Southampton Village is bringing back its Ragamuffin Parade on Saturday, October 31, seven years after the last one marched in 2019. The village announced the return on October 18, and the plan fills Halloween from morning to night: a costumed procession through downtown, a costume contest at the Southampton Playhouse, a trunk-or-treat at the elementary school and an evening of trick-or-treating on a closed-off Elm Street.

The morning: a parade built for kids 12 and under

The parade steps off at 9:30 a.m. from Shippy's at 36 Windmill Lane. Children ages 12 and under, in costume, walk a route through the heart of the village with more than 75 local businesses and community organizations handing out candy and treats along the way. Maps of the route will be provided.

The first stop is the Rogers Memorial Library, where children can play Halloween-themed games and collect treats before the procession continues down Nugent Street, along Main Street and Hampton Road, down Jobs Lane and over to Hill Street.

The finish: a costume contest at the restored Playhouse

The route ends at the Southampton Playhouse at 43 Hill Street, the recently restored movie theater, where a costume contest begins at noon. Prizes go to first, second and third place plus a runner-up, and the judging panel includes Southampton Village Mayor William Manger Jr. and Police Chief Sue Hurteau. At 12:30 p.m. the Playhouse screens a short film suitable for all ages.

The day keeps going from there. At 2 p.m., Southampton Elementary School hosts a trunk-or-treat. In the late afternoon and evening, Elm Street closes to vehicles during designated hours for its yearly turn as a village trick-or-treating destination, a street that draws families for its decorations and neighborhood participation.

Why it went away, and who brought it back

The Ragamuffin Parade was last held in 2019. Its revival is a joint effort by the Southampton Chamber of Commerce under its new leadership, the Southampton Village Partnership and the Southampton Playhouse, with the support of the Village of Southampton. Mayor Manger said in the village's announcement that the return is about reconnecting generations of families with a village tradition, alongside fixtures like the Fourth of July Parade and Southamptonfest, and that a downtown filled with costumed children and open shop doors is the point of the exercise. The village also describes the revival as part of a wider push to support downtown businesses and give residents year-round reasons to gather.

The ragamuffin tradition itself is older than Halloween celebrations in most of the country. In the late 19th century, New York children dressed in costume and went door to door asking for treats on Thanksgiving. The custom gradually shifted into organized parades and attached itself to Halloween, and ragamuffin parades survive today in communities around the New York area, including the one in Sag Harbor that marched this morning.

If you go

Saturday, October 31. The parade begins at 9:30 a.m. at Shippy's, 36 Windmill Lane, and ends at the Southampton Playhouse, 43 Hill Street. Costume contest at noon, short film at 12:30 p.m., trunk-or-treat at Southampton Elementary School at 2 p.m., and Elm Street trick-or-treating in the late afternoon and evening. The event is free and open to all, with the parade itself for children 12 and under.

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