Halloween comes early to Ocean County ahead of annual Toms River parade
Kids in and around Toms River go trick-or-treating on Monday, a day before the holiday.
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Halloween is on Tuesday, but if you were out Monday evening in and around Toms River, you saw a lot of kids trick-or-treating. It's all because Halloween comes a day early in several Ocean County towns because of the huge Toms River Halloween parade.
The second largest Halloween parade in the world gets top billing on Oct. 31 in Toms River as thousands of people line and march down Main Street. Lots of storefronts and outside signs are already sporting spooky decorations ahead of the big parade.
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"It's great for the kids. We need more kids, less adults, more children. The township does a wonderful job on the parade,” said Annie Gauthier, owner of Shut Up and Eat. “We leave all of our chairs and tables out. We are not open for the parade but we let the people who are going to see the parade have a place to sit.”
The parade will stage Tuesday afternoon in the Toms River Plaza and steps off around 7 p.m. as the costumed kiddies and adults make their way downtown.
