10th Annual Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade

Arts in the Dark is a FREE magical evening parade that delights the audience with unique floats, spectacle puppets, and creative performances, set on the historic State Street.

LUMA8 proudly celebrates the 10th Annual Arts in the Dark Halloween parade, a family-friendly  event featuring unique floats, spectacle puppets and all forms of creative performance taking place Saturday, October 19, from 6-8 p.m. This magical evening procession will celebrate ten years of honoring Halloween as the “artists’ holiday” and parading as an art form largely lost in American culture. Where parades often feature political and commercial messages, the purpose of the Arts in the Dark parade is solely to uphold and uplift Chicago’s creative communities. This parade draws together participants from major cultural organizations, inspiring youth programs, and aspiring artists in every field and from every ward of Chicago. This dazzling production annually delights an audience of 60,000+ gathered along historic State Street, from Lake to Van Buren Streets.

This family-friendly event is free and open to the public.

In celebration of the 10th year of this explosion of art, color and spectacle, this anniversary parade is sure to be bigger, better and grander than ever; among the new elements is the honoring of “10 Creative Spirits” – ten leaders of Chicago’s arts and culture world who will be introduced and honored at the Parade.

The “10 Creative Spirits” of the 10th Annual Arts in the Dark parade include:

Dee Alexander – jazz singer extraordinaire

Bril Barrett – tap dancer, Founder and Artistic Director of M.A.D.D. Rhythms, NEA Heritage Fellow

Sandra Delgado – actor, singer, playwright, arts advocate

Hallie Gordon – an acclaimed advocate for youth theater, former Artistic Producer, and Artistic Director of Steppenwolf youth theater

Gloria Groom – renowned Art Institute curator, recipient of the French Legion of Honor

J. Ivy – three-time GRAMMY Award winner, spoken word artist, musician, producer, arts advocate

Margaret Murphy Webb – jazz vocalist, educator, producer, arts advocate, Founder and Executive Director of the South Side Jazz Coalition, Co-Chair of the Year of Chicago Music initiative

Tyrone Phillips – actor, director, Founder and Artistic Director of Definition Theatre

Tim Samuelson – Chicago’s beloved cultural historian

Sentrock – an esteemed and prolific Chicago street artist

Chicago Loop Alliance is proud to be a sponsor of Arts in the Dark.

Free admission