After a one-year hiatus, the Greater Northern Lehigh Halloween Parade will mark its return complete with a new parade route.

The Northern Lehigh Events Committee posted on its Facebook page that the 116th annual event will be held at 5 p.m. Oct. 25.

Tiffany Rehrig-Schaeffer, co-chair of the Northern Lehigh Events Committee, said the organization is excited to announce the return of the annual Northern Lehigh Halloween Parade.

Rehrig-Schaeffer said that thanks to the cooperation of the Northern Lehigh School District and Slatington Borough, this year’s parade route will include the school campus and surrounding areas.

She said participants will assemble in the bus loop behind Slatington Elementary School, and the route will travel down Shadow Oaks Lane and enter Bulldog Lane at the Stadium entrance.

Rehrig-Schaeffer said the parade will proceed on Bulldog Lane and then make a right onto Center Street, right onto Kuehner Avenue, and then reenter school grounds using Snyder Avenue.

Designated parking areas for spectators will be available on the school grounds; however, no parking is allowed along Bulldog Lane, she said.

Rehrig-Schaeffer said the theme of this year’s parade is Circus, and prizes will be awarded in individual, walking group, and float categories.

In addition, she said the Judges’ Award, presented in honor of the memory of Russell Hallman, Forrest Hallman, and Connie Rehrig, will be awarded to the parade entry with the highest overall score.

“The Events Committee is excited for the parade to return,” Rehrig-Schaeffer said.

Rehrig-Schaeffer encouraged anyone who would like a registration form to send a message to NLHalloweenParade@yahoo.com.

Last year’s parade was canceled due to a lack of PennDOT permit, as Rehrig-Schaeffer said that each year, they need to submit a special events permit to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for the parade.

Along with the permit application, she said they need to provide letters of approval from Slatington, Walnutport, and Washington Township, a copy of their certificate of insurance, and maps detailing the parade and detour routes.

Rehrig-Schaeffer said that the Special Events Permit application and supporting documents was submitted to PennDOT.

The Walnut Street bridge was closed in June 2024 and remains shut down until it has been replaced.

The Lehigh County engineer said that PennDOT had inspected the bridge and found structural failures.

Crews began knocking down an old Victorian home on the corner of South Walnut and Main streets in Slatington earlier this month.

The removal of the home and the duplex on the other side of the street is needed to widen South Walnut Street as part of the realignment of the intersection and the project to replace the bridge over Trout Creek.

Lehigh County is in charge of the bridge replacement, as the bridge is owned by the county.

The Walnut Street bridge is located between Main Street and Church Street, and goes over Trout Creek and Factory Street in Slatington.

The detour uses Main Street and Church Street, both of which are two-way streets.

The left-hand turn onto Walnut Street from Main Street is also not available for use because the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic.