Credit to Madeline Lamb

Children decorated pumpkins at a stand in the Kids’ Corner.

Main Street St. Charles is known throughout the county for the unique and special events it hosts down in its historic district, and coming up in October is its eighth annual Halloween festival, Legends and Lanterns. It is held on the last three weekends of October with Saturdays being from 11 a.m – 6 p.m with the exception of the last Saturday being from 11 a.m – 8 p.m, and Sundays being from noon – 5 p.m.

“We like to think of ourselves as an old-world Halloween Renaissance Fair,” Special Events Producer for the Greater St. Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau Ryan Cooper said. “Where people come in, they visit Main Street, and then they are immersed in this world where the most famous villains, witches and spirits all come to life.”

Legends and Lanterns is much like their Christmas Traditions event that is held in November and December except with a spooky twist. Classic Halloween characters can be found all over Main Street for people to interact with. The festival also has activities for all ages including museum exhibits, haunted trails, scavenger hunts, and much more that are all completely free.

“There truly is something for everyone. Whether you like history, whether you like music, whether you like activities, whether you like seeing people in fanciful costumes, we’ve got it,” Cooper said.

With all of Main Street’s events, they specialize in edutainment, (meaning education plus entertainment), and Legends and Lanterns is no different with it bringing in tens of thousands of visitors every year. Along with the amount of visitors this festival already brings in, it has continued to grow in popularity due to its fun, educational and family-friendly atmosphere.

“There’s nothing like Legends and Lanterns, because it isn’t super childish, but it’s not scary,” Cooper said. “It truly is a Halloween event that whether you’re 4 years old, or 104 years old, you can really enjoy.”