Catasauqua This Week: Halloween Parade, Phantoms, and More

The calendar stays full in Catasauqua and North Catasauqua this week. The joint Catasauqua/North Catasauqua Halloween Parade steps off Wednesday night, the borough's planning commission holds its rescheduled October meeting Tuesday evening, and community listings flag a Block Friday gathering on Front Street Friday afternoon. Beyond the boroughs, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms skate twice at PPL Center this weekend and the 105th Bethlehem Halloween Parade is Sunday. Here is what is happening in and around the two boroughs this week, plus what is new at the Catasauqua Area School District and three places to eat that are new to this blog.

Local News and Community Happenings

The civic calendar opens Tuesday night: Catasauqua's Planning Commission holds its rescheduled October meeting this evening, October 20, per the borough's homepage calendar. The commission normally meets the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Borough Hall, 90 Bridge Street, but this month's session was moved to Tuesday. Later in the week, the borough's Civil Service Commission meets Thursday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m. at Borough Hall, per a notice the borough posted October 15.

Catasauqua Borough Council held its monthly business meeting last night, Monday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m. at Borough Hall, livestreamed via GoToMeeting on the council's usual third-Monday cadence; the next committee/workshop night lands on the borough's first-Monday schedule in November. North Catasauqua has no council meeting on the calendar this week either, its October meeting having been held earlier this month; the borough's next council date follows its first-Monday rhythm in November. Agendas and minutes stay posted on both borough sites.

Halloween week is here. The joint Catasauqua/North Catasauqua Halloween Parade steps off Wednesday, October 21 at 7:00 p.m., with a rain date of Wednesday, October 28; the route starts at Walnut Street and 14th Street, winds through Church, Howertown, Bridge, and Fourth streets, and ends at William J. Albert Memorial Park, 701 Grove Street in North Catasauqua, right around the corner from this blog's namesake home. Then Catasauqua's annual Trunk or Treat takes over the American Street parking lot at Catasauqua Park on Saturday, October 24 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with decorated vehicles handing out treats and families in costume; vehicles must pre-register with the borough, per its calendar. Both Catasauqua and North Catasauqua hold trick-or-treat on Halloween night, Saturday, October 31, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

One community item to flag: event listings point to a "Block Friday" gathering on Front Street in Catasauqua on Friday, October 23, listed for the afternoon, with a related food-truck listing in the evening. It appears in local community listings rather than on the borough's official calendar, so check the listing before heading over.

At the Catasauqua Area School District

Two dates matter at the district this week. First, Wednesday, October 21 is an early dismissal day in all CASD buildings, with students let out early for a faculty meeting; the downloadable district calendar on cattysd.org lists the full year of holidays, in-service days, and board dates. Second, the end of marking period 1 falls on Wednesday, October 28, per the district's building calendars, so report cards are on the way for the first quarter. The board of education held its October meeting last Tuesday, October 13, at the District Administration Office, 201 N. 14th Street; its next meeting is Tuesday, November 10, and agendas and minutes stay posted on the district site.

Friday night, the varsity football team hosts Salisbury Township at Alumni Field at 7:00 p.m. in Colonial League Division B play, then closes the regular season on the road at Northwestern Lehigh Friday, October 30, per the 2026 schedule posted at roughriderathletics.org and PAFootballNews. Fall schedules for soccer, volleyball, and cross country, plus any game changes, post to the athletics site as the season winds down.

Things to Do in the Area

The weekend's biggest draw is hockey: the Lehigh Valley Phantoms host the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday, October 24 at 7:05 p.m. and the Belleville Senators on Sunday, October 25 at 3:05 p.m., both at PPL Center in Allentown, about a 25-minute drive from Catasauqua. It is the team's only home double-date this weekend, per its 2026-27 schedule.

The State Theatre in Easton has a family-friendly weekend: Cinderella, performed by the United European Ballet Company, plays Friday, October 23 at 7:00 p.m., and "Hello, I Must Be Going," a Phil Collins tribute, follows Saturday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on the theatre's site, statetheatre.org.

The region's marquee Halloween tradition lands Sunday: the 105th Annual City of Bethlehem Halloween Parade steps off at 2:00 p.m. on October 25, with a rain date of Sunday, November 1. The roughly 1.5-mile route starts on West Broad Street at 9th Avenue, heads east on Broad, then turns south on Main Street to Lehigh and Spring streets. Expect floats, marching bands, costumed marchers, and big crowds along Broad and Main; it is about a 15-minute drive from Catasauqua.

For spooky-season thrills, Dorney Park's Halloween Haunt runs Friday through Sunday this weekend, October 23-25, with the park open in the evening until about 11:00 p.m.; this year's line-up includes the new Blair Witch: No Signal haunted maze, seven mazes, five scare zones, and nighttime rides, with maze access requiring a separate Haunted Attractions Pass. In the daytime, Boo at the Zoo continues at the Lehigh Valley Zoo in Schnecksville Saturday and Sunday, October 24-25 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with trick-or-treating and costume contests, about a 25-minute drive away. Valley Fruits & Veggies in Bethlehem also lists a family GLOW Maze Night for Friday evening, so the hay-maze crowd gets a lit-up option. Foliage is near its late-October peak, so a leaf-peeping drive through the Lehigh Valley or up toward Jim Thorpe in Carbon County makes a good afternoon outing.

Good Places to Eat Nearby

This week's picks are all new to the blog, and all three sit in Coplay, the borough just up Front Street from Catasauqua. Thai Diner at 910 Chestnut Street in Coplay is a small Thai restaurant with a strong local following, about 4.9 stars on Google, for curries, noodles, and other Thai staples; call (610) 440-2668 or see thaidinerrestaurant.com for the menu and hours.

Los Tulipanes Restaurant, Bakery & Tortilleria at 123 Chestnut Street in Coplay is a Mexican restaurant, bakery, and tortilleria in one storefront, a handy stop for a sit-down meal or fresh tortillas to take home; it lists no website, so call (610) 871-0827 to check hours. And Coplay Eatery at 1214 Chestnut Street is a neighborhood eatery with its menu and hours posted at coplayeatery.shop; call (610) 440-0293. Between the three, Coplay covers Thai, Mexican, and good old-fashioned American comfort in a five-minute drive from the borough line.