It’s baaaaack!
Costumes, floats, puppets, pageantry and more will troll the city streets from Greenwich Village to Chelsea and into your worst nightmares. This Boo-tastic event returns to the spooky metropolis from the haunted cobblestone streets to the creepy and phantasmic, ample avenues for one night only.
Here is how the tradition started:
Back in 1973, an informal parade of puppets for children was organized by Ralph Lee (above) of the Mettawee River Theatre Company around his residence of artists in the Westbeth Artists Community. The following year, the parade went from Jane Street at the Hudson River to Washington Square Park. Each year after, the celebration simply engulfed the neighborhood and grew with the help of the LGBTQ community to celebrate the holiday with flair, plenty of feathers, beads and glitter plus a lot of trick-or-treat debauchery.
Here is what you need to know:
Only those in costume and masks are invited to join 53 diverse musical bands, professional and amateur dancers and artists, plus majestic floats and towering puppets in NYC’s unique brand of Carnivale. You will catch a glimpse of the incomparable Randy Rainbow leading the pack of goblins, monsters, ghouls, showgirls, clowns, and whatever attendees conjure up from their private costume departments.
The 48th Annual New York’s Village Halloween Parade is on Sunday, October 31, 2021, at 7 pm and line-up begins at 6:30 pm on 6th Avenue between Spring and Broom Streets.
Check out the site below for more details.
For those unable to attend, the parade will be broadcast live on Spectrum News NY1 beginning at 8 pm EST.
Tel.: 212-691-6397
If you live outside of the boroughs and are not a subscriber to Spectrum Cable, I suggest that you contact them directly and ask for a pay-per-view option.
Spectrum Tel.: 833-267-6094
Note: You must be in costume to march in the parade.
Tip: Please be creative and not sloppy, stupid or inebriated until after the parade!
Photo Credits: Randy Rainbow, AP, VHP, Marilyn Nieves.
