Pittsboro's biggest Halloween events this year happen in daylight. The town has no trick-or-treat event on its calendar for October 31. The free drive-in at MOSAIC on Friday is already fully booked. Saturday is run by two organizers, the Rotary Club of Pittsboro on Hanks, Fayetteville and Salisbury streets and The Plant on Lorax Lane, and the hardest choice comes in the two hours when the fair's final stretch overlaps with The Plant's evening parade. Plan around that window and the rest of the weekend falls into place.
Friday night is shorter than it looks
On paper, the headline Friday event is the Moonlight Movie Series showing of Hocus Pocus 2 with a Trunk-or-Treat at MOSAIC at Chatham Park. The lot and the trunk-or-treat open at 6 p.m. on October 30, and the movie starts at 7. It's a drive-in next to Greek Kouzina, and you're welcome to bring lawn chairs or blankets.
Tickets are free and you need one per vehicle. The Eventeny ticket page shows the ticket as sold out. If you already have one, a few details help. Trucks and SUVs park in the rear sections and compact cars up front. Outside food and drinks aren't allowed, but food and drinks are sold on site, and pets are welcome. Brightspeed presents the series.
Without a ticket, Friday's easy option comes earlier in the day and suits anyone with a dog. Fearrington Village hosts the Howl-oween Pet Costume & Pumpkin Stroll from 4 to 6 p.m. Leashed dogs in costume walk among the pumpkins and can enter a costume competition. There are pup cups, dog treats and pizza from Roost Beer Garden, and donations of dog food and treats for CARE are encouraged.
With the drive-in full, most of the weekend's free events land on Saturday.
Saturday starts downtown at 10
The Pittsboro Street Fair runs Saturday, October 31, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., rain or shine, on Hanks, Fayetteville and Salisbury streets. The Town's listing promises more than 100 vendors, food trucks, live music and family activities. Admission is free, and a shuttle runs from Central Carolina Community College.
The scheduled highlight is the annual Trike Race from noon to 3 p.m. The fair is also a fundraiser. According to the Rotary Club of Pittsboro, proceeds go to local scholarships, CORA's Turkey Tuesday, Meals on Wheels, Books for Every Reader and other community projects.
The shuttle is the most useful detail for families. The fair takes over three downtown streets for eight hours, and the Rotary's pickup at Central Carolina Community College means you don't have to hunt for parking near the courthouse.
Then the action moves to The Plant
The Plant at 220 Lorax Lane holds two separate Halloween events on Saturday, and the first one overlaps with the Trike Race.
Get Down on Halloween runs noon to 4 p.m. with a posted music lineup:
- Purple Snakes at noon
- Hawkfeather at 12:35
- Michael LaShawn at 1:15
- Matthew Greenslade at 1:55
The evening event, Halloween @ The Plant, runs 4 to 9 p.m. The Plant's own page lists a Night Market from 5 to 9, the Plant Parade at 5:15 and a Costume Contest at 5:30. The VisitPittsboro listing shows a slightly different schedule: a Bazaar Night Market from 4 to 9, the parade at 5, the costume contest at 5:15, and music from Vinnie's Garage and Chatham Social Club. Last year's Plant schedule looked more like the VisitPittsboro version. Since the parade and contest times are 15 minutes apart between the two listings, go by The Plant's RSVP page and arrive by 5 if you have a costume to show off.
The Plant has one more option on Saturday. The Walker and Magnus Travelling Circus performs a 3 p.m. show for all ages and a 7 p.m. show for ages 16 and up. VisitPittsboro lists tickets at $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under.
The 4 to 6 p.m. decision
Put the two organizers' schedules side by side and Saturday falls into three parts:
- 10 a.m. to noon: the Street Fair is the only big event in town.
- Noon to 4 p.m.: the Trike Race downtown runs at the same time as the Get Down music set at The Plant.
- 4 to 6 p.m.: the Street Fair's last two hours overlap with the start of Halloween @ The Plant, including the parade and costume contest.
That last window is the one to plan. The Town scheduled its separate Trails & Treats event for October 17, and its listing says it was canceled for inclement weather. No town trick-or-treat is scheduled for the 31st, so the Plant Parade and Costume Contest are the main costume events on the calendar Saturday evening. A family that wants the fair and the parade has a workable plan: the fair in the morning, the Trike Race around midday, then a drive to Lorax Lane by late afternoon.
If you'd rather spend the morning with animals, the Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge hosts its Halloween Tour & Explore from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Activities include vegan trick-or-treating, a photo booth, face painting and pumpkin activities, and Govinda's Catering and Kitoko Bites are the food vendors. Admission is a sliding scale of $5 to $40 per person. Children two and older need a ticket, and the refuge asks visitors to park at its Pavilion entrance. It runs rain or shine and may be rescheduled only for dangerous weather such as lightning.
After dark, and dinner
Adults have one more downtown stop. Vino!! Wine Shop at 89 Hillsboro Street hosts a Halloween party from 7 to 10 p.m. with a costume contest, Halloween cocktails and what the shop calls "Trick or treat with wine!!"
For dinner, the new option this weekend is a Tavolo Italian Eatery at 367 Freedom Parkway, Suite 130, in MOSAIC. MOSAIC's tenant page lists it as "Now Open." The restaurant's own site describes a "Soft opening by reservation only, starting 10/20." In August, MOSAIC was still expecting a September opening. The restaurant says it makes its pasta, dough and sauces fresh. If you want a post-parade dinner on Saturday, reserve now instead of planning to walk in.
The weekends that follow
The Plant keeps the same weekend pattern going through November, so Halloween is the first of several big Saturdays and Sundays:
- November 1: First Sunday Pittsboro, noon to 4 p.m., with artisans, live music and food trucks.
- November 15: the 4th Annual Chestnut Carnival at The Plant, noon to 6 p.m., with roasted chestnuts, chestnut drinks and live music.
- November 22: Harvest Festival at The Plant, noon to 6 p.m., including a Thanksgiving Dressing Competition.
- November 28: The Great Evergreen Gathering at The Plant, noon to 6 p.m., a Small Business Saturday event with a holiday market, caroling, bonfires and a community cookie competition.
- December 5: Brightspeed's Merry + Bright Christmas Drone Light Show at MOSAIC, 6 to 8 p.m.
The weekend after Thanksgiving also brings the Hewitt Pottery Winter Kiln Opening, starting November 27. Visitors can tour Mark Hewitt's workshop and kilns and shop his showroom and yard.
Weekends like this are a big part of why I start with the town before I talk about any house. When someone is getting to know Pittsboro, a Saturday from Hanks Street to Lorax Lane shows them more than any listing photo can. If you're planning a move to Chatham County, or a friend is, and you'd like help working out which parts of town keep you close to events like these, Marko Sun is happy to share what he knows. Let's Talk.
