"Totally a neighbor-by-neighbor initiative." That was how Tim Beane of the Fan District Association described Halloween on Hanover to WRIC in 2021. A reporter had asked who usually requests the permit to close the street, and nobody seemed to have a clean answer.
Most of the city treats the night as an institution. The Valentine calls it one of the Wall Street Journal's "Best Places to Trick or Treat" in the country. But there's no committee, no sponsor and no city office running it. As far as anyone has reported, there's a stretch of Hanover Avenue where individual households decide each fall whether to take part. Participation has always been optional for Hanover residents. Everything you see on the night is the total of those private choices.
With October 31 falling on a Saturday this year, it helps to know how that works.
The Permit Somebody Has to File
A street closure needs paperwork, and on Hanover a neighbor takes care of it. In 2024 Daniel Duval described the setup to NBC12: "We have to pay permits, we have actually have to have police officers available on site that we have to make sure we're covered for, and so, there's an application process." He said one of his neighbors handles the permit "so the tradition can continue for the kids."
That one neighbor decides whether the street is closed. The 2021 story shows what happens when nobody files. That year, Richmond Police said no one had applied for a permit to shut the 1900 block, the block that normally closes for the night. The FDA had canceled the event in 2020, and residents were left guessing what October 31 would look like.
The tradition came back. NBC12's 2024 report said thousands of trick-or-treaters returned to Hanover. It also said only one part of the stretch is now formally closed to cars, though "enthusiasm for the holiday still reaches all parts of the neighborhood." WRIC reported that the 1900 block was the focus that year. Activity ran along Hanover between North Granby and Meadow, both cross streets were blocked, and those intersections reopened after 9 p.m.
As of early October 2026, I haven't found any public announcement of this year's closure or permit. That fits the pattern, since neighbors work out the arrangement among themselves. The FDA's public events page currently reads "No events available."
What One Porch Hands Out
The permit is the visible part of the cost. The candy is where households carry most of it.
A 2023 Richmond Magazine profile said Hanover homeowners start preparing in June and typically give away 2,500 to 3,000 pieces of candy per house to the thousands of families who come through. Here's what that looks like at a few houses from the 2024 coverage:
- Hannah Sadjak bought 20 bags at Costco. "The cart was filled up, and everyone was laughing at me at the checkout line, but I think it was about 100 pounds of candy." She moved to the Fan from out of state in 2019 and didn't know about the tradition at first. She called it "the cherry on top" of the home she and her husband fell in love with.
- One Halloween household has turned a house into a fairy garden for the past few years. The household keeps it kid-friendly on purpose and adds something new each year. In 2024 that was butterflies that move and light up. The household expected to run out of 3,000 pieces of candy, the top of Richmond Magazine's per-house range.
- A 2024 yard display had a Chappell Roan theme, according to Richmond Times-Dispatch photo captions.
Each house picks its own theme, from spooky to funny. That's why the street never looks the same two years in a row. With no central plan, the design is just whatever each household chose to build. I didn't find any reporting on a shared candy fund, pooled orders or donation buckets. Each of these accounts describes one household buying its own supply.
Sadjak summed it up: "We're all proud to live on Hanover and take part in it."
The Blocks Depend on Who's Counting
With no organizer, there's no official map either. Every outlet describes the footprint a little differently:
| Source | Year | Blocks described | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| WRIC | 2024 | 1900 block as focal point, Granby to Meadow, both cross streets blocked | Intersections reopened after 9 p.m. |
| Axios Richmond event guide | 2025 | 1800 to 2200 blocks | 5 to 9 p.m., free |
| Richmond Magazine | 2025 | 1900 to 2300 blocks as the longer-running hotspot | Not listed |
Crowd estimates differ too. In 2024 NBC12 reported thousands of trick-or-treaters and WRIC reported hundreds. Nobody does an official count, because there's no official body to do one.
The table above is a record of recent years. It isn't a 2026 schedule. The 1900 block shows up in every account, and the 5 to 9 p.m. window from last year is a reasonable expectation. If you live on a cross street and need to drive that evening, the 2024 closures at Granby and Meadow are the best guide available until neighbors share this year's plan.
For anyone walking over from another part of the Fan, the FDA's advice in 2025 was to walk in groups and make sure drivers can see you. On a street where only part of the route is closed to cars, that advice matters.
A Saturday Halloween, With a Morning Walk First
This year the Valentine has also put Hanover on its calendar, as a piece of history.
Its Spotlight Tour: Halloween on Hanover runs Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The group meets at the northeast corner of Hanover and Strawberry Streets, and parking is on the street. The museum describes it as a look at how Halloween has been celebrated in America and Richmond over the past couple of centuries, with a walk past the decorations "just a few hours before" the evening crowds arrive.
The details:
- Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for Valentine members, and free for anyone under 18 and annual tour-pass holders.
- You need to buy tickets in advance, and they're nonrefundable.
- Valentine walking tours usually cover 1 to 2 miles, so wear comfortable shoes and bring water.
- Tours go on rain or shine, but extreme weather can cancel one. The museum emails registrants about any change, and you can confirm by calling 804-649-0711 x 301.
The morning slot matters because it's the only time all day when the street is fully decorated and empty. By evening, every house has finished its build and the sidewalks are packed. At 10 a.m., you can see the fairy-garden display up close and take your time with it, unlike once the crowds arrive. For anyone who has only ever seen Hanover in the dark, the tour shows how much work each household puts in.
The Saturday date shifts the timing a bit too. In 2024, one participant expected a bigger crowd because school was out the next day. This year there's no school the next morning either, and that's just how the calendar falls.
Two New Stops a Block From the Meeting Point
The tour's meeting corner is a short walk from two Strawberry Street shops that weren't there last Halloween.
Trolley Car Sweets and Treats opened July 1 at 407 Strawberry St. It's a Scandinavian-style pick-and-mix candy store run by spouses Jacob Horsfall and Nikki Victoria. On a street where a single porch can go through 3,000 pieces, a candy shop a block away is especially handy.
A few doors up, Cosette opened this month at 427 Strawberry St. Owner Ariel Richards sells women's clothing, accessories and home goods, and, according to Richmond BizSense, the store is aimed partly at local mothers. For more on what's changed around these blocks this year, see The Fan's late summer reset. For more on how these streets connect, see our guide to The Fan.
Apart from the museum's morning tour, none of this is official, from the closure on the 1900 block to the 100-pound Costco cart. It all happens because the households on Hanover keep choosing to do it again, and someone on the block keeps filing the permit.
If you own a home on Hanover or one of the blocks around it, the tradition comes with the house, along with the permit question and the candy budget. At Gary Martin, we know these Fan blocks and what it's like to live on them, October 31 included. Let's talk about your Richmond home.
