50th Annual Halloween Parade Draws 2 Million to Village
Barbie costumes and spooky skeletons were big in the 50th annual Halloween Parade Greenwich Village on Oct. 31.
| 03 Nov 2023 | 01:04
Large skeleton figures march down 6th Avenue exciting the crowd. Skeletons were big at this year’s parade. (
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Group of people dressed to the theme of “Barbie” advocate for gay right’s. (
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Bree and Soph in their Patrick Star and Doodlebob costumes from the popular animation show “Spongebob,” getting ready to watch the parade. (
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Kicking off the parade are the large, life-like figures gliding their way up Sixth Avenue. (
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Howling figures attempt to give spectators a freight. (
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A marching band dressed as skeletons strut to the beat of their lively music. (
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The spooky floats were a big hit at the annual Halloween parade. (
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The 50th annual parade Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village drew colorfully costumed revelers and an estimated two million fans who jammed the sidewalks along Sixth Ave as the parade snaked its way from Spring St. to 18th St.
And thankfully, the NYPD reported no major incidents marred the night of revelry and spookiness.
For this year’s theme, Jeanne Fleming, the artistic and producing director decided to go with “Inside Out/Upside Down” to reflect overcoming some of the past turmoil during the worst of the pandemic which forced the cancellation of the 2020 parade while people still struggled to get back to normal in the subsequent years.
“In the last few years we have seen our world turn UPSIDE/DOWN and we all went INSIDE–not just inside to our apartments and houses, but inside ourselves,” according to the NYC Halloween web site. “We decided to literally reflect on this singular moment, and make mirrors our leitmotif. Mirrors promise to show things as they are, but the world they reveal is a backwards universe, everything intimately familiar yet uncannily changed–a promise of normal that somehow has turned out not-quite-right.”
Since it was Halloween, people went all out and showed up in their best costumes to celebrate another year, although perhaps reflecting the off year elections, the political caricatures that tend to highlight presidential election years were less prominent this year. Barbie costumes were big and so were spooky skeletons and humorous cartoon characters.
Attending the parade for the first time, Carolina Delarosa took inspiration from her Mexican culture for her costume. She dressed as ‘La Calavera Catrina,’ also known as the lady of death symbolizing life and mortality.
“I love this culture and that’s why I decided to make it this year. I am so excited and I am going to enjoy it.”
Delarosa’s New York boyfriend on the other hand has been going to the parade every year for the past 45 years. He went with a common 1972 look in New Orleans, wearing a gold mask, green beads, and a worn, brown jacket.
Taking a more modern route, Bree Grusnick wore an inflatable Patrick Star costume from the popular animated show ‘Spongebob.’
“I’ve always loved ‘Spongebob’ and I always wanted to be sexy Patrick,” Grusnick said. “I came to the parade as a child and I thought it was super magical and now I’m forcing my friend here.”
Her friend Soph dressed as Doodlebob and it was her first time attending the parade even though she lives in New York. “It’s [the parade] always been kind of old news to me,” she said, obviously a reluctant reveler.
One of the first performers had large reflective signs, resembling broken shards of a mirror.
Another group had huge skeletons accessorized with flowers, capes, and ties.
There was also a mariachi band, marching band, and multiple floats playing music and having dance parties to hype up the crowd.
A little girl, London, from the Bronx said, “It was really good. My favorite part was seeing all the balloons.” Her brother Messiah said he only liked “half of the percent. It was boring.”
Their guardian said, “It’s not really a place for kids.”
With the various protests that have happened throughout the city, there were extra security measures taken. The parade was crawling with NYPD officers who were on the lookout for any suspicious activity. There were no incidents that warranted police intervention, according to reports.
Despite the cold temperatures, the parade elicited quite a crowd that some news outlets estimated as two million strong.