Halloween Capital of the World: Anoka, Minnesota

Get ready to explore the Halloween Capital of the World – Anoka, Minnesota – where spooktacular traditions and world records come to life! 🎃👻

✅ Listen to Halloween Capital of the World: Anoka, Minnesota on our podcast. We release new episodes of Travel with Jack and Kitty every day! Subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app. 🎙️❤️

Quick Summary: Halloween Capital of the World

Discover why Anoka, Minnesota is the Halloween Capital of the World! 🎃

• Dive into Anoka’s rich history and how it earned its spooktacular title.
• Learn about the epic Halloween parades that started as a solution to holiday mischief.
• Meet Travis Gienger, the horticulture teacher who set a world record with a massive pumpkin.

Anoka’s Got Halloween Vibes!

Anoka’s Halloween vibes? Totally unbeatable! 🎃 The town takes October 31st to a whole new level with not just one, but multiple parades! It’s a tradition that’s nearly a century old. 🕰️ Imagine a place that managed to swap out Halloween pranks for a massive community bash that even got Washington DC’s stamp of approval. Plus, it’s a haven for world-record pumpkins and spooky haunts like Billy’s Bar and Grill, where the spirits are in the bottles and maybe floating around! 👻 If Halloween had a kingdom, Anoka would be its capital! 🏰👑

Hey there, folks! Kitty here, and I’ve gotta say, when it comes to Midwest travel, Jack and I know a thing or two. Or maybe three! Hehe. 😄 Born and raised in the bustling city of Minneapolis, we’ve been on the road for two decades as traveling musicians and filmmakers, mostly jamming around the Midwest. We’ve made Winona, Minnesota, our cozy home base. 🏡 But our wanderlust doesn’t stop there! We’ve penned a series of Amazon best-selling Midwest travel guidebooks. 📚 Tune in to our daily podcast or check out our travel blog for the juiciest, most authentic Midwest experiences you can imagine. If the Midwest had a fan club, we’d be the presidents! LOLz. 🌽🎸

Ready to find out what makes Anoka, MN the Halloween hotspot? 🤔 Well, keep on reading!! 👀 Hehe. 😹

Unmasking Anoka: The Halloween Capital of the World

But today we’re diving into a Halloween treat like no other. We’re talking about Anoka, Minnesota, dubbed the “Halloween Capital of the World.” 🌏 Yeah, you heard that right! 🎃

The Backstory: More than Just Pumpkins

Why does Anoka deserve this grand title, you ask? It goes back to 1920. Yep, Anoka’s Halloween parade is almost as old as sliced bread. 🍞 They’ve kept the tradition alive with multiple parades every year. Imagine the streets overflowing with ghouls, goblins, and glitter!

Small Town, Big Vibes

Nestled in the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, Anoka may be small (around 17,000 peeps live here), but its Halloween spirit is huge! 🎉 October in Anoka? It’s not just a month; it’s a vibe.

Digging Deeper: The Roots

Founded in the mid-1800s, Anoka was here before Minnesota even became a state. It has two cool namesakes from Indigenous American languages that basically mean “on both sides of the river” and “working waters.” 🏞️ Fun fact: Anoka even claims to have sent the first volunteers to the Union Army during the Civil War. Talk about deep roots!

From Pranks to Parades

So why the Halloween craze? In the old days, Halloween pranks got out of hand. Think cows on Main Street and soaped-up windows. 😲 The solution? Throw a big, fat Halloween party! 🎉 And it worked. Fast forward to today, and it’s all about costumes, creativity, and community. 🥳

Generations of Ghouls

This isn’t some corporate gimmick; it’s a community-led affair. The parades still feature costumed students, just like the old days. Grandma’s homemade witch costume? 👻 It’s now on the kiddos, keeping the family legacy alive. 👵👧

Lights, Camera, Halloween!

The parades got so big that in 1937 a 12-year-old from Anoka traveled to Washington, D.C., to make it official. Anoka became the certified Halloween Capital. But it didn’t stop there! A trip to Anoka even became a prize on the TV game show, “The Dating Game,” in the ’70s. 📺

More Than Just Parades

In Anoka, Halloween is a season, not a day. 🎡 There are royalty coronations, concerts, pillow fights (yes, really!), and even a “snake dance” through local businesses. 🐍

Travis Gienger: Breaking Records

Speaking of big, how does a world record for the heaviest pumpkin sound? 🎃 Travis Gienger, a local teacher, grew a pumpkin that weighed a jaw-dropping 2,749 pounds. That’s enough for 687 pumpkin pies! 🏆

Spirits and Spooks

If you’re a fan of the eerie, Billy’s Bar and Grill has you covered. 🍸👻 Once a brothel, this watering hole is said to be haunted by its previous owner and staff. So you might enjoy more than just a cold one here. 🍻

Summary: Anoka is THE Halloween Capital of the World!

So there you have it! Anoka isn’t just a town; it’s the Halloween Capital of the World. Pack your bags and your costumes, and get ready for an unforgettable October experience. 🎒🎃

Happy haunting! 👻

✅ Don’t miss out! Listen to today’s podcast episode, Halloween Capital of the World: Anoka, Minnesota – where we go even deeper into this story. Remember, we release new episodes of Travel with Jack and Kitty every day! Subscribe on your favorite podcast app. 🎙️❤️

Show Notes: Links to Stuff We Talk About

Google Maps Mystery
We talked about it on the show, here you go! The surprise you get when you look up “4th Avenue & Washington Street, Anoka, MN” on Google Maps. Fun, right?

Listen on YouTube

Bad Dad Jokes with Jack and Kitty

What’s a vampire’s favorite fruit? A necktarine!

What’s a witch’s favorite subject in school? Spelling!

Why did Dracula get kicked out of the art class? He could only draw blood!

Click here for more dad jokes.