Las Vegas Finally has a Halloween Parade...

If there is a holiday that should be embraced by Las Vegas more than any other it is most definitely Halloween. Visitors and locals alike constantly wear costumes throughout the year, whether they are going to Walmart or a nightclub. Just walk into any "club" on the Strip and look at how the women are dressed or not. Even in July a group of merry men dressed as Santa Clause outfits rampage through the "Strip" drinking plenty of nog to last them through Christmas.

Though Las Vegas has its cast of characters all year long, it is Halloween when the city really takes it to another level. I will tell you from personal experience that I have seen costumes that would rival anything produced by the movie studios of Hollywood. Who knows maybe some of their costume designers come to Vegas just to showoff their latest wares? Just a few years ago I saw a guy dressed as the devil with huge wings that would unfurl so wide that no one could stand within 10 feet of him.

With such a love affair with this fun holiday full of ghosts, goblins and Lady Gaga you would think that city would have made a more conscious effort to organize itself for such an important event? Like many events in Las Vegas things have to grow organically, like First Friday or the Helldorado Days Parade, to really take root and be successful. So finally after many years a few people with great vision decided to start a Halloween Parade. Yes you heard it right Las Vegas has never had a Halloween Parade! You would think that the city would have had one considering how popular the holiday is? Hello! But with all this said 2010 will be the year that the city celebrates Halloween like other cities around the country.

This years parade is based on the extremely successful Halloween Parade in New York City. If anyone has witnessed the parade in the Big Apple, the one in Las Vegas has the potential to be just as spectacular. Granted this is the first year that it is happening here so it will have a modest beginning, but it will be fun none the less. I am excited to see Las Vegas finally have its own Halloween Parade and truly embrace a holiday that is guaranteed to make the city the place to be in October. So mote it be...

For more information about the parade just click the poster below. Its free and fun for the whole family! Now what to wear?

Nevada Public Radio

For more information on the Cultural Arts in Las Vegas please visit Nevada Public Radio. NPR has detailed listings of many cultural and civic events hosted by area non-profits click on this link http://www.knpr.org/common/psa/listNEW.cfm and if you are planning an event in the next few months, be sure to get your free listing in Nevada Public Radio's Desert Companion magazine by submitting the information here at http://www.knpr.org/culture/eventaddnew.cfm

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Brian Paco Alvarez enculturating Las Vegas into the millennium...