Spooky Soirees: Your Halloween Saugatuck Guide and the Adults-Only Parade

A Saugatuck Halloween Tradition and Parade Unlike Any Other

As autumn sets in, with the leaves putting on a vibrant show around town and a chill in the evening air blowing in off Lake Michigan, it’s a beautiful time of year to visit. The days are generally quieter and more relaxed after the always-busy summer season, but Saugatuck and Douglas come alive in fantastic fashion around Halloween.

None of the Halloween Saugatuck festivities are more legendary or over-the-top fun than the adults-only parade when a costumed celebration takes over downtown Douglas – spend the whole evening in Douglas getting dinner, having drinks, and joining in one of Saugatuck’s wildest, spookiest, and memorable events of the year.

Our Saugatuck bed and breakfast is just across the Kalamazoo River from Douglas and only a half-mile from where the parade takes over the town – start working on your best costumes and get ready for a Halloween parade and weekend of frightful merriment that you’ll never forget!

How the Parade Came To Be and Planning Your Perfect Night of Revelry

Started 25 years ago by local couple Russ and Ginger Wilkinson, the adults-only Halloween parade began as a gathering of just 100 costumed locals, organized to bring the town together during the laidback “shoulder” season after the summer tourists had long gone home. Over the years, businesses threw their support behind the parade, and its popularity grew, with the costumes and parade groups growing in size and festive flair. It’s a celebration known for its sometimes risque outfits and mature themes – hence the adults-only description – so leave the little ones at home.

Over the last two decades, the parade has become ever more popular, attracting 10,000 people – a wonder given that Saugatuck and Douglas’s combined population is only around 2,000! Douglas’s charming main thoroughfare, Center St, is lined with people watching the parade-goers pass by in their coordinated group costumes, often with choreographed and raucously entertaining routines as they march through the Mardi Gras-like party scene. The parade follows behind the Halloween Saugatuck legend, the “Pumpkin King,” led by local puppeteers and impossible to miss at over 20 feet tall – his creepy jack-o-lantern head and massive body swaying in the chilly evening breeze are perfect for the occasion!

In 2023, Halloween falls on a Tuesday, so the parade occurs on Saturday, October 28th. After getting costumed up in your room at our Saugatuck hotel, plan to head over to Douglas (just ½ mile away, across the river from us, and easily bikeable or walkable) a bit early to beat the crowds. Start the evening with tasty appetizers, like Greek meatballs and crab cakes, at Everyday People Cafe along the parade route. Sip on one of their specialty cocktails, none more fitting for a fall evening than the “sweater weather,” made with bourbon, autumn syrup, and cinnamon. 

Stroll down Center St and check out the impressive art on display at nearby Water St Gallery, where you’ll find everything from mixed media abstract paintings to sculpture and glasswork, before heading to the “Party Before the Parade.” This pre-parade party kicks off at 6 p.m. in the gardens at Saugatuck-Douglas History Center, a historical landmark and famously the oldest schoolhouse in Michigan. Today, the space holds exhibits for such events as Women’s History Month and LGBTQ History – but on Halloween, the gardens behind the schoolhouse transform into a magical land of costumed carousing. The previously-mentioned Pumpkin King holds court, the drinks flow and live music gets everyone pumped up for the parade, which commences at 10 p.m. There’s no charge to enter the parade, so if you have a costume on and want to join in, volunteers will lead you to the starting area – it’ll be a parade unlike any other you’ve ever experienced!

Halloween Saugatuck Weekend – Wine-Tasting, Live Music, and a Lively Brunch

Although the parade is a can’t-miss spectacle of all we love about Halloween, make it a weekend of non-stop fun by checking out other events around town. On the Friday leading up to Halloween weekend, October 27th, take a day trip to Modales Winery. Located in Fennville, less than 10 miles away and in the heart of our esteemed local wine-growing region, this quaint 75-acre operation produces top-notch wines sustainably and organically, with an old-world ethos. Tour their scenic vineyards, do a five-wine tasting, and listen to live tunes from local musicians Mike and Sophia McIntosh as the sun sets on the rows of grapes.

After a late Saturday night at the parade, spend Sunday afternoon enjoying the delicious buffet and “drag brunch” at Saugatuck Brewing, just south of Douglas. Sip on bloody marys, mimosas, or one of their sixteen unique beers available, all while being entertained by performers in drag and keeping the Halloween spirit flowing!

Stay with us, pack your costumes, and plan your Halloween Saugatuck getaway!