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Downtown Menlo Park was crawling with superheroes and monsters, flowers, fairies and fiends as the city’s annual Halloween Hoopla event took over Santa Cruz Avenue and Fremont Park Saturday, Oct. 28.

Adults and children attend festivities at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla in Menlo Park on Oct. 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong.
Adults and children attend festivities at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla in Menlo Park on Oct. 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong.

Left: Band students from La Entrada and Hillview middle schools march down Santa Cruz Avenue in the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla parade on Oct. 28, 2023. Right: Spectators snap photos as they watch the parade. Photos by Marvin Fong.
Left: Band students from La Entrada and Hillview middle schools march down Santa Cruz Avenue in the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla parade on Oct. 28, 2023. Right: Spectators snap photos as they watch the parade. Photos by Marvin Fong.

Armored knight makes an appearance at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla in Menlo Park on October 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong
Armored knight makes an appearance at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla in Menlo Park on October 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong

Serenaded by the combined forces of La Entrada and Hillview middle schools’ bands, costumed kids and their adoring parents marched from the Cheeky Monkey toy store parking lot to the park for games and entertainment.

Parents and children enjoy the scenery at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla in Menlo Park on October 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong
Parents and children enjoy the scenery at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla in Menlo Park on October 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong

Angel wings seen at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla on Oct. 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong.
Angel wings seen at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla on Oct. 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong.

Riker Huang, 9, wearing a Spider-man outfit, takes a shot at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla on Oct. 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong.
Riker Huang, 9, wearing a Spider-man outfit, takes a shot at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla on Oct. 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong.

Alvin Ly, 10, wears a candy vending machine costume at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla on Oct. 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong.
Alvin Ly, 10, wears a candy vending machine costume at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla on Oct. 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong.
  • 2023 Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla
    Paraders including band students from La Entrada Middle School and Hillview Middle School participate in the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla in Menlo Park on October 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong
  • 2023 Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla
    Sidewalk viewers watch the parade at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla in Menlo Park on October 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong
  • 2023 Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla
    A dinosaur takes a humorous bite on an inflatable at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla in Menlo Park on Oct. 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong.
  • 2023 Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla
    Colorful and unique costumes at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla in Menlo Park on October 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong
  • 2023 Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla
    Children enjoy game at the Menlo Park Halloween Hoopla in Menlo Park on October 28, 2023. Photo by Marvin Fong

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Andrea Gemmet is the editor of The Almanac and a Midpeninsula native who got her first newspaper job while still in high school. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz, she became...

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