The annual Village Halloween Parade will return to New York City on Halloween night, bringing a wide range of spooky and creative costumes to Sixth Avenue for a 52nd year.
The Village Halloween Parade has a long and rich history dating back to 1973, when Greenwich Village puppeteer Ralph Lee walked through his neighborhood in a mask to entertain the local children. Since then, the parade has grown into a massive event known to draw hundreds of thousands of participants and millions of spectators, representing the culmination of artistic culture in New York City.
On Halloween night — a Friday night this year — the parade will march up Sixth Avenue, starting at Canal Street and ending at 15th Street. Anyone in a costume is welcome to walk in the parade. The event will begin at 7 p.m. and run until 11 p.m.
If you are not in costume, you are still free to watch the parade from both sides of Sixth Avenue — and the event is always free to attend. The parade also offers tickets to attendees who wish to sit in the VIP standing area, but those tickets are sold out. The only tickets remaining are for marchers in costume who wish to avoid long lines: A $125 ticket gains access to a “secret” entrance to the backstage and the band lineup area.
This year’s theme is “Potluck,” which aims to bring people together during an era of great division.
“It’s rough out there,” the Village Halloween Parade’s website states. “People are divided; othering is rampant; online echo-chambers amplify the loudest, angriest voices. Does nothing still connect us? Can we still imagine common ground? Maybe it’s time to just sit down and break some bread together.”
Those who plan to march in the parade are being asked to show up at Sixth Avenue at Canal Street and enter the area from the east and south. Marchers are expected to show up between 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., at which point participants will wait in a lineup to enter the parade area. Organizers say they will let groups of 1,000-2,000 to enter the march at different time intervals. From there, marchers are directed to proceed north along Sixth Ave. Alcohol is not allowed.
The parade often invokes the political spirit of the moment given that it takes place just days before election day every year. At last year’s event, political themes were visible on signs, including one that read, “Votes for THE woman #Harris2024.”
Official Parade Puppeteers will symbolize this collective feast by presenting many diverse puppets walking through the streets alongside one another, accompanied by a “flotilla of food.” Although temporary, this shared moment will bridge the gap between people, symbolizing the importance of unification and solidarity.
Make sure you arrive early to secure a good spot to watch this unforgettable experience!
