BY: Adal Hussain, Chief Editor, Thompkins Square Park NYC Oct 21st 2023
In addition to the traditional parade activities, an “experiential area” will be added this year across from the parade route on Avenue B and 7th St. with activities, services and sample stations.
The event is already the largest Halloween dog costume contest in NYC—and perhaps even in the world—and now it’ll be bigger than ever before.
The Tompkins Square Park Dog Run announced the news on Instagram this morning, writing “Keep working on those costumes…THE PARADE! IS! BACK! ON!
Their announcement thanked sponsor Get Joy, a local dog wellness startup, for saving the parade. Parade leaders also thanked Mayor Eric Adams and Councilwoman Carolina Rivera “for quickly jumping into action.”
For more than three decades the Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade has been a tradition welcoming hundreds of dogs in adorable outfits.
“It’s a celebration of joy, creativity and the unbreakable bond between humans and their four-legged best friends,” Fern Watt, dog author and communications officer of the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run, said in a press release.
“It’s basically the Met Gala for the Canine Community. We’ve been overcome by the amazing display of support from our community, so call the pup-arazzi: the show will go on!”
Watt will serve as a judge for the event, alongside Get Joy founder/CEO Tom Arrix, Get Joy’s Veterinary Advisor Dr. Brett Levitzke of VERG Brooklyn, and others.
Expect incredible prizes for winners of various costume contest categories, including best in show, people’s choice, most creative and more.
Year after year, the canine costumes prove remarkably elaborate and conceptual, so get creative. Some of our favorite looks from past years include Phantom of the Opera, Starbarks, and even an NYC garbage can. The ingenuity knows no bounds.
This isn’t the first time the parade has faced cancellation, by the way. Amid the pandemic in 2020, the parade paused, but it came roaring back in 2021.
What started as a small gathering among friends has ballooned into a cornerstone of New York City’s Halloween season, drawing thousands of spectators to the East Village to marvel, coo and laugh at creations that somehow become more elaborate every year.
When everything runs smoothly, Garrett Russo, who created the event and organized it for nearly 30 years, said the parade can raise more than $50,000 for the Tompkins Square Park dog run, where dogs can run around off-leash in a gated area. It was the city’s first.
The money goes toward resurfacing the dog park and regular maintenance, and many of the city’s dog parks have arrangements with private groups to take care of such areas.
Thousands of people attended the 2023 Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade-2023, see more in our World Liberty TV, Political Channels by clicking here.
