The 99th Annual Alsatia Mummers' Parade starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, 2026. That's Halloween night itself. Last year the parade ran a week early, on Saturday, Oct. 25, according to The Herald-Mail. This year the calendar puts the parade back on the date where it started. The Alsatia Club says the first parade was held on Halloween 1921.
That shift changes the whole week. Radio Free Hub City reports that citywide trick-or-treat is set for Friday, October 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. On Saturday, Halloween day goes to downtown businesses and then to the parade. So in 2026, Hagerstown's Halloween runs over two nights. The porch-light night is Friday, and the Potomac Street night is Saturday. If your household does both, plan on two evenings this year.
The Run-Up Already Started
The two-night finish is the end of a longer stretch, and that stretch starts on Thursday, Oct. 22. The schedule below comes from the fall roundup Radio Free Hub City published on Sept. 29, 2026, along with the Downtown Hagerstown Halloween page and events calendar.
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 22 | Drive-thru Trick-or-Treat, tickets booked by the hour | Fairgrounds Park | 4 to 7 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Downtown Halloween Block Party | South Potomac Street | 5:30 to 7 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Scream Queens Drag Show | The Maryland Theatre | 7 to 9 p.m. |
| Fri. and Sat., Oct. 23 and 24 | Ghost tours | City Park and Hager House | Evening |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Howl-o-ween Dog Costume Parade | Fairgrounds Park | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Citywide Trick-or-Treat | Neighborhoods citywide | 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | The Rocky Horror Picture Show | The Maryland Theatre | 7 to 9:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Downtown Businesses Trick-or-Treat | Downtown | 1 to 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | 99th Alsatia Mummers' Parade | Potomac Street through Public Square | 6 p.m. step-off |
On Thursday, Oct. 22, the drive-thru at Fairgrounds Park runs from 4 until 7 p.m. Tickets are booked by the hour, so check for an open slot before you head out.
The Block Party the next evening previews the parade's turf on a smaller scale. It's on South Potomac Street, the same street where the parade's judging area will sit a week later. The bounce house and trick-or-treating run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The kids' costume contest is at 6:30 and the adults' contest is at 7:00. Downtown Hagerstown describes it as a free event for local families, and participating businesses and organizations hand out free items.
The ghost tours are for adults. Hagerstown Parks & Rec runs them for ages 18 and up at $25 a person, and pre-registration is recommended. The Oct. 23 and 24 dates cover City Park and Hager House.
Also on Saturday, Oct. 24, the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts opens "Believe in Yourself: What We Learned from Arthur," which runs through Feb. 28, 2027. "Unfinished Freedom – Civil Rights in America Art Exhibition" is listed from Oct. 24 through Dec. 30. If the dog parade is your morning, the museum makes an easy afternoon.
Friday Night Is for the Porches
With trick-or-treat set for Friday, Oct. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., the neighborhood part of Halloween happens on a school and work night this year, a day before the costume holiday itself. For households handing out candy, the bowl needs to be full by Friday evening.
The Maryland Theatre takes the later Friday slot. The Rocky Horror Picture Show runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m., so adults can head downtown once the porch lights go off.
Saturday, in Order
Halloween day downtown builds toward the parade from early afternoon:
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Maryland Theatre box office is open for same-day reserved-seat sales and ticket pickup.
- 1 to 6 p.m. Downtown businesses host trick-or-treat.
- 6 p.m. The first parade unit steps off from "The Point," near the 480 block of North Potomac Street where it meets Potomac Avenue and Wayside Avenue.
- Through the evening. The parade covers about 1.5 miles south through Public Square and ends near the 775 block of South Potomac Street at East Howard Street. Downtown Hagerstown's listing runs the event until 9:30 p.m.
The 6 p.m. handoff is the part to plan around. Business trick-or-treat ends when the parade begins, so a family that collects candy downtown in the afternoon can stay where it is for the parade.
Picking a Spot Along Potomac Street
General admission is free, as it always has been. For a guaranteed seat, Alsatia Club volunteers set up more than 1,500 chairs in three reserved sections, and ticket sales help fund the club's community work.
- Section 1, North Potomac Street: from Charles Street to West North Avenue, close to where the parade begins.
- Section 2, Public Square: new for 2026, these seats start in front of 35 N. Potomac Street and continue past the square.
- Section 3, the judging area: the southern stretch of South Potomac Street running to Memorial Boulevard.
The Section 3 label matters if you care about the show more than the scenery. The club's rules place judging near Bester Elementary, and the 2026 event listing advertises awards of up to $2,000 across categories. Entries include costumed Mummers, school and non-school floats, vehicles, bands, majorettes, color guards, drill teams, cheer and dance groups, scouts and sponsoring businesses. The Mummers category winners are chosen by Facebook People's Choice voting.
Tickets are sold online through Ticketmaster or at The Maryland Theatre box office, 301-790-2000. Downtown Hagerstown's listing points out that buying through the local box office avoids the online fees. The Alsatia Club says these three sections are the only official reserved-seat locations and asks buyers to use the theater's channels. The club's own number, 301-739-2044, handles other parade questions.
When the Barriers Go Up
The parade runs rain or shine. The club's parade rules say only a "significant act of nature" cancels it. The rules also say that once the City officially closes the streets, non-parade traffic can't pass the barriers. That matters most if you live or park along North or South Potomac Street, because a car parked inside the closed area on Saturday evening stays there until the route clears.
The City of Hagerstown announces the street-by-street closure list itself. Last year, The Herald-Mail published the 2025 road closures the day before the parade. Check the city's official site during parade week for the 2026 list, since the route and seating sections changed this year.
Ninety-Nine Halloweens, Give or Take
The Alsatia Club says the parade has been Hagerstown's largest single annual event since it began in 1921, apart from the years 1941 through 1945. The club's rules page calls it the "largest nighttime parade on the East Coast," the organizer's own description of its event. Antietam Broadband is the presenting sponsor of this year's parade.
Downtown's August anchor is now the ballpark, a shift covered in our look at the festival everyone still calls downtown. Over this stretch of the year, South Potomac Street hosts the Block Party on Oct. 23 and the parade's judging area on Oct. 31. More on downtown and the streets around it is in our Hagerstown neighborhood guide.
If your street sits inside the parade closures or your porch sees heavy trick-or-treat traffic, you already know how much Halloween weekend shapes life on your block. If you've ever wondered how a house on the parade route or near downtown compares with one a few streets over, Marcy Smith is happy to walk through it with you, without any pressure, whenever the candy bowl is put away. Let's Connect.
