About the Parade
Marching for the 31st time, the Portsmouth Halloween Parade is a grassroots, all-inclusive celebration of community, creativity and free expression that walks, stalks, dances, trumpets and drums its way through downtown Portsmouth each year on
October 31st at 7 p.m.
Everyone is invited to dress up, gather at Pierce Island by Prescott Park, and march. No sign-up required. The Parade is NOT a city-sponsored event. It is entirely funded and put on by the community, which rallies a number of benefits to raise funds to cover expenses of insurance, permits and police escort. Hundreds march in costume, thousands cheer from the sidelines, it’s always a spectacle from either side of the curb.
Upcoming Events
Scary-oke
October 16 @ 8:00 pm - 11:00 pmPumpkin SMASH
October 17 @ 8:00 am - 12:00 pmAdult Bingo
October 17 @ 3:30 pm - 5:30 pmDanse Macabre: A Goth Night
October 17 @ 8:00 pm - 11:00 pmHalloween Paint Night
October 18 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pmCauldron Competition
October 23 @ 5:30 pmAn Evening with Angry Hill
October 23 @ 8:00 pm10th Annual Halloween Costume Paddle Contest
October 24 @ 10:30 am - 1:00 pmFlatbread Community Night
October 27 @ 4:00 pm - 8:00 pmUndead Beat Night
October 29 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm31st Portsmouth Halloween Parade
October 31 @ 7:00 pmAn evening with Lady Luck Burlesque
October 31 @ 9:00 pm
HOW CAN I HELP?
This parade doesn’t happen without community support. If you ever enjoyed yourself at the Portsmouth Halloween Parade, please consider:
- Making a donation: We’re a 501(c)(3) so we’ll send you confirmation of your donation for your taxes at year end.
- Come to an Event: We have a variety of fun events to raise money for the parade. Many events have a small requested donation and/or you can purchase swag and tickets to win amazing raffle baskets.
- Buying some swag: Wear your PHP (Portsmouth Halloween Parade) Pride, check out our T-shirts and hoodies printed locally by Black Sheep Design. Stay spooky all year long.
- Signing up for our mailing list: Stay in the know about the parade, our Grand Marshal, our FUNdraising events, and our cool swag.
- Donate to our raffle baskets: At many of our events, we have raffle baskets of items donated by local business supporting the parade. If you or someone you know runs a business who would like to donate, let us know!
BUY SOME SWAG!
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2026 T-shirt
$25.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
2026 T-shirt (Petite)
$25.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
2026 Hoodie – Zipped
$50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
2026 Hoodie – Pullover
$50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
PHP Sticker
$3.00 Add to cart -
Donation
$ Add to cart
Portsmouth ended October with its seasonal roar Thursday night and the Halloween muses of this great community shared their visions and stories for us all to enjoy. The downtown became a wondrous frontier filled with music, magic, lights, and shadows around every bend. The streets were full of witches and monsters and other strange creatures. The sidewalks bulged with viewers, many of whom felt a fluttering of excitement typically reserved for opening presents. They strained their necks to see, and everything was so much that it burst beyond the frame of vision. The night was pierced with shouts of delight, admiration and surprise. There was much clapping and laughter.
To the participants, viewers, volunteers and supporters of The Portsmouth Halloween Parade, we say
THANK YOU
Underneath the vast compass of you all, our spirit as a community that can create and celebrate together was renewed.
Before You March...
We are thrilled to have you join our parade! No signup is required to march in the parade, however there are some things to know before you go!
- Please review our Rules & Regulations!
- Check out the map of our route, the gathering point, and our Handicap Accessible parking area.
- If you are a large group (>= 10) or have sound as part of your group, please give us a heads up!
- View the 2025 Parking Bans & Road Closures in Portsmouth for the Parade. We expect 2026 will be similar and we will update this once it’s posted. Please note the parking ban will last from 5 pm to 10 pm and the street closures from 6 pm to 10 pm.
- The City of Portsmouth is providing ADA van-accessible parking in the Prescott Park parking lot near Memorial Bridge for the evening of the parade. For details on this and other tips on community accessibility, visit: accessnavigators.com/portsmouth-nh
