Toms River Halloween Parade 2026: Why It Stays on October 31

"We're switching it to a Saturday only event now." In 2013, Toms River Fire Company No. 1 President Albert McDaniel used those words when the company moved its parade off Halloween night and onto the closest Saturday before it, according to Patch.

The Saturday-only plan lasted two years. By 2015 the parade was back on Oct. 31, and it has stayed there. This year the 87th parade steps off Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, at 7 p.m. For once, the fixed date and the weekend fall on the same night.

That overlap matters more in Toms River than almost anywhere else. In this part of Ocean County, a volunteer fire company's calendar sets the date for trick-or-treating in several towns. It also sets the end point for a full month of downtown events, and the 2013 test is the clearest evidence of how much the date itself holds the whole thing together.

The two Saturdays that didn't work

Patch's 2023 history dates the first parade to 1919, as a fundraiser for the fire company, and says it didn't become a yearly event right away. The fire company itself told NJ.com in 2021 that the parade has been held since 1937. According to Patch, it stopped for a few years during the Great Depression for lack of money and again during World War II. At its peak it drew more than 6,000 entrants and nearly 100,000 spectators to downtown Toms River, and it was called the second-largest Halloween parade in the world.

Through most of that history, the rule was simple. The parade ran on Halloween, whatever day of the week it fell on. The one exception was Sunday. Under a longstanding agreement between the fire company and churches in Toms River, a Sunday Halloween moved the parade to Saturday, Oct. 30.

Superstorm Sandy broke that pattern. Sandy hit on Oct. 29, 2012, and the parade was canceled that year. In 2013, organizers tried the Saturday before Halloween to bring in more participants, and the parade ran on Saturday, Oct. 26.

It didn't work. Parade chairman Carl Weingroff told Patch in 2015 that the 2013 and 2014 parades both saw a significant drop in participants and spectators, so the company returned to Halloween itself. The Asbury Park Press reported that the 77th parade was set for Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015.

Since then the rule has held, including the Sunday exception:

The 2021 parade came back after the COVID year and drew thousands, according to NJ.com. In 2020, Weingroff told Patch that the cancellation was meant to protect participants and first responders. The fire company told NJ.com the parade had been canceled only three times in its history: during the Great Depression, after Sandy in 2012, and in 2020. Patch's 2023 history counts the two cancellations since the 1950s, 2012 and 2020.

The last time Halloween fell on a Saturday, in 2020, there was no parade. So 2026 is the first Saturday-night parade on Oct. 31 since 2015. 105.7 The Hawk expects it to be bigger for exactly that reason.

How a fire company's date reaches other towns' doorsteps

The parade's pull goes beyond Main Street. Before Sandy, towns around the route held trick-or-treating on Oct. 30 so families didn't have to choose between going door to door and marching in or watching the parade. When the parade moved to Saturdays in 2013, Patch reported that those towns held trick-or-treating on Oct. 31 for the first time in years.

When the parade went back to Halloween in 2015, the towns moved too. Toms River officials said they don't officially sanction trick-or-treating, but they still moved the date to Oct. 30. Pine Beach, Ocean Gate, South Toms River and Beachwood all agreed to Friday, Oct. 30, at Fire Company No. 1's request. Island Heights planned to decide at a September council meeting, and Berkeley Township kept trick-or-treating on Halloween.

Last year showed that the Oct. 30 habit gives way to weather. In 2025, Toms River moved trick-or-treating to Saturday, Nov. 1, because of a forecast nor'easter and safety concerns. Patch noted that the township usually holds it on Oct. 30 so families can enjoy the parade. The parade itself still went ahead downtown, and the Asbury Park Press reported that it drew thousands.

For 2026, we had not found a published trick-or-treat date or hours from Toms River Township, Pine Beach, Ocean Gate, South Toms River, Beachwood, Island Heights, Berkeley or Brick as of Oct. 12. The Island Heights events page, for one, still says "Check back for more information" for October. With the parade on a Saturday night, households should wait for each town's own announcement rather than assume last year's pattern carries over.

A month of downtown events that ends on parade night

The parade belongs to the fire company, but October downtown belongs to the Downtown Toms River Business Improvement District. The BID's October flyer, posted by Ocean County Tourism on Oct. 5, 2026, lists the parade as "Produced by Toms River Fire Company #1" and puts it at the end of a full month of district events.

These are the dates still ahead from today:

• Scarecrow Walk. Scarecrows went up around downtown starting Oct. 9, and visitors can vote for a favorite. The BID lists the official display period as Oct. 9 to 23 and says entries may stay up for the parade. Ocean County Tourism's listing runs it through Oct. 31.
• Princess & Pirates Night, Oct. 16, 5 to 10 p.m. Costumes and characters.
• Harvest Arts Festival, Oct. 17, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local artists and vendors, live entertainment, and district businesses.
• Haunted Downtown, Oct. 24. A costume contest, with the BID promising to turn downtown "Upside Down." The BID flyer lists 5 to 10 p.m. A Star News Group roundup gives 6 to 9 p.m. on Washington Street, with people strolling between local restaurants and bars in costume.

Earlier in the month, the BID held Downtown Night Out on Oct. 2 and 3, Flannel Fest on Oct. 9, and Bourbon & Cigars Howl-O-Ween, a dog-friendly event, on Oct. 10.

What's confirmed for Oct. 31, and what isn't yet

Here is what the 2026 listings and coverage we reviewed say as of Oct. 12, and what we did not find in them:

Past years give a sense of the setup but shouldn't be taken as this year's instructions. Patch's 2025 guide described a route starting at Highland Parkway, heading down Main Street, then turning east on Washington Street. That guide also said Highland Parkway and Main Street closed at 5 p.m. and pointed spectators to the Ocean County garage off Hadley Avenue, the township garage off Water Street, and municipal lots on Water and Irons streets. It also asked people not to park at the Toms River Shopping Center, where participants lined up. Patch's 2023 guide noted a livestream on the student-run TRS TV and awards in more than 20 categories. Expect the official 2026 version from the township and fire company closer to the date.

For viewing, 105.7 The Hawk suggests Main Street/Route 166 above Washington Street, or Washington Street near the Municipal Building. The station says people start lining the streets early in the morning to save spots. Entries in the 2023 parade included decorated floats and vehicles, youth groups, commercial groups, families and pets, and registration was free, with the fire company accepting donations.

Other Shore towns hold their own Halloween traditions on the same Saturday. The Bay Head Business Association's free costume parade steps off at noon on Oct. 31 at Mount Street and Lake Avenue and finishes at Centennial Park. Jenkinson's Boo at the Boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 17, 18, 24 and 25. Questions about the parade itself go to Toms River Fire Company No. 1 at 732-349-0144.

At Chris Pizzola, we follow the town calendars that shape the Jersey Shore year, from the BID's October weekends to the parade night that sets trick-or-treat dates in neighboring towns. If you'd like a clear read on how Toms River's seasonal rhythm figures into a move here or a sale, request a private consultation.