Where do you get a candied apple on King Street at 6:15 on a Wednesday night? Downtown Leesburg spent this summer and fall adding chocolate, gelato and gift shops. Then the town's oldest October tradition moved to a school night. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, those two changes meet, and only some of the new storefronts will have their lights on.
The 70th Leesburg Kiwanis Halloween Parade steps off Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6:30 p.m. on King Street between Battlefield Parkway and Catoctin Circle, rain or shine. The Town of Leesburg's event calendar runs it until 8 p.m. A weeknight parade from 6:30 to 8 p.m. falls right at dinnertime. So the useful question is which doors on the route are still open by then.
Why the Parade Left October 31
The parade was first held in 1957. Kiwanis describes it as one of the oldest parades of its kind in the eastern United States. For years it ran on Halloween night. Club President Kim Thompson told the Loudoun Times-Mirror that it moved to a different day last year to fit around schedule changes. This year Halloween falls on a Saturday, in the middle of a six-day Loudoun County Public Schools holiday, so the club chose the Wednesday before that weekend.
The move brought more people out. In the same Loudoun Times-Mirror interview, Thompson put the numbers this way:
"We had 80 groups in the parade last year. The year before that it was 60 groups. We also feel that by holding it on another night, it brought out more crowds. It was a huge decision but it worked out well."
Going from 60 groups to 80 in one year is a third more floats, bands and costumed walkers on the same stretch of road. Because the parade no longer shares the night with trick-or-treating, families can do both. It also means a bigger crowd arrives downtown on an ordinary workday evening, when shops keep their usual weekday hours.
The Stone Bridge High School Key Club is this year's grand marshal. The club was named 2025-26 Key Club of the Year out of 250 clubs in the Capital District, and its 160 members logged nearly 4,000 volunteer hours for 128 organizations. Judges will award "Most Creative," "Best Interpretation of Halloween" and "Best Float." Winners get bragging rights and a sign to carry on their entry for the rest of the parade.
The Clock for Wednesday, Oct. 28
Because it's a weeknight, plan backward from the moment King Street closes:
- 5 p.m. The Loudoun County Garage becomes free on weekday evenings from this hour.
- 5:45 p.m. Leesburg Police close King Street to traffic. Organizers say the time could change.
- 6:30 p.m. The parade steps off.
- 7 p.m. The Town Hall Garage becomes free on weekday evenings from this hour.
- 8 p.m. The parade's scheduled end on the Town calendar.
The Pennington Lot and Garage is free at all hours, according to the Town's downtown parking page. For anyone driving in before dinner, it's the simplest choice. The Ida Lee field is for parade participants only. Loudoun Now reports that spectators should use a town garage or a side street the parade isn't using. Construction on Fairfax Street means the parade will end before Safeway this year.
The parade is free. Instead of registration fees, the Leesburg Kiwanis Club collects non-perishable food and checks made out to Loudoun Hunger Relief, dropped off at the Ida Lee field when participants sign in.
Downtown Got Sweeter This Year, Mostly in Daytime Hours
Five new shops are within a short walk of the route. As far as posted hours show, only one is set up for a Wednesday evening.
Kilwins opened at 17 S. King St. in mid-September, in the old Rouge Spa space on the first floor of a building from around 1805. Owner Nancy Carter, a longtime Leesburg resident, renovated it. The shop sells fudge, ice cream, flavored popcorn and candied apples in several flavors, along with seasonal items. Carter told the Loudoun Times-Mirror, "I'm planning to be in the parades and look forward to being part of all the holidays."
The Chocolate Palette held its ribbon cutting on Sept. 17, according to the Town of Leesburg. The shop is at 212A Loudoun St. SE, where chocolatier Cheryl June sells European sipping chocolates made to order, Danish pancakes and handmade desserts. She built the business at the Purcellville farmers market and in seasonal pop-ups before taking a storefront owned by Mom's Apple Pie owner Avis Renshaw.
Piazza di Gogo's Aperitivo Bar & Gelato Café opened over Memorial Day weekend at 7 W. Market St. Michael Golino runs it in the same building as Buford's Biscuits.
Two gift shops opened this fall. Every Little Something, the second stationery shop from Nicole and Fred Ferguson, is at 1 Loudoun St. SW. The Painter's Cottage is at 23 N. King St., where co-owners Denise Berg, Nikki Heinrich and Diane Hill sell art, home décor and gifts.
Here's how the sweet shops line up against parade night:
| Shop | Address | Posted Wednesday hours | Open at 6:30 p.m. step-off? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kilwins | 17 S. King St. | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Yes |
| Mom's Apple Pie | 220 Loudoun St. SE | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. | No |
| The Chocolate Palette | 212A Loudoun St. SE | Listed as closed on Google Maps | No |
| Piazza di Gogo's | 7 W. Market St. | Open Thursday to Sunday, 5 p.m. to late | No |
The two Loudoun Street SE shops sit next to each other, and both are closed by the time the first float moves. A pie or a box of chocolates for the evening means a stop there before 6 p.m. Piazza di Gogo's opens the next night, so the parade crowd can come back for gelato on Thursday. Kilwins is open all evening, right on the route.
Where Parade Night Eats
The places that stay open on a Wednesday evening are the established dining rooms on King Street, and they're on the parade blocks themselves. Each restaurant's own site lists these Wednesday hours:
- Lightfoot Restaurant, 11 N. King St., 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., with 9 p.m. as last seating
- The Wine Kitchen, 7 S. King St., 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- The Green Tree Tavern, 15 S. King St., 3 p.m. to midnight
- King's Tavern and Wine Bar, 19 South King St., 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily
- Shutters on King, 102 S. King St., 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Green Tree Tavern at 15 S. King, Kilwins at 17 and King's Tavern at 19 sit almost side by side. Within a few doors on one block you can have dinner, buy a candied apple and get a drink after the parade, and all three are open past 8 p.m. Shutters on King marked its first anniversary this August. The Burn reported its opening date as Aug. 5, 2025. With the street closed from 5:45, an early table works best for anyone coming from a garage on foot.
The Storefronts That Will Look Different Next October
A few spots along the route are in the middle of a change. The Downtown Saloon at 5 and 7 N. King St. was due to close after July 4. The Burn reported in June that Kathleen, Evan and Meaghan Malone had bought both buildings for a traditional Irish pub. The project's own page calls it Malone's Irish Pub, lists it as "Coming Soon" and gives a fall 2026 target.
Farther down, at 101 S. King St., Ebisu Sushi & Thai has closed. In late September, The Burn reported that Shibuya Sushi & Bar appears to be moving into the space and is hiring and working on a liquor license. No opening date has been announced.
At the 71st parade, King Street could have an Irish pub at its north end and sushi again at 101 S. King. This year, plan parade night around the posted hours: shop for sweets on Loudoun Street before 6, eat on King Street from late afternoon, and stop at 17 S. King for something sweet while the floats go by.
Rachel follows how downtown Leesburg changes block by block, from storefronts changing hands on King Street to the buildings behind them. If one of those blocks is on your mind, Rachel Van Zanten is glad to talk it through over coffee on Market Street. Let's Connect.
