The 88th East Alton Halloween Parade steps off one week from today, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29. The start, the finish and the people running it are the same as last year. The middle of the route has changed. Last year the parade turned onto Smith Street. This year it stays on N. Shamrock until it reaches W. St. Louis Avenue. Smith Street is one of the blocks in the village's water main replacement project, which started in late August.
If you usually watch from the same stretch of curb every year, this is the year to check before you set up your chairs.
What moved, and what stayed the same
The parade starts at Wilshire and ends at the East Alton American Legion, the same as always. Members of the Legion are organizing it again this year, and Legion Adjutant Dave Farmer told Advantage News that lineup starts at 6 p.m. at the Wilshire Shopping Center.
That early story listed the familiar route. A follow-up from Advantage News on Oct. 14, "Route change for East Alton Halloween Parade," replaced it. In that story, East Alton Mayor Darren Carlton describes "a slight change in this year's procession." Riverbend's 2026 Ultimate Halloween Parade Guide, published Oct. 12 and reprinted by Metro East Star, says the new route "avoids construction by traveling down N. Shamrock until reaching W. St. Louis Avenue," and ends at the American Legion on East Alton Avenue.
Here are the two years side by side:
| Last year (87th parade) | This year (88th parade) | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Thursday, Oct. 30 | Thursday, Oct. 29 |
| Lineup | 6 p.m., Wilshire Shopping Center | 6 p.m., Wilshire Shopping Center |
| Step-off | 7 p.m. | 7 p.m. |
| Route | Main Street to Shamrock to Smith Street to St. Louis Avenue | Down N. Shamrock to W. St. Louis Avenue, with no Smith Street leg |
| Finish | East Alton American Legion | East Alton American Legion on East Alton Avenue |
This year's route in the table follows Riverbend's description. If you saw the first announcement for this year, it still listed the Smith Street leg. The Oct. 14 route-change story is the newer one. If you need to know every turn between Wilshire and N. Shamrock, or between W. St. Louis Avenue and the Legion, call the Legion before parade night.
Why Smith Street is out this year
Starting Monday, Aug. 24, the Village of East Alton began a water main replacement project across a long list of streets:
- W. St. Louis Ave.
- Bonds
- Victory
- W. McCasland
- Smith
- Herman
- N. Pence Alley
- Shamrock Alley
- Fifth St.
- Monroe
- Bowman
- Lincoln
- Washington
- Ohio
Smith is on that list, and last year's parade used Smith. The new route leaves that leg out by keeping the parade on N. Shamrock longer, which matches Riverbend's report that the change avoids construction.
W. St. Louis Avenue is also in the project. According to the village's notice, it has been closed to through traffic from Shamrock Street to Main Street since Aug. 24. The closure runs Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will stay in place during working hours until the project is finished. The parade starts at 7 p.m. on a Thursday, three hours after the daily closure ends. The village hasn't posted a completion date for the project. Until it does, follow the posted signs and barricades along these streets, on parade night and every other day.
Mayor Carlton told Advantage News that village trustees, the American Legion, businesses on West St. Louis Avenue and the Olin Home were all told about the change. If you work at or visit one of those spots, expect the parade to come by a little differently this year.
Parade night, step by step
Here's how Thursday evening goes, using the times the organizers have published:
- 6 p.m. Floats, bands and walking groups line up at the Wilshire Shopping Center.
- 7 p.m. The parade leaves Wilshire Plaza.
- Down N. Shamrock. The parade stays on N. Shamrock all the way to W. St. Louis Avenue, where it used to turn onto Smith.
- The finish. The parade ends at the American Legion on East Alton Avenue.
- After the parade. The Legion will host a small gathering for parade participants, an addition since the parade was first announced this year.
If you're picking a spot, N. Shamrock carries the parade both years. The long run down N. Shamrock to W. St. Louis is new this year.
Getting your group into the lineup
There's still a week to sign up. Last year's coverage noted that the parade traditionally includes floats, bands, cheerleaders and football teams. To enter, call the East Alton American Legion at 618-254-7078, the number in both of this year's Advantage News stories.
If you're planning a float, ask about the exact route when you call. A float sized for the old route with the Smith Street turn may handle the longer N. Shamrock run differently. This year, entrants also get the post-parade gathering at the Legion as a thank-you.
The rest of Halloween week nearby
The parade opens a busy few days. The Great Rivers & Routes listing gives East Alton's community trick-or-treating as Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and 31, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Nearby towns hold their parades on different nights, so you can catch more than one. From Riverbend's guide:
- Bethalto, Monday, Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m. The Bethalto Rotary Club sponsors it. Lineup starts at 6 p.m. at Rose Lawn Cemetery on the Erwin Plegge side, and the parade ends at City Hall at 8 p.m.
- East Alton, Thursday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m. The new N. Shamrock route described above.
- Granite City, Friday, Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m. The Halloween Glow Parade runs through Civic Park, and costumes are encouraged. According to Great Rivers & Routes, it's followed by a free Michael Jackson tribute concert at The Mill.
- Hartford, Saturday, Oct. 31, 1 to 3 p.m. Downtown Hartford holds a daytime parade, which leaves plenty of time to get home before trick-or-treating starts at 6.
- Edwardsville, Saturday, Oct. 31, 6:30 p.m. The Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce parade's theme is "Mother Road Memories." It leaves Lincoln Middle School and ends at High Street.
On the Friday and Saturday evenings, Granite City's parade and Edwardsville's start at 6:30 p.m. That's during East Alton's 6-to-8 trick-or-treat window, so families who want both will need to pick. East Alton's Thursday parade night doesn't conflict with any of them.
Shortly after 7 p.m. on Oct. 29, the first float will head down N. Shamrock and stay on it all the way to W. St. Louis Avenue.
I love seeing East Alton keep a tradition like this going while the water main work is underway. If you live along the new route and you're wondering how the water main work or other village projects might affect your street or your home's value down the road, I'm happy to talk it through over coffee, no pressure at all. Reach out to Joni Stanley and Let's Connect.
