For some Floridians, Halloween festivities begin on Thursday, and this is why several Tampa Bay area pubs and eateries are all gearing up for a busy weekend.
Saturday night is likely to be the most popular night of the weekend, with hundreds of people flocking to the SoHo district in South Tampa. At night, a section of Howard Avenue will be closed to traffic.
For the past three months, The Grove SoHo has been planning for this weekend.
“Halloween is going to be a rager,” Manager Stephanie Quiroz said. “I’m sure along the whole block you’re going to see thousands of people through the whole weekend.”
MacDinton’s Irish Pub built a chain-link fence around the parking lot to handle the massive crowds expected. However, those who live nearby are also preparing for the crowds and what could be left behind after the weekend of partying winds down.
Quiroz stated that she is listening to the community’s worries and assuring them that they would clean up after the weekend is over.
“We make sure that our staff cleans the street,” Quiroz explained. “That’s what we do for our community. We’ll clean up our side of the street and any trash that we can.”
Tampa police officers have been gathering all week to plan their “Safe Halloween Operation” for this weekend.
The police presence will be reinforced in numerous sections of the city.