Gwinnett Daily Post

DULUTH -- Princesses rode ponies, superheroes conquered inflatable obstacle courses and, at one point, an orchestra made up of cowboys, video game characters and vampires took the stage.

Halloween came early in downtown Duluth Saturday as the city hosted "Halloween on the Green," an all-day, family-friendly take on the spookiest of holidays. A car show, hay ride and costume contest were only a few of the day's events.

"This has been the perfect evening for us," said Nami Ghoshal, a Duluth resident for eight years. "I didn't expect they were going to have all these additional things."

Ghoshal's daughter -- dressed as a "vampire queen" -- enjoyed her pony ride, while her son was part of the Duluth High School orchestra that performed selections from "Phantom of the Opera" while donning a wide range of costumes. After getting their fill of inflatable games, costumed kiddies had the chance to trick-or-treat at different shops around the town green. The Red Clay Theatre gave "haunted theatre tours."

Halloween isn't until Monday, but it was in full swing Saturday in Duluth.

"This is great," visitor Clarissa Jensen said. "Trick-or-treating at the shops was very cool."