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Halloween night draws tens of thousands to Austin's 6th Street
While families across Central Texas wrapped up neighborhood trick-or-treating, the night was only beginning in downtown Austin, where massive crowds gathered on 6th Street to celebrate Halloween.
AUSTIN, Texas - While families across Central Texas wrapped up neighborhood trick-or-treating, the night was only beginning in downtown Austin, where massive crowds gathered on 6th Street to celebrate Halloween.
By the numbers:
The Austin Police Department anticipated between 80,000 and 100,000 visitors filling the downtown entertainment district before the night concluded.
With revelers gaining an extra hour overnight due to the end of daylight saving time, law enforcement officials noted an increased likelihood of heavy drinking and potential disturbances.
To manage safety, the department ramped up its presence along East 6th Street, installing street barricades and actively monitoring the area through High Activity Location Observation (HALO) cameras.
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Visitors shocked by crowd size
What they're saying:
The scale of the crowd took several out-of-town visitors by surprise.
"They’re talking, what, about 80,000 people are going to be here? That’s nuts," said Timmy Nemri, who traveled from Dallas for the festivities.
Hani Sal and Ali Hendrix, visiting from Washington dressed as Drake and Future, had not realized how large the event would be until they arrived downtown.
"There’s going to be that many people? What, no way, I did not know that," they said, adding concerns about safety in large gatherings. "If there’s that many people, I hope there’s no gunshots, I hope there’s no fights and stuff."
Elaborate costumes a highlight
Dig deeper:
For many attendees, the centerpiece of the annual tradition remains the elaborate costumes and street-level spectacle.
Mattie Rojas, dressed as the Bride of Frankenstein, spent months assembling her ensemble.
"It took me over a year to find everything, and it took me five hours to fully get in costume," Rojas said.
Others used 6th Street as just one stop on a competitive Halloween tour. Ingrid Guthrie and two companions dressed as the "walking red" crew members from Star Trek, aiming to show off their designs before moving on.
"We’re here early so we can see the scenes, see some of the costumes," Guthrie said. "Then we’re moving to North Austin for some additional costume contests that we’re intending to win."
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Local performers pleased to play
Local perspective:
Local performers also capitalized on the high foot traffic. For members of the band Neck and the Heads, securing a live gig amidst the downtown celebration marked a career milestone.
"To be trusted by a bar on 6th Street to play on Halloween night, it means so much to us as artists, and we just want to give back to the community," the band said.
The energy downtown was further amplified by the calendar. Revelers noted that Halloween falling on a Saturday added extra motivation to celebrate late, marking the final Saturday Halloween the city will see for the next 11 years.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by Fox 7's Dominique Leh.