Treats in the Streets brought costumed families to the streets of downtown Waterloo, for a pre-Halloween experience on Saturday.

The event, hosted by the Uptown Waterloo Business Improvement Area (BIA), marked its sixth year.

Jessica O’Connor brings her daughter every year.

“Ever since they started…we were there,” O’Connor said. “(My daughter) was a witch. She was young… We have been coming ever since.

Many businesses on King Street South near William Street opened their doors to children and their families looking to trick or treat at the start of the year.

Stores handed out free candy, while also having the opportunity to share more about their business.

“It’s kind of an open house for them,” said Jeyas Balaskanthan, general manager of the Uptown Waterloo BIA. “(It’s an) opportunity for people to go there with their kids, eat candy and also check out different businesses that you wouldn’t usually go to.”

Andrew Vojdani works at Luxe Nail Bar on King Street. The company participates in the event every year.

“We’ve been doing this Treats in the Streets thing for I would say five or six years now,” Vojdani said. “We’ve had a lot of support from the community, so it’s nice to be able to give back, even if it’s just in the form of candy.” »

Families were also offered activities such as face painting, balloon art and meeting the Waterloo Fire Team.