Pittsfield Halloween Parade Calls for Participants and Volunteers

Staff Reports08:43AM / Thursday, September 03, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield's Department of Community Development Recreation Program has announced its 80th annual Halloween Parade, which will be held on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. on Tyler Street.

The Parks and Recreation team is seeking floats, marchers, bands, and volunteers to participate in this annual tradition.

This year's parade theme is "Futuristic Frights: The Next 80 Years" and participants are encouraged to imagine what Halloween, and the world, might look like 80 years from now.

According to a press release: Instead of traditional ghosts, witches and vampires, participants are encouraged to envision how future technology, science, climate or society could transform what we find scary or mysterious. Think robots and aliens, flying cars and floating buildings, holographic costumes, glowing light displays and more. It will be a celebration of Halloween that meets science fiction, where participants can bring their wildest visions of the future to life.

Every 'unit' will need to review the Halloween Parade application packet and complete all applicable forms. The application packet is available through the Parks & Recreation page on the city's website under the Halloween tab (www.pittsfieldma.gov/590/Halloween). The deadline for completed forms is Friday, Oct. 9.

There will be one float seminar held on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. in Room 203 of City Hall, 70 Allen St. for those who are interested in or planning to have a float. If your organization or school would like to have a float in the parade, a representative must attend the seminar.

New participants of the parade are required to attend the new participant meeting which will be held on Monday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. in Room 203 of City Hall. Schools, local businesses, organizations, and community/civic groups are encouraged to participate in the parade.

The Pittsfield Halloween Parade is also seeking volunteers who can assist with setting up staging areas, direct floats and marchers, oversee the parade's disband area, judge floats for prizes and more.

For further information about participating or volunteering, please contact Jennifer VanBramer, recreation & special events coordinator, at 413-499-9371 or jvanbramer@pittsfieldma.gov.

Tags: Halloween, parade,

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Mass Voters Retain Recreational Cannabis, Tighten Gun Laws in Midterms

Staff ReportsiBerkshires
11:30AM / Wednesday, November 04, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Massachusetts resoundingly voted to keep recreational cannabis and tighten gun laws during the midterm election on Tuesday.

The Democratic Berkshire delegation was re-elected without contest, and unofficial results show Democratic incumbent Maura Healey taking more than 62 percent of the vote for Massachusetts governor over Republican challenger Michael Minogue.

This coincides with the blue tsunami seen nationally during the midterms, with Democrats flipping seats across the United States and taking control of the House and Senate.

Pittsfield has roughly 10 cannabis dispensaries, alongside several other retail operations and cultivation facilities in Berkshire County. At least three-quarters of the state voted against repealing the legalization that was passed 10 years ago.

According to unofficial results, 46.89 percent of registered Pittsfield voters went to the polls. Pittsfield's 33,934 registered voters cast 15,913 votes, according to these results.

As of Wednesday morning, with more than 85 percent of ballots counted, almost 76 percent of voters opposed Question 8, that would repeal the laws that legalize, regulate, and tax the retail sale of adult recreational use marijuana in Massachusetts. It was proposed by an initiative petition.

Similarly, as of 10 a.m., 67 percent of Massachusetts voters have said "yes" on Question 9, which sustains several changes to Massachusetts laws governing firearms: adding school administrators and licensed healthcare providers as parties permitted to ask a court to issue an Extreme Risk Protection Order if an individual is a present danger to self or others, imposing penalties for possessing, creating, and transferring untraceable "ghost gun" firearms, and more.

"At a time when the federal government is focused on the priorities of the gun lobby and rolling back national protections, the people of Massachusetts have reaffirmed our commitment to keeping our residents safe through proven, common-sense regulations," American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts President Jessica Tang said in a statement released late on Tuesday evening.

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