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Family-friendly Fright and Fun in Princeton

The Arts Council of Princeton, Princeton Public Library and the Princeton Family YMCA will join forces this year to present a fun and spooky family event Friday, Oct. 28 beginning at 5 p.m.

Adults and children are invited to come in costume andgather on the Palmer Square Green at 5 p.m. where the fun begins with the annual Hometown Halloween Parade, a longstanding Princeton tradition, organized by the Arts Council of Princeton. The procession will be led by the Princeton University Marching Band from Palmer Square to Albert Hinds Plaza, where the public is invited to enter Princeton Public Library’s (not-too-scary) Haunted House. While waiting to enter the Haunted House, the band will continue to entertain with their fun and inventive arrangements of popular and traditional tunes. 

Created and run by Library staff and teen volunteers, this is the second year the Library is hosting the Haunted House. A scarier version suitable for middle and high school students and adults takes place Saturday, Oct. 29 starting at 6 p.m.

After leaving the Haunted House, families are invited to head over to the YMCA on Paul Robeson Place where the fun continues with “trunk or treat” (trick-or-treating in the parking lot), a spooky trail, carnival games and a bounce house. Starting at 7:30 p.m. there will be an outdoor screening of the movie “Monster House.” While on the way up Paul Robeson Place to the YMCA, families are invited to stop by the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts where Arts Council staff and volunteers will offer a trick or treat surprise.

Free parking at the YMCA provides a great starting point for families walking to Palmer Square for the parade. After the library’s Haunted House, they can then circle back for fun at the ‘Y’ before heading home. This parade is organized and sponsored by the Arts Council of Princeton, Princeton Public Library, Palmer Square Management, The J. Seward Johnson, Sr. 1963 Charitable Trust, Novo Nordisk and Princeton Family YMCA.