Costumes in New York City's Village Halloween Parade

Photo by InSapphoWeTrust /CC-BY 2.0

By Admin

In a place as lively as New York City even the smallest celebrations can become big events, so imagine the magnitude of a celebration like Halloween.  A while back we wrote a piece about costumes in Times Square and how the world’s busiest intersection is home to many costumed characters worthy of Disney or Universal’s parks.  On a daily basis, these costumed characters add life to the already electric environment of Midtown Manhattan, so is Times Square the best for costumes in New York City?  Times Square is certainly known for the clusters of superheroes and mascots that move around having their picture taken with visitors, but the Village Halloween parade takes the lead with a one day event; one that happens on the most special day of the year for costume enthusiasts—October 31st!

The Village Halloween Parade is a prime example of New York’s festive vibe at work.  A simple Halloween tradition that started as a door-to-door neighborhood tour—much like trick-or-treating or Christmas caroling—evolved into what is today known as the “The Best Event in the World.”  Naturally, one of the main factors for the event’s success is the ingenuity behind the costumes that decorate the streets of New York City’s Greenwich Village every October 31st.  The parade’s founder, puppeteer/mask maker Ralph Lee, started a small neighborhood parade to entertain family and friends during Halloween in 1974.  Costumed locals would join in the neighborhood walk in celebration of Halloween but they did not imagine the grand proportions that the parade crowds would reach just a few years ahead—100,000 strong by the 8th anniversary.  Today, the parade counts with two million spectators and more than 60K participants parading in unbelievable costumes for the masses.  It’s no wonder the parade is the best event to witness great costumes in New York City.

Ingenuity in Costuming

Photo via WikiMedia/CC-BY 3.0

The costumes seen at the Village Halloween Parade are not average.  The parade organizers encourage participants to create their own unique styles, so it’s not like you’re going to see the same mass produced outfits that you find at your local costume shop.  Even the popular characters that usually make for trendy Halloween costumes make appearances at the parade, but the renditions created by participants are elaborate masterpieces that you are likely to see at cosplay conventions.  Many of the parade marchers are cosplayers and even the ones that don’t claim to be are in most likely in denial.  The quality of the costumes seen in this popular New York Halloween tradition is a reflection of the grandeur of the parade itself.

Photo by InSapphoWeTrust /CC-BY 2.0

The Village Halloween Parade is at the level of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or New Year’s Day Rose Parade, except it celebrates what some may consider to be an unconventional holiday.  Because of this, the costumes need to be of outstanding.  Sure, this parade doesn’t have giant Woody Woodpecker or Charlie Brown balloons but they have captivating ghouls on stilts accompanied by puppeteer-made snakes, skeletons, ghosts and whatever other random creature creeps out of the puppet makers’ imaginations.  Some costumes are fun and some others are just pure evil, but that’s the beauty of the Village Parade—almost anything goes.  Try to pull off one of these looks at the Christmas or New Year’s parade and see how out of place they will be.  The Village Halloween Parade is one for New York to be proud of.

The Costume Contest

Left and Right Photos by cisc1970/CC-BY 2.0 

A true Halloween event is not complete without a good old fashioned costume contest.  The Village Halloween Parade is no exception.  In a place where thousands of New Yorkers hit the streets in personally created outfits the competition is fierce.  If this makes you nervous about daring to enter the contest, fear not!  You won’t even realize you are in the contest until they call you out to inform you that you are finalist.  The Big Apple’s biggest Halloween parade is all about costumes, so anyone who simply dresses up and shows up to march is considered.  Just remember that you have a very long shot if you show up in a ready-made outfit without any customization.  Some of the participants make costumes completely from scratch and that allows them to be 100% creative, and creativity is what wins this contest.

What the Parade Means to the Big Apple

New York has endless grassroots events to make the city proud, but only few stand out nationally—and even internationally.  Sure, everyone immediately knows the Thanksgiving Day Parade, but this Halloween street march is not your cookie cutter corporate event.  The Village Halloween Parade is a not-for-profit organization, and because of that, the event maintains its integrity and artistic/cultural purity.  This event is meant for real fans of Halloween and costuming but still manages to get vast attention—locally, nationally and internationally—from the media.  The parade is televised, so even if you are from out of town, you will still be able to witness the best Halloween costumes in New York City!