Savannah is getting ready to hosta city-wide Halloween costume contest, complete with prizes, candy, music and more. The Forsyth Park Costume Crawl will take place on Sunday, Oct. 30 from 2-6 p.m. at the iconic greenspace. 

The Forsyth Park Costume Crawl (sponsored by Ukiyo Savannah) is presented by and will benefit the Coastal Empire Montessori School, which is a free, nonprofit public charter school. The school’s development director Shannon McClure is the mastermind behind the event.

“[Coastal Empire Montessori] has never done much fundraising. They’ve never done a major event. . . So, I had to create something that would attract people,” she explained.

With the support of the school’s President and CEO, Stephanie Babcock-Wright, and their CFO, Bill Kovach, behind her, McClure came up with the idea of the costume crawl and has collaborated with community members to bring it to fruition. It’s expected to be a great time for the Savannah community, attracting Halloween-lovers of all ages.

The costume contest is open to any and everyone including pets. There are seven categories with prizes totalling more than $3000. The grand prize is $1000, which will be awarded to the individual or group deemed to have the Best Spirit of Savannah Costume. For this category, judges are looking for the best Savannah-themed costume. Other categories include Best Group Costume, Best Adult Costume, Best Couples Costume, Best Little Kid Costume, Best Big Kid Costume, Best Pet Costume and Social Media Banshee.

In order to participate in the costume contest, registration is required. Interested individuals can register online. There will also be on-site registration the day of the event. Registration is only required for those wanting to participate in the costume contest. For everyone else who just wants to come out and have fun, the event is free and open to the public

The contest will be judged by a panel of Savannah celebrities like Connect Savannah columnist Bunny Ware, Starlandia Art Supply owner Clinton Edminster, and WJCL news anchor Marvis Herring, among others. The event will be emceed by Creative Approach co-founder and local realtor Travis Sawyer.

In addition to the contest, there will be food trucks, trick-or-treat bags, live music, a photo booth, yard games and more. Attendees can also participate in what aims to be the world’s largest TikTok broom challenge. 

“It’s for a good cause, and it’s a good anchor event for the city. . . I think it’s a great way to bring our whole weird and wacky Savannah family together,” said McClure.

Proceeds generated from the event will help support Coastal Empire Montessori School, providing supplies and funding for school programs and the families they serve. For more information, contest rules and registration, visit cemco.org/costume-crawl.html

This article appears in Oct 26 – Nov 1, 2022.

Chantel Britton is a compelling storyteller with an ever-growing curiosity. She's built a rewarding writing career for herself in addition to serving five years as a Public Affairs Officer in the U.S....