One of New York City’s most well-loved Halloween traditions is the Village Halloween Parade. Now in its 42nd year, the parade usually attracts around 50,000 people — and that’s just the marchers! The parade really gets into the spirit of the holiday, and encourages dressing up, playing roles, and generally being weird and spooky. If you’re looking for a fun-filled and energetic way to celebrate the holiday, then make sure to get yourself to this event on Halloween Night!
Of course, there are two ways to participate, both of which can be fun depending on your mood. One is to watch, and the other is to participate.
Watch the Witching
What can be more festive than watching a parade? You’ll get to see hundreds of giant puppets, more than 50 bands representing music from around the world, a multiplicity of dancers in a variety of styles, imaginative artists, and — of course — thousands upon thousands of people in all manner of costume.
You’ll want a place by the street to watch: the parade runs straight up 6th Avenue, from Spring to 16th St. The streets are most crowded between Bleecker and 14th Streets, so if you plan on being in that area you’ll want to get there well-ahead of the parade’s 7pm start time. Once you’re there, simply sit back and wait for the fun to begin!
Party Participation
If you’re feeling a bit more ambitious this year, you might consider participating in the parade. The most important thing here is to wear a costume! Only people wearing a costume are allowed to march in the parade. Otherwise, it would be rather boring for the spectators, wouldn’t it? You can wear whatever costume is handy, or you can work diligently to win the prize for having the best costume in the parade (you automatically enter the contest just by marching in the parade). Just make sure to show up at Sixth Avenue at Canal St. between 7pm-9pm, and enjoy tromping along for the rest of the night with the other ghosts and goblins!
Halloween is a great time of year, a festival of fall and fun. Spending it with others in a night of grand revelry has to be one of the best ways of celebrating, and the Village Halloween Parade gives you a chance to do just that. And you’ll want to make sure you get there on Seastreak — as the parade’s website mentions time and again, trying to take a car to this would be a supremely bad idea. Seastreak will give you a chance to put the finishing touches on your makeup in comfort and style. And, of course, you can’t spell “boat” without “boo.”
Well, almost.
Sea you Soon!
The Seastreak Family
Filed Under: The Village Halloween Parade