Arts in the Dark is a magical evening parade that celebrates Halloween as the "artist's holiday".
Saturday, October 24th – 6pm-8pm
Columbus Drive moving north from Balbo to Monroe
This year marks the 12th year of Arts in the Dark, a magical evening parade celebrating Halloween as the “artist’s holiday” and drawing together distinguished Chicago cultural organizations, important creative youth programs, and aspiring artists in every field. It is a dazzling production that delights an audience of more than 100,000 with a wild mix of masks and costumes, unique floats, spectacle puppets and creative performances — all set against the breathtaking backdrop of Buckingham Fountain and the Chicago skyline.
The parade takes place on Columbus Drive — home to Chicago’s largest festivals and events — giving Arts in the Dark an expanded footprint and enhanced infrastructure, including food trucks and the potential for a pre-parade festival in the future. Parade contingents represent the full cultural diversity of our city including After School Matters, Ballet Folklorico de Chicago, Chinelos Magicos, Hokulʻa Academy of Polynesian Arts, Legacy School of Performing Arts, DuSable Museum, Xilin Association, Kaotic Drumline, Trinity Irish Dance, the South Shore Drill Team, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among many others.
Arts in the Dark brings performance and creativity to the street and provides a platform for Chicago’s youth to explore a path in the arts. Most importantly, Arts in the Dark reminds us that we are all connected through the creative spirit that is at the core of our humanity — no matter our race, ethnicity, class, age, ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Arts in the Dark has become one of Chicago’s most iconic events, drawing regional, national, and international visitors to the city. USA Today named Arts in the Dark one of the top 10 Halloween events in the nation, Forbes recognized it as one of the best Halloween events in the country, and the UK’s Wanderlust Magazine ranked it among the top 6 Halloween events in the world.
More than just a parade, Arts in the Dark is a mission-driven and curated event that brings performance and creativity to the street. It draws together cultural organizations and artists from every Ward in Chicago to celebrate our values as artists and cultural organizations – and provide a platform for Chicago’s creative youth to explore a path in the arts. Most importantly, Arts in the Dark reminds us that we are all connected through the creative spirit that is at the core of our humanity no matter our race, ethnicity, class, age, ability, gender identity or sexual orientation.
We believe that Arts in the Dark has the potential to be one of Chicago’s most iconic events and that it ultimately will draw regional, national and even international visitors to the city.
arts in the dark values
the power of art
We believe Chicago’s creative individuals, organizations, and communities are a driving force in the life of the city and should be recognized for the value they bring to Chicago’s cultural, economic, and civic life.
Artists of today
This year the parade will be led by a spectacle contingent that represents Chicago’s diverse film community.
Artists of tomorrow
We invite Chicago’s children to join us in making and creating and to experience the wonder and inspiration of creative work.
ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL
We honor and respect all of our creative communities and seek to engender a deep democratic spirit. We strive to bring together on one playing field the most established and esteemed along with the new and aspiring. We celebrate the wide arc of creative forms as well as the broad spectrum of artistic genres, practices, disciplines, and guilds. We embrace artists, organizations and attendees of every race, ethnicity, class, ability, gender identity and sexual orientation and strive to build a parade lineup and audience as diverse as the city in which we live.
THIS IS NOT YOUR FATHER’S PARADE
This is not a parade for dignitaries, politicians or sponsorship floats. This is a celebration of cultural organizations and artists of every sort – all of whom bring passion and creative problem solving to the challenge of parading. It is “parade as art” as our contingents combine costumes, spectacle, music, movement, audience engagement, and lighting elements.
why is Arts in the dark
important for chicago?
- Chicago is one of the great world cultural capitals. It is the birthplace of modern architecture, the urban blues, improv., modern gospel, jazz, storefront theater, House music, poetry slam and so much more. Yet, our City lacks a unifying moment in which our poets, designers, architects, actors, musicians, dancers, writers, chefs, film crews, set builders, costume designers, museum staff, visual artists, neighborhood cultural organizations and teachers collectively celebrate our great cultural landscape. Arts in the Dark is this moment.
- In many cultures, parading is a creative genre. Carnival and Mardi Gras, with their related second line performances, are stirring examples. Unfortunately, most American parades have lost their artistry and creative spirit due to the influence of commerce and nationalism. We seek to re-establish parading as an art form. Consequently, we do not allow politicians, traditional beauty queens, and formulaic floats in our parade and insist that all of our participants bring creative agency and inspiration to the street.
- The event has reached a tipping point, and was recently named one of the top 10 Halloween events in the country by USA Today and one of top 4 Halloween events in the world by Wanderlust Magazine. CHOOSE CHICAGO, the City’s destination marketing organization, has made Arts in the Dark a key component of their campaign to draw visitors to Chicago, and we expect a record number of visitors from around the nation and the world for the 12th Annual parade on October 24th, 2026
About LUMA8:
LUMA8 Staff
Sharene Shariatzadeh – President & CEO of LUMA8, Co-founder of Arts in the Dark and LUMA8 Executive Producer
Mark Kelly – Co-founder of Arts in the Dark and LUMA8 Artistic Director
Krista Wolter – Director of Programs
Sherry Jimenez – Director of Operations
Sara Prescott – Social Media Manager
LUMA8 Board of Directors
Chairman: Corey Minturn
William Blair & Company
President: Sharene Shariatzadeh
LUMA8
Secretary: Steve Perlman
The Marketing Store
Michael A. Chabraja
Ice Miller
Allison Gerlach
Chicago Loop Alliance
Jerry Hagedorn
Barry Callebaut
Mark Kelly
LUMA8 Artistic Director, former DCASE Commissioner
Anna D. Shapiro
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
· October 19: Arts in the Dark
2026 Arts in the Dark Honorees
Marty Lennartz – Esteemed and prolific 93XRT radio host for 45 years
Mayda de Valle – Poet Laureate of Chicago and renowned educator and artist
Barbara Gaines – Beloved Founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Peter CottonTale – Multi-platinum, GRAMMY Award-winning musician, producer, and composer