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Greenwich Village Halloween Parade Draws over 100,000

The parade this year had as its theme “meow” and was led by the grand marshal, Tony award winning actor André DeShields.

| 01 Nov 2024 | 05:50
    The parade as seen from the Jefferson Market Library clock tower. More than 100,000 people were estimated to have packed Sixth Ave. in Greenwich Village for the 51st annual Halloween parade.
    The parade as seen from the Jefferson Market Library clock tower. More than 100,000 people were estimated to have packed Sixth Ave. in Greenwich Village for the 51st annual Halloween parade. ( Photo: Alex Dolansky)
    The theme of this year’s parade was “Meow” but towering skeleton puppets are always in vogue at the Greenwich Village Halloween parade on Oct. 31.
    The theme of this year’s parade was “Meow” but towering skeleton puppets are always in vogue at the Greenwich Village Halloween parade on Oct. 31. ( Photo: Tim McCann)
    No Halloween is complete without jack-o-lanterns, seen here at the 51st annual parade in Greenwich Village.
    No Halloween is complete without jack-o-lanterns, seen here at the 51st annual parade in Greenwich Village. ( Photo: Tim McCann)
    A closeup of “Zohra” the marionette spider hanging above the Halloween parade.
    A closeup of “Zohra” the marionette spider hanging above the Halloween parade. ( Alex Dolansky)
    A closeup of “Zohra the Spider” (create d by puppeteer Basil Twist) before her annual descent from the Jefferson Market Library clocktower on Halloween night.
    A closeup of “Zohra the Spider” (create d by puppeteer Basil Twist) before her annual descent from the Jefferson Market Library clocktower on Halloween night. ( Alex Dolansky)

Spring-like weather drew a crowd estimated at over 100,000 people to the 51st annual Halloween parade in Greenwich Village Oct. 31.

The theme of the parade was “Meow” but there were plenty of skeleton puppets and political commentary mixed in with the feline costumes.

Jeanne Fleming, the Director of the Village Halloween Parade, told the New York Times that she picked the “Meow” theme during the summer after JD Vance made a reference to the Democratic party being run by “childless cat ladies.”

“The minute that the phrase was said about childless cat ladies–from Taylor Swift right down to the tiniest cat lady–everyone was on this,” Fleming told ABC News 7.

And of course, the grand marshal Tony Award-winning actor André DeShields, has a cat connection. Although best known for playing Hermes in the Broadway musical ‘Hadestown,’ he most recently played Old Deuteronomy in ‘CATS: The Jellicle Ball.’