The city that never sleeps threw its annual Halloween Parade on the 31st, where New York’s wackiest, weirdest and downright freakiest came out in full force.
The 33rd Greenwich Village Annual Halloween Parade‘s humble beginnings date back to 1973, when the event was started for the neighborhood children. Today, it is the biggest in the city, with thousands of participants dressed to the nines, complete with marchers, giant puppets and ornate floats.
Unlike most parades these days, the New York event is a virtual free-for-all, where the guideline for admission is simple – all you need is a costume and you’re in. Show up at the starting line in costume and join in the fun along with around 50,000 participants and a massive audience of 2 million.
The parade starts at 7 pm. at the HERE Arts Center on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Spring Street and continues up the Avenue of the Americas to 22nd Street.
Every year the theme changes, and this year it was “The Village Hearth” which was reminiscent of the ancient times’ rituals where bonfires and the change of seasons were celebrated.
The parade, which as presided over by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS decked out in full-on performance regalia, joined the teeming crowd where costumes of every variety were seen – from old standards like witches to elliot ant ET as seen in the pic above. Whatever their costume, a grand time was had by all, as young and old alike strutted to the music played by the Princeton University Band.
