After a year hiatus due to COVID-19, costumed Parkites returned to Main Street with a vengeance on Sunday for Halloween.
According to Park City Special Events Manager Jenny Diersen, the city estimates over 10,000 people were on the street that afternoon. Diersen said that number is in line with past Halloweens.
“I think the trend that we’re seeing right now is we are seeing things, in terms of event-wise, return to what they were before COVID," said Diersen. "We just encourage people to continue being safe. Transportation is one of our critical priorities, and you’ll see us in some of our plans, specifically for events, continuing to push that messaging for folks to carpool, use city transit, and try and make a difference with how they’re getting around town.”
Main Street was closed to car traffic at 2pm that afternoon and trick-or-treating ran until 6 o’clock.
Historic Park City Alliance Executive Director Ginger Wicks told KPCW Main Street businesses did not expect crowds of that size. Wicks did not know exactly how much candy businesses handed out, but did say Red Banjo Pizza distributed over 3,000 pieces alone over the course of the afternoon and others ran out of candy before trick-or-treating ended.
“I don’t think anybody anticipated quite that many people, which is, again, great," Wicks said. "I think everybody has been so starved from missing each other and not being able to participate in community events. I think it was just a good reopening of the community.”
Diersen said parking in the Old Town area was full by 2:45 that afternoon and remained full for the next two hours. The city estimates 4,500 people took Park City transit buses to Main Street, which also mirrors pre-pandemic numbers.
In terms of future large-scale community events, Diersen said the city will make decisions on a case-by-case basis as the pandemic is still evolving in Summit County.
Halloween was the last major event planned in Park City before the winter season brings holiday events like the grand menorah lighting and electric light parade. Major events planned for early 2022 include the freestyle World Cup at Deer Valley and Sundance Film Festival in January.
Details for these events are anticipated to be presented to the city council sometime in December.
