Toms River Halloween Parade 2023: What To Know If You're Marching Or Watching

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Halloween is here and so is the Toms River Halloween Parade, which is set to march through downtown on Tuesday.

If you are new to the area or if you're considering attending the parade for the first time, here is information about what to expect Tuesday evening, and how you can sign up to participate, even if you're just deciding you want to join in the fun.

The parade organized by Toms River Volunteer Fire Company 1 is marking its 84th year and steps off from Highland Parkway at 7 p.m. and marches down Main Street to Washington Street, then east on Washington Street.

Road closures

Road closures for the Halloween parade will begin with the closure of Highland Parkway (which runs behind the Toms River Shopping Plaza) at 5 p.m. It will be closed from Main Street to the first entrance into the shopping center to start staging floats.

Main Street will be closed at Route 37 south to Water Street beginning at 6 p.m. Washington Street also will be closed from Main Street to Hooper Avenue starting at 6 p.m.

Drivers are urged to exercise extra caution along Hooper Avenue, especially in the area from Toms River South to Washington Street because of extra pedestrian traffic in the area.

All parking will be banned along Main and Washington streets, and vehicles must be removed by 6 p.m. or they will be towed.

Parking

If you are planning to go watch the parade, public parking is available within walking distance, but be aware that lots will fill up early.

Places to park include:

• The parking garage behind the Ocean County Library, accessible from Water Street.
• The Ocean County Parking Garage off Hadley Avenue.
• The public parking lot behind the former Wells Fargo building, on Irons Street.
• The parking lot on Water Street at the U.S. Post Office.
• The parking lot at Huddy Park.

Chairs restricted

People who want to put out chairs to hold their place along the parade route are not permitted to do so until the morning of the parade. Chairs placed before then will be removed. Chairs also should be tied down to keep them from blowing into the street.

Food and drinks

Downtown Toms River businesses will be open during the parade for a bite to eat and something to drink.

Ocean County Library open for early voting

The Ocean County Library on Washington Street will remain open until 8 p.m. Tuesday for voters who wish to cast their ballots early for the 2023 election.

Can't go in person? Watch online

If you are not able to get to the Toms River Halloween parade, it will be livestreamed by the Toms River Regional Schools' student-staffed TRS TV on their YouTube channel.

Want to march? You can still register

Registration for the Toms River Halloween Parade is held ONLY the day of the parade, meaning you can decide Monday night (or even Tuesday morning) that you want to participate.

Registration is open from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the firehouse, 26 Robbins St. It is free but the fire company accepts donations.

The parade welcomes decorated floats, decorated vehicles, groups of all sizes, commercial groups, youth groups and other organizations. Individuals and families can march as well, and you can even enter your pet. Awards are given out in more than 20 categories. See them here and more here.

Parade history

The parade is marking its 84th year in 2023. It was first held in 1919 as a fundraiser for the fire company, but did not become a yearly event right away. It was halted for a few years during the Great Depression in the 1930s due to a lack of money, and was halted again for a few years during World War II.

It has nearly always been held on Halloween, though on years when Halloween falls on a Sunday, the parade is held on Oct. 30, because of a longstanding agreement between the fire company and the churches in Toms River.

Over the years the parade grew substantially, at one point drawing more than 6,000 entrants and nearly 100,000 spectators to downtown Toms River. At its height it was designated the second-largest Halloween parade in the world.

The parade has only been canceled twice since the 1950s: In 2012 because of the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, and was canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After Sandy, the fire company experimented with holding the parade on the Saturday before Halloween, but participation plummeted in 2013 and 2014 and the fire company moved it back to Halloween.