Autumn Is Here—And With It Halloween-Hungry Hordes

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A scene from the 2023 Tarrytown Halloween Parade

September 17, 2025

By Barrett Seaman–

Looking back over his 17 years working for Sleepy Hollow, Village Administrator Anthony Giaccio recalls a simpler time when the fall hayride was “something out of the high school,” when Historic Hudson Valley put on a modest “Legends” program and tours of the historic cemetery were “nothing like they are now.”

Speaking to the Rotary Club of the Tarrytowns at a recent luncheon meeting at J.P. Doyle’s on Beekman Avenue, Giaccio allowed, “We’re kind of a victim of our own success.”

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The two adjacent villages, with a combined population of just under 22,000, are on the threshold of another fall tourist season that will strain services—especially police and fire, close roads—including Broadway, but fatten the coffers of local businesses. Officials in both villages have joined forces to prepare for what is a generally welcomed onslaught but one that requires their full attention in the weeks and months ahead.

Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, the traditional public celebrations, like Tarrytown’s Halloween Parade and Sleepy Hollow’s annual street fair, have rebounded and grown ”exponentially,” he said. The Tarrytown Halloween Parade two years ago drew somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000, forcing those who came by car to park as far away as Wilson Park and the Tarrytown Lakes. Last year’s street fair on Beekman Avenue was so jam-packed with vendors and visitors that ambulance drivers realized that if something happened, they would be unable to help.

The Sleepy Hollow annual street fair clogs up Beekman Avenue–to the detriment of emergency services

Caught off guard, the two villages subsequently mapped out plans to close off streets and re-route traffic, find new places to park cars, encourage people from out of town to take public transportation and provide shuttle buses from Tarrytown’s Metro North station. Last year, Tarrytown recruited Stantec, an engineering and logistical consulting firm, to devise a traffic control plan. This year, Project Mover bike rental stations were added, adding yet another source of relief.

Communication is key. The two villages have been distributing flyers and putting out press releases, encouraging visitors to leave their cars at home or park them at another Metro North station. Special provisions have been made for local hotels, which are booked solidly for the season, to provide a tourist bus to and from the village centers.

The planning and communications strategy had an effect last year—notably on train use. Tarrytown Village Administrator Rich Slingerland recalls that after last year’s Halloween Parade, “I have never seen the Metro North platform so packed.”

Spreading the word on what streets will be closed when at this weekend’s Fire Parade

The trick is to satisfy public interest in and enjoyment of the many events that fill the fall calendar going forward while protecting the thousands of people who flock to the villages, to support local businesses–and keep traffic flowing. “I would guess that over six weeks, a minimum of 100,000 people come,” Giaccio told the Rotary Club luncheon. “If they each spent $50 (probably a low number), on estimate that’s half a million dollars.”

The string of events has already started, with the Lyndhurst Crafts Fair, a village-wide tag sale in Tarrytown and the Alzheimer’s Bridge Lighting party at Sleepy Hollow‘s Horan’s Landing last weekend. But the big, traffic-snarling extravaganzas are still ahead. The Fireman’s Parade of vehicles from more than 20 regional volunteer fire departments takes place on Saturday, September 20, closing off Broadway from 303 South Broadway all the way to Main Street Tarrytown from 2:30 until 4:00pm with additional diversions and parking restrictions. The next day, Sleepy Hollow’s Street Fair will have Beekman Avenue bursting at the seams from 10:00am until 4:00pm. For specific advice on how to get there—or avoid getting stuck there, visit the two village web sites, https://www.tarrytownny.gov/ and https://www.sleepyhollowny.gov/.

Here’s the schedule, with asterisks (*) marking the most challenging events::

In Tarrytown:

September 20…Fire Parade *

Oct. 4…Scarecrow making

Oct. 14…Window painting

Oct. 17…Trunk or treat along with movie night

Oct. 25 Halloween Parade *

Nov. 23…Turkey Trot

Dec. 5…Holiday Market and Tree Lighting *

Dec. 13…Winter Stroll

In Sleepy Hollow:

Sept. 27… Oktoberfest 1:00-5:00pm Kingsland Point Park *