Chapel Hill cancels all remaining 2020 events, including Halloween on Franklin Street

For years, Chapel Hill has drawn costumed revelers to downtown Franklin Street on Halloween, with as many as 40,000 people once filling the closed-off street.

In recent years, that number is far fewer — an estimated 16,000 people in 2018. But in the coronavirus pandemic, that large of a crowd isn’t safe this year, Chapel Hill town officials said.

The town has canceled all town-sponsored public events and festivals through the end of the year, officials said Friday afternoon.

That includes Halloween festivities “due to public health guidance concerning crowd gathering,” a news release said.

“We know Halloween on Franklin Street is a beloved annual gathering for so many in our community, but crowds greater than 50 people go against the current public health guidance,” said Police Chief Chris Blue in a statement.

“As a Chapel Hill native, I, too, am disappointed that this annual tradition cannot happen,” Blue said. “However, given the risks associated with such an event during the current pandemic, supporting a Halloween event in our downtown is not in the best interest of safety for our community.”

The town did not say how it would enforce the potential crowds that still might come to Franklin Street.

The town also canceled the Festifall Arts Festival, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Holiday Parade and Chapel Hillidays, which includes the Santa Rooftop Rescue.

Friday at 5 p.m., North Carolina entered Phase 3 of Gov. Roy Cooper’s reopening plan, which means reopening some venues at a reduced capacity. Stadiums over 10,000 people can open at 7% capacity. Bars can open outdoors at 30% capacity, or 100 people, whichever is less.

Mass gatherings remain limited to 25 indoors and 50 people outdoors.

The restrictions will remain in place until at least 5 p.m. Oct. 23.

Orange County had stricter guidelines for mass gatherings under Phase 2.5, but said it would now follow the state’s new rules, The News & Observer reported.

The county also has had more limited hours for alcohol sales, stopping them at 10 p.m. — an hour earlier than the rest of the state — since July, The N&O reported.

The county said it would also align with the state’s time frame, stopping sales at bars and restaurants at 11 p.m.

The county saw a surge in coronavirus cases and clusters when UNC-Chapel Hill students returned to campus in August. Students were asked to leave residence halls, and undergraduate classes have been remote since mid-August, resulting in a dramatic decrease in reported cases.

This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 6:34 PM.