King Street closes from Battlefield Parkway to Catoctin Circle at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, for the 70th Kiwanis Halloween Parade, with no cross traffic.

King Street will close through much of Leesburg on Wednesday evening for the 70th annual Leesburg Halloween Parade. The street closes from Battlefield Parkway to Catoctin Circle beginning at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28.

The Town of Leesburg set out the closures in a news release Friday. No cross traffic will be allowed across King Street while the parade is running. The town said the street reopens once Public Works crews finish cleaning up.

The Leesburg Kiwanis Club hosts and organizes the parade. The town calls it one of the oldest Halloween parades in the eastern United States. It was first held in 1957.

The route and the closures

  • Closed: King Street from Battlefield Parkway to Catoctin Circle, from 5:45 p.m.
  • Cross traffic: none allowed across King Street during the parade
  • Parade starts: 6:30 p.m. at Ida Lee Drive
  • Route: down King Street to Fairfax Street
  • Reopening: after Public Works completes cleanup; the town gave no set time
  • Ida Lee Park field: parking for parade participants only

The town asked drivers to plan other routes and follow the posted detours. It did not list the detour streets in its release.

Bring a food donation

Loudoun Hunger Relief will collect food from parade participants as they sign in at the Ida Lee Park field, the town said. The nonprofit keeps a list of its most-needed items at loudounhunger.org.

Groups that want to march can find participation guidelines and registration forms on the Leesburg Kiwanis Club’s website.

What it means for you

If you drive home through Leesburg on Wednesday evening, avoid King Street from about 5:45 p.m. Crossing the town north to south will be slow, because no traffic can cross King Street once the parade is underway. Leave extra time if you are picking up children or heading to an evening appointment near downtown.

If you are going to watch, plan to park away from Ida Lee Park, which is reserved for people in the parade. Our historic downtown guide lists the town’s garages and free lots.

The parade is one of several Halloween events this week. Trick-or-treat times, the parade and the rest of the week’s events are on our trick-or-treat hours page and our Halloween events guide. Other planned closures are on our road construction and closures page.