The annual New York City Village Halloween Parade is back for another year this Friday, with an exciting theme and plenty of street closures.
Break out your tasty costumes because this year’s theme is potluck! Organizers are encouraging people to come together for the parade, which they are calling a Halloween feast.
“From comfort foods to exotic fare, from barbecue to boba pearls, from paper to porcelain,” the website reads. “Together we will serve up a feast that will fill up the eyes and nourish the spirit of ALL THE PEOPLE!”
The parade will be packed with plenty to see, with the return of the giant puppets, along with music from around the world, art and dancing.
Here is everything you need to know about transportation, the route, timing and more for the annual parade.
Map shows the NYC Halloween Parade route
The parade begins at Canal Street and Sixth Avenue and continues in a straight line, ending at Sixth Avenue and 15th Street.
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Spectators can watch the parade along both sides of the street from King Street to 15th Street. VIP tickets were available for purchase, granting spectators special standing and seating areas to watch the parade. The VIP standing and seating areas have been sold out, however.
What time is the NYC Halloween parade?
The parade begins at 7 p.m. on Halloween night, but the organizers recommend arriving early to secure your spot along the route. It will end around 11 p.m.
The public is welcome to join the parade in costume for free, if they line up on the corner of Canal and 6th Avenue between 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
A ticketed after-party will be held after the parade. The theme for the after-party is “The Vampire Ball,” and it’s being thrown by House of Yes at Industry City in Brooklyn.
Village Halloween parade street closures
Parade organizers ask that people not drive to the event due to street closures and the large crowds expected.
Here is a list of street closures beginning on Friday.
Formation:
- 6th Avenue between Spring Street and Canal Street
- Dominick Street between Varick Street and 6th Avenue
- Sullivan Street between Broome Street and Spring Street
- Broome Street between Sullivan Street and Varick Street
- Spring Street between Sullivan Street and Varick Street
Route:
- 6th Avenue between Spring Street and 15th Street
Dispersal:
- 16th Street between 5th Avenue and 7th Avenue
- 17th Street between 5th Avenue and 7th Avenue
- 18th Street between 5th Avenue and 7t Avenue
- 5th Avenue between 14th Street and 19th Street
- 7th Avenue between 14th Street and 19th Street
Miscellaneous:
- 10th Street between 6th Avenue and Greenwich Avenue
- Van Dam Street between Varick Street and 5th Avenue
For more information about other street closures in New York this week, click here. The New York City Department of Transportation also has a list of other Halloween events, such as Trick-or-Treats, on its website.
How to get to NYC’s Halloween parade
The organizers of the parade recommend that all spectators and participants take the train or bus to get to the event.
The L train will run on a normal schedule during the event, but there will be some changes to other lines and stations.
- Trains heading southbound will bypass Spring Street C/E between 5 to 10 p.m.
- The northbound side of Spring Street C/E will be exit only
- Southbound A trains run lock from 59 Street to Canal Street after 10 p.m.
- Northbound A trains will operate via the Rutgers Tube after midnight
- Southbound F trains will operate via the Cranberry Tube after midnight
- 14 Street and 6 Avenue L/F/M station: The 16th Street side will be exit only.
- West 4th Street A/B/C/D/E/F/M station: Some entrances will become exit-only and entrance-only depending on crowd size and timing.
Buses along 6th Avenue will be rerouted starting after 6 p.m. until the parade ends.
History of the Village Halloween parade
The NYC Village Halloween parade began in 1973 when a puppeteer, Ralph Lee, took his family and friends on a walk in the neighborhood. The parade grew larger the following year after a theater became involved. But in its third year, the parade became a non-profit organization and produced the entire spectacle itself.
Fifty-two years later, the parade now attracts around 2 million spectators and around 80,000 participants, according to the website. Past governors and mayors have also attended the parade.
The theme for 2024 was “Meow.”
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