Downtown Hollywood is about to hand out more than $10,000 for a Halloween costume. Hollyweird, the free street festival that takes over Hollywood Boulevard every October, returns Saturday, Oct. 24, running from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m. on the stretch between 19th and 20th avenues, according to the festival's own site. Admission costs nothing. The city's own calendar bills the adults' block party as a 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. affair, so expect the early evening to be the family-friendly stretch and the late hours to belong to the grown-ups.

The City of Hollywood lists the night on its official events calendar, and the organizers, Atlantic Studios, say the purse across the adult and kids' contests tops $10,000. That figure is what turns a block party into something closer to a competition. Organizers describe the adult contest as drawing upwards of a hundred entrants performing for a crowd in the thousands, and they bill the children's contest as the largest kids' costume contest in South Florida.

How the adult contest works

There is no advance tryout. Entrants sign up on the night at the 104.3 The Shark tent, then take their turn on the adult contest stage, which sits on Hollywood Boulevard roughly halfway between 19th and 20th avenues, across from the festival's main photo area. The festival frames it as a varsity-level contest, and it pitches the stage as a place to perform, not just pose. If you are entering, plan to move, not just stand there.

If you are not entering, the contest stage is still the best seat on the boulevard. Get there early if you want a view, because the crowd builds around it as the night goes on.

A separate stage for the kids

The children's contest gets its own stage on 20th Avenue next to Anniversary Park, inside a dedicated Kids' Zone, which keeps the younger crowd away from the busiest part of the bar strip. For families, that layout is the whole point: the kids can compete, collect their applause and be home well before the boulevard turns into a late-night party.

Music, food and the bars on the strip

Beyond the contests, the festival promises multiple live music stages with DJs and bands, and every stage sits close to the restaurants and bars along the boulevard, which serve food and run drink specials streetside. That is the real character of Hollyweird. It is less a staged event than downtown Hollywood's restaurant row opening its doors to the street for one night, with costumes as the dress code.

Start the weekend Friday at ArtsPark

The city has built a family night around Hollyweird. On Friday, Oct. 23, its Boo Bash takes over ArtsPark at Young Circle, a few blocks east of the festival, from 5 to 9 p.m. Music and kids' activities start at 5 p.m., a costume fashion show follows at 7 p.m., and the weekly free ArtsPark movie night closes things out at 8 p.m. with Hotel Transylvania 2 in the amphitheater. Attendance is free and food is sold on site.

Two things to know before you go. Lawn seating is the setup for the movie, so bring a blanket or a beach chair. And Hollywood's city parks are plastic and foam free, which means single-use plastic water bottles and utensils are not allowed on the grounds, so pack a refillable bottle.

For a family with young kids, that is the smart split: wear the costumes Friday at ArtsPark, where the kids get a runway and a movie under the stars, then decide whether the grown-ups head back downtown on Saturday.

Parking and getting there

Downtown Hollywood parking will be tight on festival night. The festival lists a $10 flat rate at the two downtown municipal garages and $1.50 an hour at street meters. The city points ArtsPark visitors to its downtown garages, including the Radius garage at 250 N. 19th Ave. and the Van Buren garage at 251 S. 20th Ave., both a short walk from Young Circle and the boulevard. Ride share or a bike is the easier answer if you plan to stay for the late music.

And Halloween night itself

Hollyweird lands a week early, on the Saturday before Halloween, which leaves Oct. 31 free. If you want one more costume night, the free Hollywood Beach Theatre on the Broadwalk at Johnson Street closes out its October lineup that Saturday with a Halloween-style set from the band Making Faces, 7 to 9 p.m., with the Atlantic as the backdrop. The city notes its beach theatre schedule is subject to change, so check before you go.

Why it is worth going

Plenty of South Florida towns throw a Halloween party. Few close their main street, put five figures behind the costume contest and give the kids their own stage while they do it. For anyone in Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, Dania Beach or anywhere else in southern Broward, Hollyweird is the costume night with real stakes, it is free to walk in, and it is right on Hollywood Boulevard. Start on the costume now. You have eleven days.