The annual “Ghost Walk Riverside” is scheduled Friday, featuring traditional spine-tingling tours of downtown, as well as new additions that combine storytelling and dancing to make the most of the city’s haunted past.
The California Riverside Ballet produces the Ghost Walk events annually to raise money for the nonprofit. This year’s walking tours are slated Friday and Saturday nights at various times.
As has been the case since 2022, the tours will be centered at White Park but will encompass the immediate surroundings.
“We are thrilled to partner with exceptional local dance organizations, adding an extra layer of artistry to `Ghost Walk Riverside,'” California Riverside Ballet President Susan Anderson said. “Their captivating performances will transport guests to another realm, offering a truly unique experience that merges storytelling, dance and Riverside’s haunted history.”
The nonprofit Dance We Do and the Norco-based California School of Classical Ballet will host “hauntingly beautiful dance performances” that blend “classical elegance with spooky, otherworldly themes,” inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, for the entertainment of tour-takers, Anderson said.
High school students perform re-enactments and take on the roles of goblins, apparitions, victims, malefactors and other Halloweenish entities, who populate the tours. This year’s event will include “flash mobs” to surprise attendees.
Along with narratives on hauntings in the oldest parts of the city, there will be lighter fare, including a kids’ carnival, musical entertainment provided by DJ Richter Scale and a range of food vendors on hand, serving traditional sweets and treats.
Information regarding tickets and tour times is available at crballet.net/ghost-walk/.