The Little Five Points Halloween Parade, where Atlanta gets freaky in a (mostly) family friendly way. Here, James Abele hula hoops. AJC photos by Jamie Gumbrecht.

Here’s what I noticed this afternoon at the Little Five Points Halloween Parade (<<more photos) down Euclid Avenue:

• The crowd seemed a little smaller, but the parade itself seemed longer.
• “Thriller” is this year’s Halloween song of choice. If there was music, it was Michael.

Go-go-dancing, baton-twirling, dress-flapping, hair-bouncing gals of Atlanta.

• A league of baton twirlers! Why did nobody tell me?! That’s awesome!
• No ninjas, tons of pirates. Maybe there’s something to this pirate museum after all?

These fellows walked with the Atlanta Pirate and Wenches Guild.

• The Seed and Feed Marching Abominable: still charming.
• The most dominant characters were werewolves on little bikes, lucha libre wrestlers and oversized dragons.

Doesn't the dragon look just as surprised as the skeleton? Were they not expecting the crowd?

• As the parade went on, the crowd pressed closer and closer to the center. Kudos to North Atlanta High School Marching Band for getting through it without taking anyone out with a trombone.
• Children are apparently willing to fight, dart into traffic and maybe die for a piece of Laffy Taffy.

The most popular folks in the parade: candy tossers. Here, after the catch.

• Post-parade, the lines for coffee looked much longer than the lines for beer.
• I didn’t know what a Snallygaster is/was. It sounds like it’s going to become a thing around here.
• If you weren’t really excited about Halloween before, it’s hard not to be now.

I hear this parade finale float, featuring the mythical Snallygaster, won first place.

What were your favorite parade moments? Post in the comments!

Atlanta Rollergirls have skating skills and really fabulous socks.