Gory Daze 2025: A Halloween Tradition in White River Junction

The Gory Daze Parade and Events began in 2002 as a modest Halloween pastime among friends — a few costumes, a walk, and a bit of music. Twenty-two years later (we’ll forgive the pandemic gap year), it’s become White River Junction’s biggest night of the year, drawing over a thousand costumed revelers to the streets each fall. What was once a quirky neighborhood idea is now an institution — equal parts parade, concert, art happening, and candy-fueled fever dream.

If you’ve never been, think of it as a small-town Halloween parade with big-city personality: Klezmer bands, Dracula’s rock ensemble, donuts on strings, and people who genuinely believe “October 32nd” is a real date.

Schedule: Saturday, October 32nd (aka November 1, 2025)

Downtown White River Junction, Vermont

• 6:00 PM: JAM Halloween-o-thon Competition — “Till Death Do Us Part”

• 6:30 PM: Pre-Parade Party at the Main Street Museum with Western Terrestrials

• 8:00 PM: Gory Daze Parade departs the Museum, led by Brass Balagan, Burlington’s own Klezmer street band (yes, really).

• 9:00 PM: The Cornball at the Briggs Opera House featuring Dracula & His Band, The Draculas, and Populace. Admission $10 at the door; cash bar with ID.

What to Expect

• Museum Madness: A family-friendly pre-parade gathering at the Main Street Museum (58 Bridge Street), with candy, dancing, and possibly a bonfire — depending on the mood of Mother Nature.

• The Parade: A .09-mile stroll through downtown White River Junction that somehow takes 40 minutes, depending on costume density and general enthusiasm. Costumes and hand-pushed floats are encouraged; cars are not.

• The Cornball: Part dance, part Halloween experiment in community endurance. Dracula provides the music.