Ripley pet owners have a new reason to plan a Halloween costume. Ripley Main Street announced that the Spirit of Ripley pet costume contest will be held Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. at The Cut-Off in downtown Ripley, as part of this year’s Spirit of Ripley Festival and Chili Cookoff.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the downtown organization invited residents to dress their “furry friends” in their spookiest, silliest, or cutest costumes and bring them to the square for some Halloween fun. Prizes will go to the winners.
Spirit of Ripley Pet Costume Contest Details
Here is what owners need to know, according to Ripley Main Street:
Date: Friday, Oct. 30, 2026
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: The Cut-Off, 204 S. Commerce Street, Ripley
Registration: $5 per entry
Rules: All pets must be on a leash
Prizes: Awarded to the winning costumes
Ripley Main Street has not yet said how many prize categories there will be or how entries will be judged. Anyone with questions can contact the organization through its Facebook page.
Part of the Spirit of Ripley Festival and Chili Cookoff
The pet contest is one piece of the larger Spirit of Ripley Festival and Chili Cookoff, a fall tradition that fills historic downtown Ripley with food, vendors, and family activities the evening before Halloween. Ripley Main Street has also been signing up chili cooks and booth vendors for the festival in recent weeks.
The Cut-Off, the open-air gathering space on South Commerce Street, has become a regular home for downtown events this fall. It is also the site of the free Hocus Pocus movie night on Oct. 17 and will host pop-up shops during the Holiday Open House on Nov. 1.
Tips for Bringing Pets Downtown
Festival nights on the square can be busy and loud, so owners planning to enter may want to keep a few things in mind:
Do a costume “test run” at home to make sure your pet can move, see, and breathe comfortably.
Skip costumes with small parts that could be chewed off and swallowed.
Bring water, a bowl, and waste bags.
Keep a short, secure leash in crowds, and watch for dropped festival food.
If your pet seems stressed by the noise, it is fine to sit this one out.
With costume contests already popular at area fall festivals, organizers are hoping for a strong turnout of dogs and other leashed pets. Owners can register at the event for the $5 fee.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
