Thousands flood Franklin Street for Chapel Hill Homegrown Halloween

The spontaneous gathering has been a community tradition for decades, and the town has employed around 200 public safety officers for the 2017 event.

The Town of Chapel Hill observes Halloween only on Oct. 31, and does not deviate from the celebration date, no matter what day of the week it falls.

"Chapel Hill is like a second home to me," said Pakia Vand, a UNC-Chapel Hill alumni. " I couldn't miss it."

Officials have not reported the official number in attendance, but early estimates are around 15,000 people, much less than previous years.

The celebration in 2015 was recent peak in attendance at around 40,000 people.