In a small suburb of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, lies the Halloween capital of the world.
Halloween may have been taken from the ancient holiday, Samhain, but don’t tell that to the people of Anoka, Minnesota, whose claim to fame is being the Halloween capital of the world!
Back in 1920, Anoka was the very first city in America to have a week long celebration and an official parade on Halloween. It is also said to be the birthplace of trick-or-treating. The purpose was to keep children and teens from playing tricks on the neighborhood (think cows roaming the streets and outhouses flipping over), and to create a community-wide celebration.
Activities through the years have included pillow fights, fireworks displays, royalty coronations, concerts, dances, window painting contests, house decorating contests, celebrity appearances, and (of course) costume contests. Anoka has celebrated Halloween with their famous parade every year since it began in 1920, except in 1942 and 1943 due to World War II.
Today, the celebration is as big as it’s ever been with celebrations all month long. Some of the activities this year include a pumpkin pie bake-off, a 5K marathon, a treasure hunt, pumpkin carving contests, a ball, and even a pancake breakfast.
Will you be adding Anoka, Minnesota to your spooky bucket list?
If you own a haunted bar, cafe, hotel, or restaurant and you’d like us to check it out, reach out to us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. If you have a favorite haunted hot spot with great food and atmosphere and you’d like to share it with us, hit us up on social media or leave a comment below! We’d love to hear from you… Thanks for joining us, and Happy Haunting!
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