Hemming Village to hold annual ‘Hocus Pocus’ Halloween carnival this Friday
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REXBURG — Halloweentown is coming to Rexburg.
Hemming Village in Rexburg is hosting its annual “Hocus Pocus” Halloween carnival from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. This free event will feature trick-or-treating, games, food, music and appearances by a host of popular villainous characters.
“This is the eleventh year,” Hemming Village spokeswoman Cami Wills told EastIdahoNews.com. “We missed last year because of COVID-19 and we were trying to be responsible for the community. We were saddened that we missed last year but now we’re back bigger and better than ever before.”
The theme for this year’s carnival is “Halloweentown at Hocus Pocus.” One of the highlights will be musical performances by the Sanderson Sisters from the film “Hocus Pocus.” Cruella Deville and her car will also be appearing, along with many other Disney villains.
“We’ll have Ursula, Captain Hook, Jafar,” Wills said. “We’ll have Oogie Boogie and a ton of the Disney villains who will be in the area. Then, all of our people will be dressed up in those areas, including our Halloween Bus Stop … and we’ll have tons of trick-or-treating, so all of our people will be ready to give candy out to all the kids.”
Other highlights of the “Hocus Pocus” carnival will include a professional storytelling performance, hayrides and a display of spiders and snakes.
“We have a lady in our community who has an arachnid club,” Wills said. “She brings in hundreds of spiders and snakes. They’re all caged and she lets kids touch or hold them. Our spiders and snakes are always hugely popular. The kids just love them.”
On top of all this, the event will feature all kinds of good things to eat. Several food trucks will be on-site at the carnival, in addition to the eateries already available in the Hemming Village storefronts.
All this adds up to a safe, fun event for the whole family.
“We have the police come and close off the street and then they have a presence there,” Wills said. “We have an E.M.T. on our staff that comes and works with us. We provide a really fun, safe environment for kids to trick-or-treat, play games, or go in the businesses where it’s safe and protected, even if it’s from the weather.”
The “Halloweentown at Hocus Pocus” carnival is set for Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Hemming Village in Rexburg. With the exception of the food vendors, the event is free to the public. Click here for more information.
“(People) just really seem to love the event, I think because it’s a safe place that they know they can bring all their family,” Wills added. “They know what we do at Hemming Village is usually done well, but it’s also safe.”