💡 Get Philly smart 💡
with BP’s free daily newsletter
Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes — not that we’re counting.
If you love Halloween, West Philly is the place to be. Several neighborhoods come together to celebrate the dress-up holiday with a number of established traditions.
On top of a steep hill at 44th and Pine Street on Friday night, dozens of neighbors, friends, and families gathered for the annual West Philly Dumpster Derby. Cheered on by sparklers, fanfare and general good will, creative and ingenious racers set off by haphazardly launching downhill in a variety of homemade apparatuses with wheels.
Riders cruised downhill in everything from a grocery cart to a vegan hoagie and a classic California roll.
The derby was only the beginning.
On Monday the annual Tot Parade, hosted by the Spruce Hill Community Association, kicked off with the University of Pennsylvania drumline playing fan favorites like the opening of the Muppet Show. Several hundred people gathered at 45th and Locust to march east to the beat.
The headed down to “Little Osage,” the 4200 block of Osage Avenue, to be greeted with treats offering options for every dietary restriction: nut-free, gluten-free, and vegan, many from local businesses.
The Porch of Doom returned this year with a theme referencing global events: “Nuclear Catastrophe is Back … Party Like it’s 1959.”
Despite that thought — or maybe because of it — neighbors reveled in each others company and kept West Philadelphia Halloween very warm and very alive. Scroll down to see some of the best costumes and fun.
