BREVARD, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Transylvania may have Dracula, but Transylvania County has Halloweenfest.

The 41st rendition of the longest-running festival in the county is here, haunting Transylvania from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26, in downtown Brevard, N.C.

The festival is organized by Heart of Brevard, a non-profit organization dedicated to maintaining a vibrant downtown culture in Brevard. This year, they are donating funds from the festival to the Transylvania Tomorrow Small Business Emergency Relief Fund.

The Transylvania Tomorrow fund began during the Covid-19 pandemic as a way for Transylvania County to support small businesses during the global crisis. After the pandemic subsided, its organizers were looking for what the future of the fund should be. Hurricane Helene provided that answer.

“The City of Brevard, our essential business district, was basically untouched and we were left in a much better shape than areas of our county,” said Nicole Bentley, executive director of Heart of Brevard. “So, certainly we wanted to make sure we were thoughtful, and almost as soon as connectivity resumed, folks were asking, ‘Will we have Halloweenfest? Is it coming back?'”

Bentley and her team met with other officials in Brevard to make sure that the event was safe to proceed, acknowledging that community festivals require a large fire department and police presence, in addition to volunteers.

“We really wanted to be sensitive that we were balancing those with humanitarian efforts that were going on,” Bentley said.

After serious discussion, Halloweenfest was cleared for its 41st festival.

“We decided to move forward as scheduled, with a focus on local vendors and local activities, really to create a sense of normalcy for our community,” Bentley said.

The event agenda is an impressive one. Visitors to Halloweenfest can look to enjoy the following:

  • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Transylvania Farmers Market
  • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Brevard Street Fair, including downtown vendors and food trucks
  • 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Inflatables
  • 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Dance performance by Carolina Dance Collective
  • 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Costume contest and parade
  • 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Mountain Music Throwdown at Grace Brevard Church, featuring jam sessions, competition and prizes
  • 12:30, 1 p.m. – Witchy Flash Mob
  • 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. – Downtown Business trick ‘r treating
  • 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. – Hula hoop dance party
  • 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. – Pet parade and costume contest
  • 5 p.m. – Community Benefit Concert featuring Steep Canyon Rangers and Travis Book Band

The Community Benefit Concert is one of the biggest ways to contribute to the Transylvania Tomorrow fund. While the concert is free, donations are strongly encouraged. Beer and wine can also be purchased from festival partner Oskar Blues in another way to donate.

“All donations are tax-deductible,” Bentley said. “Every dollar that’s given goes to directly to a business in need.”

Even if live music or food trucks aren’t your jam, the pet parade and costume contest is an event to show out for, according to Bentley.

“The costume contest and pet parade are both pretty large events. I mean, it is Transylvania County, and I am always amazed at the number of people who are in costume and not in competition,” Bentley said. “We have pets and owners, and I won’t say it’s just dogs. We see chickens, we’ve seen pigs, it is pets of all kinds.”

More information about Halloweenfest 2024 can be found on the Heart of Brevard website, www.brevardnc.org/community/halloweenfest-2024.