Get Ready — T'Challaween Is This Weekend!

South Seattle Emerald's fourth annual Halloween parade brings the community together this Saturday.

Calling superheroes of all ages — the Emerald's annual Halloween trick-or-treat event, T'Challaween, takes place this Saturday, Oct. 28!

So come out from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. dressed as your favorite hero, aspirational figure, or whatever fun fantasy creatures you can dream up (okay, villains are invited too!) to walk the 1-mile Beacon Hill Safe Street on 18th Avenue from South College Street to Jefferson Park. There will be candy in abundance at stations along the way, distributed by our volunteer candy tossers and community partners.

The Details:

• Saturday, Oct. 28, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• The march starts at South College Street and 18th Avenue South at 1 p.m. and proceeds south along the Beacon Hill Stay Healthy Street (see map for route), ending at Jefferson Park.
• Volunteers will be tossing out bags of candy to trick-or-treaters along the route.
• Current COVID vaccination, masking, and social distancing are encouraged.
• This free event is open to all.
• Can't make it? Watch via our Facebook livestream the day of.
• Yes, we still need volunteers! Sign up through our Google form.

T'Challaween began during the pandemic as an outdoor, socially distant way to celebrate our heroes, the ones who lift up each other and the community. The name was inspired by King T'Challa, the legendary Black Panther.

"T'Challaween is a fantastic event that allows community members to showcase their creativity and talents in a safe and friendly environment. Whole families participate, dressed up as their favorite characters. We all get to admire each other's amazing costumes, hang out and socialize, and have a fun day with plenty of candy," said Emerald Executive Director Michael McPhearson. "Last year, after T'Challaween was over, I had a warm feeling inside because all day, I saw laughter and smile after smile. It's precisely what we all need in times when there is so much to make us sad."

This year we have a few new partners: Beacon Hill Safe Streets, a neighborhood group working for safe streets together; Beacon Food Forest, a volunteer-run project growing public food on public land; and Braided Seeds, an organization that provides BIPOC opportunities for rest and reconnection with the outdoors.

Beacon Hill Safe Streets will be leading a Halloween costume bike ride before T'Challaween. Starting at Jefferson Park Playground at 12:15 p.m., they will ride in costume to South College Street and 18th Avenue, meeting up with the start of the Halloween march. They will be volunteering at a candy tossing station along the way. Follow Beacon Hill Safe Streets on Facebook to learn more about their upcoming opportunities.

Volunteers from Beacon Hill Food Forest will also be there tossing out candy, handing out coloring sheets, and inviting community members to visit the food forest adjacent to Jefferson Park, just a short walk from the end of the parade.

"I absolutely love this community event and appreciate the Emerald for putting this together," said Nate Lichti of the Beacon Hill Food Forest. "It's a wonderful way to call us to celebrate our heroes in this festive time, and to build community in a safe, kid-friendly environment. The BFF is a food justice, volunteer-powered organization, and urban farmers are among some of my favorite personal heroes!"

Stay in the loop with Beacon Food Forrest via Instagram and Facebook.

Along with staffing a candy tossing station, Braided Seeds will be giving away tickets to the Woodland Park Zoo.

"We're just super excited to see kiddos and their families having fun outdoors and dressing up and taking up space," said Eya Lazaro, community engagement coordinator for Braided Seeds. "I'm always super honored and grateful to be in a space where BIPOC families get to just be and enjoy outside."

Follow Braided Seeds on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about their year-round community events and programs.

A very special thank you to our sponsors, ACLU of Washington and Alaska Airlines!

We can't wait to see you this weekend! (And don't forget to sign up to volunteer!)

The Story of T'Challaween

T'Challaween is not just a Halloween costume parade, it's a tribute to our heroes. But what does that mean? And what — or who — is a hero anyway?

T'Challaween is a tribute to those who inspire us. Those who have set an example for how to be. Who have paved the way for us.

Halloween is the perfect time to pay tribute to those among us, real and imagined, who make us want to be the best versions of ourselves and push through fear and insecurity to grow as human beings. T'Challaween is an opportunity not only to pay tribute to those who came before us but also to those who are currently among us, and those who will come after.

On Halloween, we can be anything we want. We can try on being the "hero" for a day. We can find out what it's like to be something different, maybe something that feels great (and inspires change in us).

T'Challaween is an opportunity for South Seattleites to come together safely to celebrate what makes our community great — the people!

More than ever, we need each other.

We are — all of us — heroic at one time or another, if not in our own eyes, in the eyes of others. And we are all role models to each other and to the next generation.

Heroes don't always wear capes, but they do help those in need by drawing on their unique skills. Heroes are not always masked, but heroes wear masks to protect others. Frontline essential workers have been among the great heroes of the pandemic!

There are many definitions of "hero." And none of them is right or wrong. They are all beautiful and important. Just like every person who makes up our community.

T'Challaween is a reminder that in times of great challenge and community strife, we are not alone, and there are heroes among us (sometimes they are us!).We are in this together, and collectively? We have super powers!

What's your super power???

The spirit of T'Challaween is woven into the words of Marvel's Black Panther:

"We will work to be an example of how we, as brothers and sisters on this earth, should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis, the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe."

R.I.P Chadwick Boseman.

T'Challaween is very fondly dedicated to the man, the actor, the role model — the hero — and the gift that is the legacy he leaves behind.

📸 Featured Image: Photos from South Seattle Emerald's annual T'Challaween on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, on Beacon Hill. (Photos: Jovelle Tamayo)