New Jersey towns go all in for Halloween! Come October: AddamsFest takes over Westfield, Jackson Twp. is home to Great Adventure’s Fright Fest and Nightmare at Gravity Hill, and there are endless ghost stories coming out of Cape May.
But there’s one town Fodor’s Travel says does Halloween season best in New Jersey! According to Fodor’s, Toms River is one of the Best Spooky Small Towns for Halloween Haunts in America.
Toms River residents trick-or-treat on October 30 because on Halloween night, the entire area – we’re talking an estimated 100,000 Halloween lovers every year – comes to Main Street. Members of Toms River Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 have been organizing the parade since 1937, and today it’s considered the world’s second-largest Halloween parade, just after NYC’s parade in The Village. It’s so popular that there’s even a Rules & Regulations Guidebook for those who want to be a part.
Registration for the 86th annual parade takes place every Tuesday night from 6 to 8 pm at the firehouse at 26 Robbins St. You can also register from 5 to 9 pm Saturday, October 25, at the corner of Robbins and Washington streets; or from 8 am to 5 pm on October 31 back at the firehouse.
The parade kicks off at 7 pm on Halloween night, traveling down Main Street.
Another haunted fact: the movie The Amityville Horror was filmed in Toms River and other surrounding towns back in the late ’70s.
These are the 12 Best Spooky Small Towns for Halloween Haunts in America, for 2025, according to Fodor’s Travel:
- Estes Park, Colorado
- Mesilla, New Mexico
- Independence, Kansas
- Helens, Oregon
- Manitou Springs, Colorado
- Anoka, Minnesota
- Laconia, New Hampshire
- Sleepy Hollow, New York
- Toms River, New Jersey
- Romeo, Michigan
- Tombstone, Arizona
- Salem, Massachusetts
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Read More:
The Best Halloween Towns in New Jersey: 8 That Go All Out
The Most Spooktacular Halloween Houses in New Jersey
Celebrate Halloween at These Spooky (and Not-So-Spooky) Events
New Jersey’s Best Halloween Attractions Ranked by How Scary They Really Are
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