With Monday, October 31 rapidly approaching, the Town of Chapel Hill announced its plans for accommodating a downtown Halloween celebration that night.

The town government said it will close Franklin Street and Columbia Street to motorists from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Halloween night. Franklin Street will be closed between the Church Street and Henderson Street intersections, and Columbia Street will be closed between the Rosemary Street and Cameron Avenue intersections. Roads feeding into the closed areas may also be inaccessible.

An aerial graphic of closures and police set-ups along downtown Chapel Hill for October 31, 2022. (Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill/Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership.)

Officers from the Chapel Hill, Carrboro and UNC police departments will all be downtown on Halloween night. A list of prohibited items includes open containers of alcohol, weapons or items that look like or could be used as weapons, and drones. These items will be removed if seen by an officer, according to the town. Additionally, Hill Hall on UNC campus will be set up as a treatment center for anyone who experiences a medical emergency.

It’s a change from the Chapel Hill’s message to community members last Halloween, when town did not preemptively block the downtown area due to the COVID-19 pandemic was still causing a high spread of cases. Little to no people gathered in the traffic right of way as a result. This year, to guard against potential exposure to both COVID-19 and monkeypox, the town is encouraging residents and students to avoid celebrating in large crowds — even outside. Orange County is currently at a medium level of community spread for COVID. The Orange County Health Department has also released a guide of safer alternatives for Halloween, which can be found here.

 

Featured image via Town of Chapel Hill

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

 

Related Stories
‹
New UNC Business Class Running Pop-Up Halloween and Costume Shop on Franklin Street
A new class through the Kenan-Flagler Business School launched the Heel-O-Ween Pop-Up Shop last week at The PITCH
Halloween Returns to Franklin Street: Police Say Be Safe, Have Fun
Chapel Hill police are urging everyone to be safe, as they prepare to close Franklin Street from 8:00-9:30 p.m. for Halloween festivities.
NASA Releases UFO Report and Says More Science and Less Stigma Are Needed To Understand Them
Written by MARCIA DUNN NASA said Thursday that the study of UFOs will require new scientific techniques, including advanced satellites as well as a shift in how unidentified flying objects are perceived. The space agency released the findings after a yearlong study into UFOs. In its 33-page report, an independent team commissioned by NASA cautioned that the negative […]
Whistleblower Tells Congress the US is Concealing ‘Multi-Decade’ Program That Captures UFOs
Written by NOMAAN MERCHANT The U.S. is concealing a longstanding program that retrieves and reverse engineers unidentified flying objects, a former Air Force intelligence officer testified Wednesday to Congress. The Pentagon has denied his claims. Retired Maj. David Grusch’s highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was Congress’ latest foray into the world of […]
North Carolina Gerrymander Ruling Gives Electoral Gift to GOP in Congress
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON A North Carolina redistricting ruling has set up a possible electoral windfall for congressional Republicans in preserving their U.S. House majority next year, declaring that judges should stay out of scrutinizing seat boundaries for partisan advantage. While Democrats only need to flip five GOP seats overall to regain control, experts […]
GOP Pushes Parents’ Rights Bill in Clash Over What’s Taught in Schools
Written by STEPHEN R. GROVES House Republicans will press forward Friday with a midterm campaign promise by voting on legislation to give parents greater say in what is taught in public schools, even as critics decry the “parents’ rights” bill as a burdensome proposal that would fuel a far-right movement that has resulted in book […]
Rumors Swirl About Balloons, UFOs as Officials Stay Mum
Written by DAVID KLEPPER Maybe they came from China. Maybe from somewhere farther away. A lot farther away. The downing of four aerial devices by U.S. warplanes has touched off rampant misinformation about the objects, their origin and their purpose, showing how complicated world events and a lack of information can quickly create the perfect […]
On The Heels: The Heeloween Special
This week, join the hosts of “On The Heels” for a discussion about the Homecoming performance against Pitt, some Halloween tunes, and a quick look towards Saturday's game against Virginia.
South Korea Probes Halloween Crowd Surge as Nation Mourns
Written by HYUNG-JIN KIM South Korean police investigated on Monday what caused a crowd surge that killed more than 150 people including 26 foreigners during Halloween festivities in Seoul in the country’s worst disaster in years, as President Yoon Suk Yeol and tens of thousands of others paid respects to the dead at special mourning […]
Town of Chapel Hill Shares 2022 Plans for Halloween
With Monday, October 31 rapidly approaching, the Town of Chapel Hill announced its plans for accommodating a downtown Halloween celebration that night. The town government said it will close Franklin Street and Columbia Street to motorists from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Halloween night. Franklin Street will be closed between the Church Street and […]
›