Plenty of Boo for you in Lakewood Ranch

By Madison Bierl
| 9:30 a.m. October 25, 2025

East County
Neighbors

Lakewood Ranch Main Street came alive with mystical creatures and lovable characters during the annual BooFest celebration Friday night.

Costumes ranged from "Toy Story" to "Monsters Inc" and then to spookier get-ups like witches and scary clowns. There was something for everyone.

For Lakewood Ranch's Dani Borges, Halloween is about being creative and dressing up with her family. In years past her, he family has dressed as ghosts, zombies, and police officers and prisoners.

For Boo Fest, she dressed as Jessie from "Toy Story" alongside her son Pedro, who was Woody.

"It's great and it's alive," Borges said. "Even though it's at night, you see all the kids running around, so it's a happy environment and so festive."

Lakewood Ranch's Lieeza Nicklaus has attended Boo Fest for the past four years but came this year as a first time mom, which gave her a new experience. Liezza dressed as Cinderella, while her husband Shawn Nicklaus was Prince Charming. Their son Cooper Nicklaus dressed as the mouse named Gus Gus.

"I've always wanted to be Cinderella, that's my favorite Disney princess," Lieeza Nicklaus said.

After a fun filled night at Boo Fest on Lakewood Ranch Main Street, Bradenton's Lennox Craig, 3, is all smiles dressed as one of the 101 dalmations.

Sarasota's Natalia Van Reenen, daughter Myla Van Reenen, 2 and Lucien Van Reenen dress as a family of bats.

Lakewood Ranch's Alessio Fago, 3, dresses as Mickey Mouse alongside his dad Chris Fago as Goofy.

Sarasota 2-year-old twins Lucas and Noah Houghton ride in style as Lightning McQueen from "Cars" alongside their dad Ed Houghton. Ed spent approximately 6 hours creating the wheelchair friendly costume for Noah, who has cerebral palsy.

Gracelynn Haygood, 1, is surely the youngest Little Red Riding Hood to be found at Boo Fest on Lakewood Ranch Main Street.

The entertainment at Boo Fest includes live music, a mad scientist show and a magic show that draws quite a crowd.

In Fantasy Flowers on Lakewood Ranch Main Street, Michelle Bridges is Elphaba, Jenny Phillips is Glinda and Trixie, an 8-year-old golden doodle, is a flying monkey from "The Wizard of Oz" and "Wicked."

Lakewood Ranch's Pedro Borges, 4, is Woody from Toy Story along with Jay Guedes as Buzz and Dani Borges as Jessie.

Dressed as a Peaky Blinder, Lakewood Ranch's Gabriel Al Saylami explores Boo Fest with an inflatable sword in hand.

With a mutual love for sea inspired Disney characters, Lakewood Ranch's Ocean Monroy, 3 and Luna Monroy, 5, join Parrish's Raelyn Oropallo, 4 and Ella Parrish, 5, for a photo.

Lakewood Ranch's Aarna Patel and Sanvi Patel, both 12, dress up as Tricky from "Subway Surfers."

Lakewood Ranch's Shawn Nicklaus, Cooper Nicklaus, 1 and
Lieeza Nicklaus dress as prince charming, Gus Gus and Cinderella. — Lakewood Ranch's Shawn Nicklaus, Cooper Nicklaus, 1 and Lieeza Nicklaus dress as prince charming, Gus Gus and Cinderella.

Lakewood Ranch's Alina Jordan, 4, is dressed as the joker and was not afraid to give the skeleton a big hug aboard the boat.

Noelle LaMon, 10, Annika LaMon, 13 and Ella Beane, 12, were more than ready to dance to hit songs "Golden" and "Soda Pop" from K-Pop Demon Hunters.

Lakewood Ranch's Tristan McArthur, 15, is invited on stage to participate in a magic show. He thought of the card eight of spades and it was the only one face up in the deck.

Lakewood Ranch resident Terry Eagle dresses as a zookeeper among his flock of ostriches — Madeleine Eagle, Tara Warmuth, Morgan Warmuth and Michael Warmuth.

Bradenton's Brooklyn Cassarino, 6, wishes her witch powers allowed her to turn people into frogs. Her brother Axel, 5, wants to find buried treasure.

Bradenton's Rolando de Lira and Francisco de Lira dress as clowns that sparked reactions of both fear and admiration from children.

Two families — Bradenton's Serafin family and New York's Stankiewicz family — came together as a large clan of minions from the children's "Despicable Me" franchise.

Legacy Salter, 5, shares his birthday with Halloween and began the celebration early alongside Grace Brooks-Haygood, 8, Tierra Salter and
Gracelynn Haygood, 1. — Legacy Salter, 5, shares his birthday with Halloween and began the celebration early alongside Grace Brooks-Haygood, 8, Tierra Salter and Gracelynn Haygood, 1.

Dressed as Hermione Granger fromm the Harry Potter series, Sarasota's Emma Boyd, 12, couldn't resist snapping a photo with Pennywise from "It."

Lakewood Ranch's Amelia Fitzmorris, 4, dresses as a pink mermaid,
Isaac Fitzmorris, 8, dresses as the Mandalorian and Eliana Fitzmorris, 6, dresses as Cinderella. — Lakewood Ranch's Amelia Fitzmorris, 4, dresses as a pink mermaid, Isaac Fitzmorris, 8, dresses as the Mandalorian and Eliana Fitzmorris, 6, dresses as Cinderella.

author

Madison Bierl

Madison Bierl is the education and community reporter for the East County Observer. She grew up in Iowa and studied at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University.