On Saturday, October 31, Allentown's Halloween Walking Parade closes Hamilton Street between 9th and 12th to cars from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Two places that weren't on Hamilton Street a year ago sit inside that stretch. Soaked in the City is at 932 Hamilton and Sophistiqué French Bakery is at 960. A third, McCall Collective Brewing Co., had its grand-opening weekend October 2 through 4 in the 700 block, just east of where the parade starts.
That matters because of how the city set up the parade. It's a walking event, and this year the walk goes through the part of downtown that has filled in most since last fall.
The Parade Was Rebuilt Around Walking
The City of Allentown calls the Halloween Walking Parade "a modern approach to the traditional parade structure of years past." According to the city, the 2026 event will "build on the momentum from last year's event," with a focus on safe streets, children and families, and no moving vehicles. The city lists bands, dance groups, local organizations and vendors. The parade's activity page adds food and merchandise vendors, community resource tables, City departments, crafts, music, dancing and photo spots.
The city's two pages give different starting points. The Hallo-weekend overview lists 9th to 12th and Hamilton, and the activity page lists 8th to 12th. Either way, the route covers the 900 through 1100 blocks. The only online registration the city offers is for vendors and resource providers. It doesn't say families need to sign up.
Without vehicles, the street becomes walking space for three hours. And the storefronts along that walking space have changed since last October.
Who Opened On and Near the Route This Year
| Address | Business | Opened | Saturday status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 732 Hamilton St. | McCall Collective Brewing Co. | Grand opening Oct. 2–4, 2026 | Open 11 a.m.–11 p.m. per its website |
| 932 Hamilton St. | Soaked in the City | Grand opening Aug. 13, 2026 | Open noon to midnight Fri–Sat |
| 960 Hamilton St. | Sophistiqué French Bakery | Soft opening July 8, 2026 | Hours not confirmed for 2026 |
Soaked in the City is a sister location to Soaked Winery in Lehigh Township. It serves wine, beer and cocktails, plus food like flatbreads and charcuterie boards. Owner Shannon Birosik explained the move downtown to The Morning Call at its August opening:
"I see the life that is beginning to form in downtown Allentown. I really think it's becoming the next hot spot."
According to the same report, the winery opens at noon on Saturdays. That's an hour after the parade starts and two hours before it ends, so it's an option for the adults in a costumed group.
Sophistiqué French Bakery moved from 924 W. Walnut St. to the larger space at 960 Hamilton. Owner Sophie Vandecasteele soft-opened there on July 8 and held a ribbon cutting July 14, as The Morning Call reported. The menu has pastries, cakes and sandwiches. In July, the bakery reported morning-through-afternoon hours Tuesday through Saturday and said those hours were still being worked out. The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber listing shows it open at 960 Hamilton but doesn't list hours, so check with the bakery before planning a Halloween stop.
McCall Collective Brewing Co. took over 732 Hamilton from Brü Daddy's, which had run a brewpub there since 2019. Owner Kaitlin McCall told The Morning Call the menu would combine McCall Collective dishes with Brü Daddy's dishes. McCall Collective also keeps operating its other Allentown location and one in Upper Macungie Township. McCall Collective's website lists Friday and Saturday hours of 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., so it opens right as the parade starts. Brü Daddy's beer is still around town. The company is focusing on distribution from its facility at 635 S. 10th St., and it lists Ringers Roost in Allentown among the places to find it.
Saturday, Hour by Hour
Together, the parade times and these hours make a workable plan for Saturday, October 31:
- 11 a.m. The parade opens on Hamilton Street, and McCall Collective opens at 732 Hamilton.
- Noon Soaked in the City opens at 932 Hamilton, inside the parade route.
- 2 p.m. The parade's scheduled end.
- Evening McCall Collective stays open until 11 p.m. and Soaked in the City until midnight.
Trick-or-treating isn't on Saturday this year. The city's trick-or-treat night is the evening before, Friday, October 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. That leaves Halloween itself free for the downtown walk. City materials don't mention separate trick-or-treating at downtown businesses, so don't count on it along the route.
The Sunday That Depends on the Weather
The parade's rain date is Sunday, November 1. That's also the day of the city's Día de los Muertos celebration at Arts Park, 24-32 N. 5th St., a few blocks east of the parade route. Día starts at 2:30 p.m. The Hallo-weekend page says it runs until 7:30 p.m., and the city's event archive says 7 p.m.
The schedules don't overlap. If rain pushes the parade to Sunday, it would end at 2 p.m. and Día would start half an hour later on North 5th Street. A wet Saturday would mean back-to-back downtown events on Sunday instead of a cancellation. Día has its own rain date of November 8.
The city is holding Día with Interlace Cultural y Desarrollo Integral Mexicano de Lehigh Valley Inc. and the Baum School of Art. The city describes music, dance and cultural celebration for families. "In respect of the Mexican culture," vendors are limited to local, authentic Mexican businesses and organizations. That vendor rule makes Día a very different event from the parade, even though the city schedules them on the same weekend.
West of the Route, a Takeout Stop
Not every new opening is on Hamilton Street. Local Stone, a takeout pizzeria from Jess and Brian Macker, opened at 446 N. 15th St. in late September and held its grand opening October 1, according to The Morning Call. Its online schedule for October 12 through 18 shows it closed Monday and Tuesday, open 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The schedule is set week by week, so check Local Stone's ordering page for Hallo-weekend hours before planning a Friday pizza around the 6 p.m. start of trick-or-treat.
What Comes After the Costumes
Less than four weeks after the parade, the city's calendar moves to the Lehigh Parkway. Lights in the Parkway begins its 30th season on November 27 and runs through January 6. The city lists new skyscraper and community displays and a patriotic section. Like the parade, part of it is set aside for people on foot. On Monday nights from 5:30 to 10 p.m., the route is open to walkers, runners and cyclists, with no reservations needed. The 30th-anniversary celebration on November 30 is advertised with horse-and-carriage rides and live entertainment.
If you'd like to know how event weekends like this one affect day-to-day life on a particular downtown or West End block, I'm glad to share what I see from the ground. Bernadette Rabel works with neighbors across Allentown, and I'm always happy to talk through how the city's calendar fits a block you're considering. Let's Connect.
