Halloween Pet Parade — Event Breakdown

Date: Friday, October 31, 2025
Host: West Alameda Business Association (WABA)
Working Title: “Howl-O-Ween on Webster: Pet Costume Contest” + Kids Trick or Treating
Goal: Drive foot traffic to the West End, spotlight local pet businesses, collect content for socials, and build momentum for holiday programming.

1) Where / When

  • Location: Webster Park (1435 Webster St) + Webster St parade loop

  • Event Window: 4:00–6:30 PM

  • Rain Plan: Shift to photo/backdrop stations.

2) Partners & Invites

  • Pet Costume Contest Partners: Providence Veterinary Hospital, Petco Unleashed (Alameda Landing), Thrifty Kitty, Diggity Dog

    • Additions to explore: Under 1 Woof, Coven of Stitches, Michael’s

  • Special Participants:

    • Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS) — featuring adoptable foster animals in costume.

  • Potential Guest Artists/Photographers:

    • Cool Cat / Hot Dog Portraits — IG: @coolcatportraits

    • Snoot Doodler — IG: @snootdoodler

  • Notable West End Pet VIPs: @urbalalchemy, @goat_of_cats, local West End pig, Lola the dog 

  • Under One Woof

  • Media/Community Listings: Submit to @approvedbydog

3) On-Site Highlights

  • Costume Sales:

    • Thrifty Kitty & Diggity Dog — pop-up racks with pet costumes and accessories (available for purchase day-of for last-minute dress-ups).

  • FAAS Foster Animal Parade Entry: Showcase adoptable animals, encourage applications, and promote donations.

  • Portraits & Art (examples based on what we’re able secure): Cool Cat/Hot Dog Portrait Booth, Snoot Doodler live sketches.

  • Partner Tables: Info, giveaways, treats.

  • Photo Zones: Branded step-and-repeat and fall décor backdrops.

  • Bowls of fresh water. 

  • Shade structure. 

4) Program Flow (Updated)

3:00–4:00 PM — Setup
4:00–4:30 PM — Registration, costume sales, portraits, FAAS foster meet-and-greet
4:30–5:00 PM — Costume Contest Judging & Runway
5:00–5:30 PM — Pet Parade (with FAAS foster animals leading or in a special category) down to Diggity Dog
5:30–5:50 PM — Awards & prizes at Diggity Dog, plus snacks
5:50–6:10 PM — Partner & FAAS spotlight, final photos
6:10–6:30 PM — Close & teardown


5) Marketing Additions

  • Partner and FAAS cross-promotion with “Meet the Foster Stars” posts.

  • Thrifty Kitty/Diggity Dog pre-event costume sale teasers.

  • Encourage “Buy a Costume, Enter the Contest” CTA.

  • Tag FAAS in all adoptable animal coverage.



Notes:


After the contest animals can be paraded down to where ever to get treats or for photo ops or visit pet friendly locations


Make a pet friendly location map