west of Main Street.
• The Ocean County Parking Garage, east of Hooper Avenue near the county administration building. It is accessible from Washington Street and from Hadley Avenue.

Come early, grab a bite to eat downtown before the parade begins. Parking meter enforcement ceases after 6 p.m. so you may need to pay if you come before 6 p.m., but the dollar you spend may make it worthwhile.

Here’s a link to downtown Toms River parking.

(PHOTO: People had begun reserving their parade-watching spots by Friday night, when they put these chairs out along Washington Street in Toms River. Credit: Karen Wall)