The north end of Saturday's Spooktacular route sits at Diversey Parkway and Lincoln Avenue. From August into late September, the next block south was mostly heavy equipment, torn-up pavement and storefronts you could only reach on foot. On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 1 to 4 p.m., kids in costumes will walk that same block with candy buckets.

The Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce's Spooktacular runs trick-or-treating along Lincoln Avenue from Diversey to Webster on Saturday and along Clark Street on Sunday. This year, the first few hundred feet of the Saturday route are the stretch of Lincoln that spent most of the fall closed to traffic. For the businesses there, a steady three hours of families on foot is the kind of foot traffic the closure took away.

A Closure With a Moving End Date

The closure started Aug. 10. That's when the Chicago Department of Water Management began replacing nearly 3,000 feet of water main and lead service lines on Lincoln between Wrightwood and Diversey. Block Club Chicago reported that more than 30 businesses found out about it the Monday the street closed. The city's explanation was that crews had found an underground electric duct where the new main was supposed to go, so the pipe had to move toward the center of the street. The city called it an "emergency change" to the scheduled work.

The expected end date changed several times. In late August, the Chamber said the closure would last through Oct. 6. Block Club reported mid-October, with the street reopening on a concrete base around Oct. 10, weather permitting. Then on Sept. 25, the Chamber posted an update saying the city's subcontractor, NPL, expected to lift the road closure that Friday:

"While Lincoln Avenue will reopen to traffic, parking will still be mostly unavailable as they continue restoration and other construction activities."

The second half of that sentence still applies this weekend. Sidewalk and parkway restoration was expected to continue after the roadwork, and the Chamber has given no completion date for it. With parking on the block mostly unavailable, an event that asks families to walk from door to door fits this stretch better than an ordinary Saturday of drive-up errands.

Who Is on That Block

The Chamber's list of affected member businesses works as a map of the Wrightwood-to-Diversey stretch. Here it is by address, running north toward Diversey, with a few other names Block Club reported:

Block Club's coverage also named Juno Sushi, Pat's Pizza & Ristorante, Rotofugi, Rose's Lounge, Jim Karas Intelligent Fitness & Wellness, Skinovatio Medical Spa, Chicago Chiropractic & Sports Injury Centers and a 7-Eleven among the businesses on the closed stretch.

That mix explains why the closure hit unevenly. A breakfast spot like Batter & Berries depends on walk-in weekend traffic. A dental office or an insurance agent books appointments, and those clients usually expect to park nearby. Block Club described the block as "a busy mix of neighborhood businesses, from restaurants and bars to health care providers, retailers and professional offices." Restaurants and shops are open on a Saturday afternoon, and appointment-based offices often aren't. So the businesses best set up to benefit from Spooktacular are the restaurants and shops, the ones that lost the most walk-in business when the street closed.

The Chamber hasn't posted the participating-business list yet, so don't count on any particular storefront handing out candy. The Chamber's event page says more than 40 businesses are taking part across the weekend. Two of the businesses on the table above, MSU Federal Credit Union and Kensington School of Lincoln Park, appear among its sponsors.

Walking Saturday From the Top

The Lincoln Avenue route runs about six blocks, from Diversey south to Webster. Starting at the Diversey end puts the construction block first, before small kids get tired. Here's one order that works:

1. Start at Diversey and Lincoln. Head south through the 2700 block, past Delilah's, Second Act, Batter & Berries and Wink Optical, to Wrightwood. This is the construction stretch, so watch for restoration work along the sidewalks and parkways.
2. Keep going south past Fullerton. The trick-or-treat route keeps running along Lincoln toward Webster.
3. Finish at Lincoln Common Plaza, 2335 N. Lincoln. The plaza adds treats, a photo booth, caricatures and face painting. It's the best place to end the walk, since it's the one stop with entertainment and not just a doorway with a candy bowl.

Doing it in this order means the route starts on the block that needs the foot traffic and ends at the one with the most to do.

Sunday Shifts to Clark, and Past a New Corner

Sunday, Oct. 25, uses the same 1 to 4 p.m. window. The route runs along Clark Street from Armitage to Diversey and along Diversey from Lakeview Avenue to Orchard. The Clark route passes Fullerton. At that corner, the old Emilio's Tapas space at 444 W. Fullerton Pkwy. reopened in September as Piccadilly Market.

It's a natural place for parents to stop once the candy run is done. The 5,200-square-foot space includes an all-day sandwich cafe, a coffee program, a wine shop, a bar and lounge, and an 80-person outdoor courtyard called Piccadilly Square. Owner Aaron Zacharias also runs The Northman Beer & Cider Garden and The Bar on Buena. He opened the original Piccadilly Market on Lawrence Avenue in Lincoln Square in February 2025. Mark Mendez, the former chef and owner of the West Loop wine bar Vera, runs the kitchen. His menu includes homemade English muffins, house-made focaccia, Roman-style pizza and rotating cheese and charcuterie. The bar pours three wines and five beers or ciders on draft, along with cocktails and coffee drinks. Zacharias told Block Club he wants it to be "a third space that engages the community."

The Weekend at a Glance

For adults, the evening plans center on the zoo. Lincoln Park Zoo's Zoo Brews: Howls and Growls is a 21-and-over Halloween event on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23 and 24, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $65 through Thursday, Oct. 22, and $70 on Oct. 23, subject to availability. If this post reaches you on publication day, today is the last day for the lower price.

The zoo describes Fall Fest as free, with harvest activities and seasonal programming, and it runs through Nov. 1. That leaves one more weekend after Spooktacular for daytime zoo visits before the holiday season starts.

After Halloween, the Zoo's Calendar Turns Over

ZooLights runs Nov. 20 through Jan. 3, from 4:30 to 9 p.m., at 2001 N. Clark St. Block Club reported that advance tickets cost $7 to $12, while day-of and flexible tickets cost $20. Free Monday admission with advance registration is offered on Nov. 23 and 30 and Dec. 7 and 14. Advance tickets cost $8 to $13 less than day-of tickets, so a family that plans ahead saves real money.

By then, restoration on the Wrightwood-to-Diversey block may be done, and parking may be back. The Chamber says it's staying in touch with the Department of Water Management and plans to post updates as the project moves forward. Until then, the Chamber's request for the stretch between Diversey and Wrightwood still stands: shop, dine and support the businesses there.

At Gillman Group, we keep track of Lincoln Park block by block, from street closures to restoration timelines to the corners that just changed hands. If you'd like to know how this fall's Lincoln Avenue work affects a home you own nearby or one you're considering, we're glad to walk the street with you. Let's Connect.