Halloween on Franklin Street facts for kids
Halloween on Franklin Street is a big yearly event in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It's a huge gathering on Franklin Street, which is the main street in town. People celebrate Halloween there.
This celebration started in the early 1980s. Back then, it was much smaller. Only people from Chapel Hill and students from UNC attended. People dress up in fun Halloween costumes. They walk up and down Franklin Street to celebrate the holiday.
The event grew bigger every year until 2008. Even though the Town of Chapel Hill doesn't officially sponsor it, many visitors come from all over the South. Between 2004 and 2007, about 80,000 people came to Franklin Street. Chapel Hill's population was around 54,492 in 2007. This shows how many people travel to attend.
Because so many people come, the Town of Chapel Hill closes Franklin Street to cars. Parking is also not allowed near downtown. With large crowds, keeping everyone safe is important. Police officers patrol the area all night. In 2007, about 400 police officers were there.
In 2008, Chapel Hill started new plans to make the Halloween celebration smaller. They called this "Homegrown Halloween." They wanted to encourage fewer people from out of town to come. The shuttle service that used to bring people from parking lots to Franklin Street was stopped. As a result, about 35,000 people attended that year.
There are other Halloween activities too. Morehead Planetarium and Science Center [1] has Halloween-themed planetarium shows. These include "Scare-o-lina Skies," with versions for families and older teens. The planetarium closes early on Halloween. Its parking lot becomes a space for public safety vehicles. These vehicles help with the Franklin Street celebration at night.
Keeping Everyone Safe
For Chapel Hill, safety is a top concern during the event. With crowds of up to 80,000 people, it can be tricky to manage. Two main issues are people drinking too much and group-related activities. Even though the town doesn't sponsor the event, about 400 law enforcement officers are usually called. They help control crowds and patrol the streets.
During the 2008 celebration, new safety rules were put in place. Bars and restaurants downtown had to stop selling drinks and close by 1:00 a.m. Another rule was that all downtown bars had to charge a five-dollar cover charge to enter. Police started clearing the streets at midnight. Only five arrests were made that night. This was fewer than the thirteen arrests in 2007.
What Not to Bring
To keep everyone safe, certain items are not allowed on Franklin Street during Halloween.
- Paint
- Glass bottles
- Fireworks
- Coolers
- Animals
- Fake weapons (even if they are part of costumes)
Creative Costumes
One of the most exciting parts of Halloween on Franklin Street is seeing all the original costumes. People who come, including many students from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, try to wear the most unique costumes they can imagine.
In 2008, some memorable costumes included the Joker from the popular 2008 Batman movie, The Dark Knight. There was also a group dressed up as characters from the game Tetris. According to The Daily Tar Heel, the student newspaper at UNC, Halloween is a chance for students to "express their creativity and become a different person for one night."
