It's Halloween (I)
“All this energy callin’ me
Back where it comes from”
“The ghosts will spook
The spooks will scare
Why, even Dracula will be there
It’s Halloween
It’s Halloween
”
The weather in New York City during the last seven days was spectacular: crisp air, haze-free, blue skies. All anybody needed was a hoodie, and at times that could be left in the hotel room. As has been the case for the last seven or eight years, I was in town for the annual Village Halloween Parade, which outshines all other parades, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year marked the parade’s 53rd year.
Credit for the parade goes to puppeteer Ralph Lee, who first conceived of the event in 1973 as a walk from house to house in the West Village. Several years later, the organizers formalized the effort, creating a nonprofit corporation. According to the organizers, the parade now attracts over 80,000 costumed participants, with some 2 million people lining the route, which stretches along 6th Avenue from Canal Street to 15th Street. While many people line the route, I have serious doubts about the 2 million number. Those unable to attend can watch parade on Spectrum News NY 1, but your living room is no substitute for the streets.
I began the day early, checking out the elaborate decorations adorning stoops, steps, and walls throughout the Village. While many of the decorations were excellent, I sensed fewer homeowners erected Halloween displays this year. Surprisingly, I saw very few trick or treaters knocking on doors.
I always take a swing through Washington Square Park. Not a lot of people wearing costumes this year, but I did arrive just in time to experience Fogo Azul’s march through the park, which concluded under the archway. Particularly amusing was the woman, dressed as a chicken, leading the drum brigade.
[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]
It's a Pumpkin
Carrying Her Ride
About to Attack
A Champion Skateboarder Goes for a Spin
Making Halloween Deliveries
Loyally Waiting Outside the Firehouse
Whatever You Do, Don’t Trespass
He Rises Again (Next to the Ghostbusters Firehousse)
In the Pink, But Still Dead
Welcome
"Beware of Clowns"
Enjoying a Shrimp Cocktail
An Irish Skeleton Hanging Around
I Am Bringing Them Joy
Just Sitting Around
A Mother With Her Child
Enjoying Afternoon Tea
Impaled
Grandma Wearing Her Green Gloves
Snakes in New York City?
Don't Become an Experiment
Telling It Like It Is
A Scary Courtyard
Ready to Strike
What Remains of a Man Posted on a Stake
Fogul Azul Performing in Washington Square Park Before the Parade
A Giant Chicken Leading the Way
Under the Washington Square Arch
I Hope They Used Deodorant This Morning
Bob-O-Ween Coming to a Town Near You
Sometime around 3:00 PM, I walked over to the HERE Arts Center (146th Sixth Avenue) to pick up my media pass (aka, the coin of the realm), permitting me to intermingle with the parade participants inside the bicycle rack barriers, as they march northward along 6th Avenue.
In a 2021 interview, J.D. Vance, then running for the U.S. Senate in Ohio while making reference to Vice President Kamala Harris, described the country as being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies miserable at their own lives.” Naturally, the targets of the Vance’s derogatory characterization responded by turning the reference on its head. Cat lady puppets became a Halloween Parade staple. While the brigade numbers declined this year, the cat ladies took to the streets. When I arrived in the afternoon, the puppets were resting against walls and chain-linked fencing, waiting for their humans to arrive.
Keeping the Sidewalks Clean
The Eyes Have It
"No Standing Anytime," But the Dead Can Suffer No Further Punishment
Waiting for the Puppeteers to Arrive
Returning for Another Year
NYPD Officers Gathered In a Police Staging Area
In the Pink
ECTO NYC Illegally Parked
He’s Back
Once I had my media credentials, I headed back to my hotel. After a quick lunch (grilled chicken sandwich and fries), I then returned to my room for what I hoped would be a quick nap. But as usual, I never fell asleep. The parade was now just three hours away, so I was too excited for any shuteye.
Copyright 2026, Jack B. Siegel. All Rights Reserved. Do Not Alter, Copy, Display, Distribute, Download, Duplicate, or Reproduce Without the Prior Written Consent of the Copyright Holder.
