The Village Halloween Parade is an annual holiday
parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...
held on the night of
Halloween
Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
, in the
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
neighborhood of New York City. The parade, initiated on October 31, 1974, by Greenwich Village
puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object called a puppet to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the ...
and mask maker
Ralph Lee, is the world's largest Halloween parade and the only major nighttime parade in the United States.
The parade reports itself to have 50,000 "costumed participants" and 2 million spectators. The parade has its roots in
New York's queer community.
The Village Halloween Parade has been called "New York's
Carnival
Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
Carnival typi ...
." The parade is largely a spontaneous event as individual marchers can just show up in costume at the starting point without registering or paying anything.
The parade's signature features include its large
puppet
A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...
s, which are
animated
Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
by hundreds of volunteers. The official parade theme each year is applied to the puppets. In addition to the puppets, more than 50
marching bands
A marching band is a group of musical instrument, instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in Martial music, armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with militar ...
participate each year. In addition, there are some commercial Halloween
parade floats.
The official route, on
Sixth Avenue
Sixth Avenue, also known as Avenue of the Americas, is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The avenue is commercial for much of its length, and traffic runs northbound, or uptown.
Sixth Avenue begins four blocks b ...
from
Spring Street to
16th Street in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, is 1.4 miles long (the distance from the gathering spot on Sixth Avenue from
Canal Street
Canal Street may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Canal Street (Manchester), Manchester, England
* Canal Street, Oxford, Jericho, Oxford, England
United States
* Canal Street (Buffalo), a street and district at the western terminus of the Er ...
to Spring Street adds another 0.2 miles). The parade usually starts at 7 PM and lasts for about two to three hours.
Historical timeline
In 1973, an informal parade of
puppets
A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in ancient Greece.
There ...
for children was organized by
Ralph Lee of the Mettawee River Theatre Company around his residence of artists in the
Westbeth Artists Community
Westbeth Artists Housing is a non-profit housing, nonprofit housing and commercial complex dedicated to providing affordable living and working space for artists and New York City arts organizations, arts organizations in New York City. The comp ...
. The next year, the parade went from Jane Street at the Hudson River to
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. The park is operated by the New York City Department o ...
. About 200 adults and children participated. The 1975 parade was produced by the
Theatre for the New City
Theater for the New City, founded in 1971 and known familiarly as "TNC", is one of New York City's leading off-off-Broadway theaters, known for radical political plays and community commitment. Productions at TNC have won 43 Obie Awards and the ...
(which at the time was in Westbeth). Lee and the Theatre won
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...
for the production. The 1975 parade grew to 1,500 participants. The new management introduced more adult elements into the event including a Halloween ball after the parade.
Organization of the parade was formally handled by a non-profit organization starting in 1976.
In 1977, the route was changed to 10th Street between Greenwich Avenue to Fifth Avenue and still ending in Washington Square. A devil sat at the top of the Washington Square arch where it released balloons and slid down a wire into the fountain. The year also saw the first appearance of giant spider on the
Jefferson Market Library
The Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library, once known as the Jefferson Market Courthouse, is a National Historic Landmark located at 425 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue), on the southwest corner of West 10th Street, in Gree ...
.
The parade continued to start at Westbeth until 1983. Two years later, with crowds expanding to 250,000, the route was moved from side streets to Sixth Avenue from Spring Street to 22nd Street (although in practice the gathering point was further south at Canal Street and the northern point would be shortened to 16th Street.
The change in route ended the connection to Washington Square Park.
Jeanne Fleming
Jeanne Fleming is an American Celebration Artist from New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's larges ...
became the Artistic and Producing Director.
In 1990,
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
and
Manhattan Community Board 2
The Manhattan Community Board 2 is a New York City community board encompassing the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, West Village, South Village, NoHo, SoHo, Little Italy, NoLIta, and a portion of Chinatown in the borough of Manhattan. It ...
begin hosting an unrelated Children's Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village in the afternoons in Washington Square.
Sophia Michahelles
Sophia Michahelles (born c. 1975) is one of the two chief artists and puppeteers of Processional Arts Workshop, makers of pageant puppets and other processional art in upstate New York. She works closely with co-director Alex Kahn. The couple's w ...
and
Alex Kahn
Alex Kahn is an American visual/performance artist and co-founder of the arts ensemble Processional Arts Workshop. He is most widely known for his creation of the large-scale puppet performance works that lead New York's Village Halloween Parade ...
become the official designers of the parade's puppets in 1998, and the following year,
Basil Twist
Basil Twist is a New York City-based puppeteer who is known for his underwater puppet show, "''Symphonie Fantastique''". He was named a MacArthur Fellowship recipient on September 29, 2015.
Personal Life and work
Originally from San Francisco, B ...
designed the spider that currently appears on the Jefferson Market Library.
Less than seven weeks after the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
in 2001, the parade was broadcast worldwide and was an indication that New York was bouncing back.
The parade was led by a giant puppet of a Phoenix rising out of the ashes. Noticeably missing from the parade was
Bread and Puppet Theater
The Bread and Puppet Theater (often known simply as Bread & Puppet) is a politically radical puppet theater, active since the 1960s, based in Glover, Vermont. The theater was co-founded by Elka and Peter Schumann. Schumann is the artistic direc ...
which had been a political staple of the parade but was protesting the new
War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to:
*Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire
* Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...
. Earlier the Bread and Puppet contingent consisted of five blocks of its giant puppets. Similarly, less than 8 weeks after
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
in 2005, more than 8,000 storm evacuees attended a funeral procession tribute as part of the parade. In 2010,
Haitian Carnival
Haitian Carnival (, ) is a celebration held over several weeks each year leading up to Mardi Gras. ''Haitian Defile Kanaval'' is the Haitian Creole name of the main annual Mardi Gras carnival held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The parade is known ...
Artist Didier Civil created Haitian carnival figures as a tribute to victims of the
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (departm ...
.
The parade was cancelled for the first time in the aftermath of
Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...
in 2012, which had heavily damaged coastal New York City and had left Greenwich Village without electricity during the parade time.
The next year, a
Kickstarter
Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
campaign to cover costs of the 2012 closing saved the parade from permanently closing.
The campaign raised $56,000, surpassing its goal of $50,000.
Less than four hours after eight people were killed six blocks west of the parade route in the
2017 New York City truck attack
On October 31, 2017, Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov drove a rented pickup truck into cyclists and runners for about of the Hudson River Park's bike path alongside West Side Highway#West Street, West Street from Houston Street south to Chambers ...
, the parade proceeded as scheduled. Both Mayor
Bill de Blasio
Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who was the List of mayors of New York City, 109th mayor of New York City, mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of t ...
and Gov.
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...
marched in the parade.
In 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic in New York City
The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City was confirmed on March 1, 2020, though later research showed that the novel coronavirus had been circulating in New York City since January, with cases of community transmission confirme ...
, the parade was canceled for the first time in eight years. The parade's organizers cited concerns that
social distancing
In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dise ...
would be impossible with the high crowds that the parade typically saw.
Theme
In 2001, the parade presented a work of puppetry that would become celebrated for its artistry, and remembered in the city's history. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, events citywide and nationwide were being either scrapped or postponed. Organizers believed the parade would give the city a much-needed emotional release, reform the community, and help it to begin the healing process. They felt that this was the most positive way they, as artists, could serve the city at such a desperate time. "This is the meaning of the Dancing Skeletons that always lead the march: they know better than anyone what they have lost, and so they dance this one night of the year to celebrate life," Fleming told
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
in an interview.
By September 15, Fleming had scrapped the old theme and chosen a new one. Although no one was certain the parade would take place, designer
Sophia Michahelles
Sophia Michahelles (born c. 1975) is one of the two chief artists and puppeteers of Processional Arts Workshop, makers of pageant puppets and other processional art in upstate New York. She works closely with co-director Alex Kahn. The couple's w ...
conceived of a new theme, Phoenix Rising, to galvanize the spirit of New York in the wake of the tragedy. A giant puppet of a
phoenix, the mythical bird that rises up out of its own ashes, was created by Michahelles in the workshop of Official Parade Puppeteers
Superior Concept Monsters
Processional Arts Workshop (PAW) is an ensemble of performing artists and theatrical technicians founded in 1998, devoted to pageant puppetry and processional art. They are also known by the name Superior Concept Monsters. They are best known for c ...
. The animated creation was mechanically configured to spread its wings and rise out of fiery ashes, represented by flickering
lantern
A lantern is a source of lighting, often portable. It typically features a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle, a oil lamp, wick in oil, or a thermoluminescence, thermoluminescent Gas mantle, mesh, and often a ...
s lifted on poles, encircling the parading figure. On October 25 the parade received final authorization to go ahead. In light of the widely established community relationships which Fleming had cultivated, and the parade's long tradition, Mayor
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...
insisted it go on.
Cultural impact
The parade has been studied by leading cultural anthropologists. According to ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', "the Halloween Parade is the best entertainment the people of this City ever give the people of this City." "Absolutely anything goes," says ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
''. "Be prepared to drop your jaw."
The history of the parade is both celebrated and eulogized by
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...
in the son
Halloween Paradeon his 1989 album
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
. The Village Halloween Parade also themed in the video game ''
Tycoon City: New York'', published in 2006.
Tycoon City: New York
at gamefaqs.gamespot.com
Gallery
File:New York City Village Halloween Parade 2024.jpg, Spring and Thompson streets, 2024.
File:Pinkladywendywilliams.jpg, Parade participant (2004)
File:Exoticblackredwendywilliams.jpg, Exotic masquerader in beads, feathers, headdress, and face paint (2004)
File:Mask-blackhat.jpg, A masquerade
Masquerade or Masquerades may refer to:
Books
* ''Masquerade'' (book), a 1979 children's book by Kit Williams that sparked a worldwide treasure hunt
* ''Masquerades'' (novel), a 1995 Forgotten Realms novel by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb
* ''Masq ...
r poses in front of a wrought iron fence in historic Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
File:Jeannefleming.jpg, Celebration artist Jeanne Fleming
Jeanne Fleming is an American Celebration Artist from New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's larges ...
, the parade's artistic and producing director
File:Nycbuginvasion.jpg, Twenty-foot illuminated caterpillars — animated pageant sized puppets designed by Alex Kahn
Alex Kahn is an American visual/performance artist and co-founder of the arts ensemble Processional Arts Workshop. He is most widely known for his creation of the large-scale puppet performance works that lead New York's Village Halloween Parade ...
of Superior Concept Monsters
Processional Arts Workshop (PAW) is an ensemble of performing artists and theatrical technicians founded in 1998, devoted to pageant puppetry and processional art. They are also known by the name Superior Concept Monsters. They are best known for c ...
— transform Manhattan's Greenwich Village in 1998 (the former Twin Towers
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...
are prominently seen in the background)
File:Phoenixcrop.jpg, An incandescent baby phoenix conceived and designed by Sophia Michahelles
Sophia Michahelles (born c. 1975) is one of the two chief artists and puppeteers of Processional Arts Workshop, makers of pageant puppets and other processional art in upstate New York. She works closely with co-director Alex Kahn. The couple's w ...
of Superior Concept Monsters
Processional Arts Workshop (PAW) is an ensemble of performing artists and theatrical technicians founded in 1998, devoted to pageant puppetry and processional art. They are also known by the name Superior Concept Monsters. They are best known for c ...
rises from fiery ashes to new life in 2001, after the September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
File:2019 Village Halloween Parade - 49376052626.jpg, The L Train Brass Band
The L Train Brass Band is a large non-profit community adult music organization based in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY. Founded in 2017, the L Train Brass Band is composed of close to 100 Brass instrument, brass, Woodwind instrument, reed, and Percussi ...
(2019)
Many bands, including the Princeton University Band
The Princeton University Band serves as the official marching band and pep band of Princeton University. Like most other Ivy League bands, it is a scramble band. To members and fans, it is often known as the PUB (pronounced ''Pea You Bee'') or s ...
, the Queer Big Apple Corps, and the L Train Brass Band
The L Train Brass Band is a large non-profit community adult music organization based in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY. Founded in 2017, the L Train Brass Band is composed of close to 100 Brass instrument, brass, Woodwind instrument, reed, and Percussi ...
, pictured here in the 2019 parade, march in the parade every year.
File:2019 Village Halloween Parade - 49375942796.jpg, Parade participants (2019)
References
Other sources
Videos
* Karl Gober
:*
:* 2000 Halloween Parade
"Life Cycle of a Parade"
Note: Each chapter is about one minute long
Note: Twin Towers
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two e ...
in background on their last Halloween
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Superior Concept Monsters
— Theme Performances
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* Street photo montage, Kenneth Akama
Photographs
*
*
* NYCfoto &mdash
2014
2013
2011
2010
2009
2008
*
External links
*
Superior Concept Monsters
"Official" Puppeteers for New York's Village Halloween Parade
*
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*
{{Halloween events
Halloween
Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
Halloween events in the United States
Greenwich Village
Sixth Avenue
1973 establishments in New York City
Recurring events established in 1973
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