After early rainstorms, the crowds slowly emerged on Franklin Street as the official 9 p.m. start to the annual downtown celebration approached.
Robert Humphries, a Chapel Hill resident who said he has gone to Franklin Street on Halloween since the celebration began, said he was hoping for larger crowds.
“I think it’s a little bit slim tonight, but they advertised it didn’t start until nine, so it’s starting to pick up a bit now,” he said.
Scott Banks, a supervisor from Chapel Hill parking services, said the department has been setting up cones to block parking along Franklin Street since 3 p.m.
“The rain definitely kept some people away,” he said. “Other than just being out in the rain, (our job) was easier.”
Sophomore Katie Vick, who was dressed with her two friends as gym, tan, laundry from MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” said she is excited to see all the people on the street.
“If it had been raining, we probably would have been a little more iffy about coming,” she said. “We were willing to weather the cold.”
Vick said she and her friends will stay downtown until they get too cold.
Senior Sean Johnson has celebrated Halloween on Franklin Street since his freshman year and said his furry penguin costume was keeping him warm.
