The Village Halloween Parade in New York City is celebrating its 41st year this Halloween. A grand menagerie of giant puppets/puppeteers, costumed celebrants, bands, dancers, and artists will march together, starting on Sixth Avenue and Canal Street in New York City and making their way north along Sixth Avenue.  Many of the puppets are made special each year and are unveiled on the night of the Parade.  A few favorite puppets are making a triumphant return this year, including the Giant Spider and the Squid on the Jefferson Market Library tower.

The Village Halloween Parade was started in 1974 by Greenwich Village mask maker and
puppeteer Ralph Lee as a trick-or-treating parade for his children and their friends. He kept it up for two years, at which point The Theater for the New City got involved and helped produce the event on a larger scale as part of the City in the Streets program. In 1977, the parade became a not-for-profit organization, discontinuing its association with the Theater for the New City.  It has been proclaimed as “the largest celebration of its kind in the world and has been picked by Festivals International as ‘The Best Event in the World’ for October 31.”

In 1994, after 20 years of successful parades, the Mayor of the City of New York, Rudy Giuliani, made a proclamation declaring, “The Village Halloween Parade presents the single greatest opportunity for all New Yorkers to exhibit their creativity in an event that is one-of-a-kind, unique and memorable every year.” The Parade “draws more than 60,000 costumed participants, and spectators [are] estimated at 2 million.”

For those driving in to attend the parade, be prepared for some extra traffic, especially in the downtown area.  As for parking, it will be virtually impossible to find street parking and difficult to find garage parking.  Your best bet is to book with ParkJockey now, and guarantee your spot at a garage close to the parade.  We have parking locations throughout Lower Manhattan, SoHo, and Flatiron, not to mention other lots all over New York City.

Book with us using the promo code “SPOOKED” and you will get 10% off your booking for this ghoulish event.  Happy Halloween, all you monsters!