Packet area towns gear up for the scariest day of the year
Let the countdown begin.
With Halloween only a week away, Packet-area communities are gearing up for a raft of activities to welcome in the scariest day of the year.
Here’s a rundown of events beginning Friday:
Princeton
The Princeton Family YMCA will hold a free Halloween experience for children 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Y, located at the corner of Paul Robeson Place and Route 206. Billed as a "safe, creative and social experience for all ages," it will feature a variety of fun activities, spooky fun and plenty of treats. Families are asked to donate canned goods at the door for needy persons.
A Halloween Masquerade Dance Party will be held at Quark Park on Paul Robeson Place 6:30 to 11 p.m. Friday. A $5 donation is asked. Costumes are optional, dancing is mandatory. Entertainment will be provided by DJs and the band Funk Flowtisserie. Three costume contest winners will receive fun prizes. Small World Coffee, which is co-sponsoring the event with the Arts Council of Princeton, will offer hot chocolate and coffee. Bad weather will cancel the party.
The Princeton Shopping Center will host its free annual Halloween parade and contest 11 a.m. Saturday in the courtyard, rain or shine. There will be a costume contest split into four age groups with no child leaving without a prize. In lieu of in-store trick-or-treating, every child will receive a trick-or-treat bag. Activity stations will be set up for pumpkin painting, scarecrow making and mask making.
The Arts Council of Princeton will host its free annual Hometown Halloween Parade 5 p.m. Monday at the plaza beside the Princeton Public Library. The Princeton University band will step off at 5:15 p.m. with a route leading to the green at Palmer Square, where treats will be given out and pumpkin decorating offered, courtesy of Palmer Square Management and the Nassau Inn.
Landau, the woolens store at 102 Nassau St., will hold an Einstein lookalike contest in conjunction with its Einstein mini museum 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Baby Einstein, up to 2 years old; Gifted Child, 2-12; Absentminded Teenager, 13-19; and Full-blown Genius, 20 and over.
Montgomery
The Montgomery Center for the Arts, located at the 1860 House on Montgomery Road, will hold a Ghoulishly Fun Halloween Party 5 to 9 p.m. Friday. The 150-year-old house will be transformed into a haunted mansion for the family event, which will include games, a scavenger hunt, craft making and a puppet show. Prizes for most original costumes will be offered. Call (609) 921-3272 to reserve advance tickets. Member adult and children tickets are $10 and $5, respectively. Add $5 for nonmembers and add $10 if tickets are bought at the door.
The Montgomery Recreation Department will hold its annual Halloween Bash on Nov. 18 for kids 12 and under in conjunction with Montgomery High School’s Spirit Day. It will be held in the parking lot near Cougar Stadium at Montgomery High School. Children 12 and under are invited to come in their costumes at 11 a.m. for the Halloween parade around the stadium track. There will also be games, pumpkin painting and a mini maze.
The Recreation Department is sponsoring trick-or-treating for children 7 and under, either at 9:45 a.m. or 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Municipal Building with each department offering treats. A similar event is slated at the Otto Kaufman Community Center on Skillman Road from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
West Windsor
The West Windsor Recreation Department Halloween Parade will begin 3 p.m. Saturday at Maurice Hawk Elementary School parking lot and end at the West Windsor Senior Center. All children will receive a goodie bag after the parade.
Borders Books & Music at Nassau Park Shopping Center will hold a Halloween celebration for children 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Plainsboro
The Recreation Department’s Halloween-fest will be held 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Municipal Complex. The 6 p.m. costume parade will be followed by entertainment, games, stories, performances and more activities are planned.
The Plainsboro Preserve invites children to hear Halloween stories and animal tales with Rosemary Wright from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Pre-registration is encouraged at (609) 897-9400 and there is a $5 charge.
Check Friday’s TimeOFF "Things to Do" listing for additional events.

