What you should know before your trip

PORTSMOUTH — A swarm of bees will be the focus of the crowd of creatures marching through downtown on Halloween night, an expected mix of black and yellow at the request of the grand marshal of the 2024 Portsmouth Halloween Parade.

Mike Nelson, a fixture in the city's poetry scene, will lead the Portsmouth Halloween Parade as this year's grand marshal, a local honor that dates back to the 2003 march through the city's streets. The parade itself first took place in 1995 and in the years since has become a regional phenomenon, drawing thousands of participants and spectators from the sidelines.

A hotel maintenance engineer based in Portsmouth, Nelson is the former chair of the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program and long-time host of Beat Night, a monthly poetry open mic event in the press room.

Nelson first participated in the Portsmouth Halloween parade around 2005. He hasn't missed anything since then.

“It is an incredible honor to be named grand marshal,” he said. “You can be at the front. I've never managed to be at the front. Representing the city of Portsmouth and this community that I love is a great feeling. This is the best.”

In past parades, Nelson dressed up as a scary clown, but this year he's wearing a costume that resembles one of his long-time fascinations – a bumblebee.

At Nelson's request, anyone else dressed like a bumblebee during the parade can march with him at the front of the line, providing a unique perspective amid the crowd of costumes.

Bring pots and pans to bang together during the parade, he suggested.

“Bees are important to me personally. I paint bees. I have been fascinated by them for many years. I just love her. I think it’s super cool and very important,” Nelson added.

According to longtime organizer Monte Bohanan, the grassroots parade will take place “rain or moon” on Halloween night. This year's edition is the 29th Portsmouth Halloween Parade, although it is technically taking place in the event's 30th anniversary year. However, as the coronavirus pandemic continued throughout 2020, the fall parade was canceled, the first and only time in its history.

The annual event is independent of the city and has been run by volunteers since its inception. The parade is organized each year by a “coven,” a group alongside the board that pulls all the strings and involves volunteers.

Bohanan and Liz Scharf are two board members who are both counting down the days until Halloween.

“The spirit of creativity and gluing things together with hot glue and tape really shines through in the parade. That’s one of the things I love about it,” Bohanan said. “The wonderful thing is that anyone can march. This is (another) one of the things I love about this parade. You can get in. Pre-registration is not required. It's really about that inclusive spirit. We encourage anyone who wants to march to march.”

“I think the great thing about Halloween is that it's the one day of the year where you can be whatever you want and no one will judge you for it,” Scharf said. “In fact, people celebrate it. I think Portsmouth gets behind this and comes together as a community to celebrate everyone simply expressing themselves in their creativity.”

According to Bohanan, more than 1,000 to 1,500 people typically attend the parade. Although it is weather dependent, he predicts the timing of the parade this year could result in perhaps 10,000 people watching along the route.

Nelson was named grand marshal at the 19th annual “(I Gotta) Rock Show” in the Press Room in early October, an annual tradition as part of Portsmouth's Halloween parade. The night before the parade, October 30, Nelson will host “Undead Beat Night,” often the most attended beat night of the year, in the Press Room.

Come one, come all to Undead Beat Night, where attendees wear costumes and Halloween attire and read uncensored poetry on stage while a band keeps the rhythm.

“With Undead Beat Night it's a natural fit, because Beat Night can be pretty wild anyway. So when the parade crew comes and everyone puts on their costumes, it just fits. It all comes together really easily,” Nelson said.

The open mic session is one of many fundraisers and benefits held before the parade. So far, a karaoke night, an art market and a tattoo flash sale have been held at Grim North Tattoo and Piercing in support of the parade, including a pumpkin sale at the town farmers market, a Spooky Paddle event at Peirce Island and Undead Beat The next night is just around the corner.

This year, for the first time, Portsmouth Halloween Parade merchandise will be available for sale on the evening of the event. Off Piste, a store on Congress Street, will stay open until 7 p.m. on Halloween and feature a pop-up shop full of Portsmouth Halloween Parade-themed merchandise, including adult and children's T-shirts, hoodies and beer glasses.

The design for this year's Portsmouth Halloween Parade shirt was created by local artist Leigh Anita.

“I just always loved everything about it,” Scharf said of the parade. “The creativity, the community coming together. I was very excited when they decided to ask me to join. It’s fun to go downtown and onto the square and see everyone screaming and everyone cheering.”

The Portsmouth Halloween Parade kicks off on Peirce Island on Thursday, October 31st at 7pm

Information: portsmouthhalloweenparade.org/

Road closures and parking bans are in effect for the Halloween parade in Portsmouth

The City of Portsmouth is providing the following information regarding road closures and traffic bans on the day of the Portsmouth Halloween Parade:

Due to the parade, parking and driving are prohibited on certain city streets.

On-street parking is prohibited along the parade route: from Marcy Street to Daniel Street to Market Square, from Congress to Fleet Street, then to State Street and back to Prescott Park. The parking ban is in effect on Halloween from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and the street closures are from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m

Residents, business owners and employees located within this route are advised that no vehicles are permitted to cross the parade route. Other areas in and around the event are closed. Police officers, volunteers, signs and barricades will be set up for these areas. All vehicles violating the parking ban after 5:00 p.m. will be towed at the vehicle owner's expense.

Public parking is available at the Hanover Garage, Foundry Place Garage, Worth Lot and Bridge Street Lot where regular rates apply.

The City of Portsmouth will provide ADA van accessible parking in the Prescott Park parking lot near the Memorial Bridge for the evening of the Portsmouth Halloween Parade. For details and other community accessibility tips, visit: AccessNavigators.com.

For detailed information on road closures and parking bans, visit: portsnh.co/halloween2024.

This article originally appeared in the Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth Halloween Parade 2024: What to know before you go