Over 100 Boston Streets Go Car-Free for Halloween as $25,000 Block Party Grant Waits on Council

Boston Spooky Streets celebrations close more than 100 residential streets to through-traffic this Halloween weekend, according to the city, while a $25,000 private grant meant to help pay for neighborhood block parties remains in a City Council committee that has not scheduled a hearing on it. The city’s Play Street permits on the new Spooky Streets map run from Oct. 30 through Nov. 1.

100+ streets closed · $25,000 Elevate Cities grant · $500 maximum stipend · 38 days in committee as of Oct. 31

What the city announced

Mayor Michelle Wu’s office announced an interactive map on Oct. 30 showing every Play Street permit active over the weekend, including permits held by recipients of the Spooky Streets Grant Program. A Play Street permit lets residents temporarily close a residential street to through-traffic. The map is posted at boston.gov/spooky-streets.

The city said it has streamlined the block party permit application and expanded what residents can bring without extra permits, including potluck food, tables and chairs, and 10-by-10 tents. “Our team has streamlined the Play Street permits process to make it faster and easier for neighborhoods to enjoy the block party experience,” said Chris Osgood, the interim chief of streets, in the city’s release.

Wu said in the release, “This Halloween, we are making it easier for everyone to come together and create those lasting memories.” Mohammed Missouri, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, thanked Elevate Cities, which the city said provided $25,000 so residents can receive grants of up to $500 for Halloween, fall and harvest block parties.

The grant waiting on the Council

Under city rules, the Council must vote to accept grants like this one. The administration filed an order to accept the $25,000 from Elevate Cities, to be administered by the Mayor’s Office for neighborhood block party and community activation stipends and a Good Neighbor Day event. Council records list it as docket 2026-1788, and it was referred to committee at the Sept. 23 meeting.

Universal Hub reported that the order needs a hearing in the Committee on City Services, which is chaired by Councilor Ed Flynn, and that no hearing has been scheduled. The site reported that the administration has used other discretionary funds to reimburse block party organizers in the meantime.

According to Universal Hub, Flynn has said the city should not be paying for block parties during a period of fiscal uncertainty. In a letter to the Boston Police Department, he cited a potential loss of up to $2 billion a year in tax revenue tied to falling downtown commercial property values, as well as layoffs of Boston Public Schools paraprofessionals, the site reported. Universal Hub also reported that Flynn objected to an O Street event in South Boston that was promoted on social media and asked police to shut it down. The mayor’s office release did not address the Council hearing.

By the numbers

At the $500 maximum, the Elevate Cities money covers at most 50 full stipends (TBR calculation: $25,000 ÷ $500), about half the number of streets on this weekend’s map. Not every closed street received a grant, and the city has not published how many stipends it has paid or from which accounts.

The block party order was one of 18 grant orders from the mayor on the Council’s Sept. 23 agenda. Ten passed the same day and eight were sent to committee, according to Council records (TBR count). At $25,000, the block party grant was the smallest of the eight referred.

Getting around this weekend

Drivers should expect closed side streets in many neighborhoods through Sunday, and transit riders should also plan around the Green Line Halloween weekend shutdown. Our Oct. 28 Council agenda preview covers other items pending before councilors, and the O’Connor Way bike lane hearing is another South Boston street issue before the city.

Sources

• City of Boston: Over 100 car-free Spooky Streets celebrations citywide this Halloween weekend (Oct. 30, 2026)
• City of Boston: Spooky Streets map
• Universal Hub: Spooky streets, spooky politics
• Boston City Council: Sept. 23, 2026 meeting record