Downtown Riverhead’s Halloween Fest postponed due to inclement weekend weather forecast

Downtown Riverhead’s Halloween Fest, which was scheduled to take place Saturday, has been postponed to Oct. 28 due to the inclement weekend weather forecast, town officials announced today.

The popular Halloween Festival features coffin races, trick-or-treating on Main Street and a Halloween parade down Main Street. The festival’s schedule of events has not been changed.

Coffin races take place at 2 p.m. on Griffing Avenue between Second and Court streets. Teams race their custom coffins for cash prizes in two race categories, ”Ghoulies” (ages 5 to 12) and “Zombies” (age 12 and up.)

View the races from the steps of the Supreme Court building and along the sidewalks.

Coffin check-in and inspection begins at 1 p.m. For more details and to register for a race, visit the Downtown Riverhead website. Registration is free; there is no charge to participate.

When the races are over, visitors can take the short walk to Main Street for trick-or-treating from 3 to 5 .m., sponsored by local businesses. There will be a D.J. in town square.

The Goblin Parade steps off at 6 p.m. on Main Street at the intersection with Griffing Avenue. It heads east on Main Street and ends at the town square, opposite the Suffolk Theater.

Registered parade floats compete for cash prizes. Free float registration here.

Main Street will be closed between Griffing Avenue on the west to Ostrander Avenue on the east. There’s plenty of free parking in municipal lots. Public toilets will be open on West Main next to the playground and community garden (just west of Griffing Avenue) and on the Peconic Riverfront.

The Halloween Fest is sponsored by the Riverhead Business Improvement District. The BID Management Association is seeking volunteers to help with trick-or-treat candy distribution, the coffin races and the parade. To volunteer, register here.