Journeys›Photograph

An Elementary School Halloween Parade in the Bay Area

·Walnut Creek, California·#bay area#autumn#halloween#costumes#school-event
Seven children in various costumes, including princesses and a basketball player, stand on pavement near a building.

It was the end of October 2015, and time for the annual school Halloween parade. The kids gathered on the blacktop under the covered walkway, a chaotic mix of characters. I saw a girl with Day of the Dead face paint standing next to Snow White and another in a Steph Curry jersey with pom-poms.

Eventually, everyone was wrangled into sitting on the pavement, a sea of costumes waiting for the event to begin. A girl dressed as Sally from *The Nightmare Before Christmas* sat near a pirate and another in a banana costume. The energy was high, a mix of excitement and the slight impatience of kids having to sit still.

The teachers were in on it, too. I watched one in a huge sunflower costume trying to get her class lined up. The whole scene was a familiar kind of organized chaos. A tiny wolf stood next to a pink fairy, both looking a little overwhelmed by the crowd.

It was just one of those classic, slightly blurry elementary school moments. All these kids, and a few adults, sharing a morning of make-believe in the schoolyard before the sugar rush kicked in.

Five children in colorful costumes stand on asphalt, with another child and an adult in the background.Three children in costumes, including a girl with red hair and another in a white lace dress, sit on dark pavement.A large group of children in diverse costumes sits on the ground, with some adults standing in the background.A person in a sunflower costume stands with several children, some dressed up, on an outdoor playground.Costumed children gather around two adults, one dressed as a sunflower and one in a green plant costume, outdoors.Two costumed children, one in grey furry attire and another in a pink dress, stand on pavement, with other children sitting.Two children in costumes, a gray animal and a pink fairy, stand on pavement next to a person with a tan bag.A group of children in various costumes and a few adults sit on asphalt outdoors.

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