DENVER — The saying "it takes a village" rings true as the Denver community came together to help save the Broadway Halloween Parade, which took place Saturday night.
The 6th annual event was in jeopardy of becoming a ghost of its former self this year after Denver police required pedestrian barricades to be placed around the parade route. But organizers raised over $40,000 for the barricades and were able to conjure up the parade for another haunting good time.
The thrill of the floats and the Halloween candy is even sweeter, knowing that the event will impact the businesses in the area immensely.
Electric Dream Boutique stayed open late as the parade went into full force. Leading up to the start, Angelina Velasquez greeted customers who stopped in to shop, which led to an uptick in sales.
"It's been super slow this week, but today we got a lot of orders. So many people came in, and they were all dressed up. It was amazing," said Velasquez.
If the parade were canceled, it would have taken away one of the busiest business days for shops like Electric Dream. Event organizers say the parade spotlights the good in this neighborhood, connecting people to businesses they never would have known were in the area.
"For a lot of bars and restaurants, this is their busiest night of the year on Broadway, and so we're excited that we get to bring that to them again this year, and hopefully, in the future, we'll have other events that bring a ton of folks to Broadway," said Luke Johnson, President of the Broadway Merchants Association.
Denver7 has reported that several businesses are leaving this area, citing construction, crime, and high rent. This year's parade was significant, bringing thousands of people to the area and, in turn, supporting small businesses.
"Then afterwards people are down here and they’re like 'oh, great let’s go out and maybe have a nice dinner or let's have some drinks' and so, so it's definitely a huge boom to all the businesses, said Anthony Hodes, who handles sponsorships for the Broadway Halloween Parade.
Many holidays come with unique traditions, and for a group of college friends, attending the Broadway Halloween parade has made special memories.
"We've been coming for seven years as a full group, so before many of these kiddos were even born. Some of us came pregnant. We've had so much fun, and the Broadway parade is the most important part of Halloween," said Nolan Carleton.
Even though they were expensive, the pedestrian barricades were necessary to accommodate the large crowds and ensure that floats could pass without being impeded by children and adults.
"There were years past where some of the police officers were so kind to be like, 'make sure to have your kids behind here,' so now it's nice to have a more official boundary so we're not at risk," said Carleton.
Keeping this spooktacular event on was not easy, but as the floats went by and the children cheered as they caught candy, it was a testament to the community within Broadway and how a parade turned into a cherished tradition for many.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.