You have not really experienced New York City on Halloween unless you experience the annual parade through the Village. The Village is an area in lower Manhattan. Each Halloween people from all walks of life get dressed up and parade through the streets. Gay, straight, tall, short, black, white – they are all there! Two years ago I attended the parade and saw some of the best costumes I had seen in years. A young man walked up sixth Avenue dressed as Marilyn Monroe. He was wearing the infamous white dress and had a small fan rigged to periodically blow his dress up. A couple also dressed as a toilet bowl and brush, which brought laughter to the entire crowd. A young lady had dressed as Cleopatra and had jewelery dripping off of her. Costumes are funny, scary and gorgeous, all at the same time. She was stunning. The parade makes its way up Sixth Avenue, all the while stopping traffic and attracting spectators. It culminates with a party-like atmosphere at the end, where people frequent local restaurants and pubs. The parade is one of the things that makes life in New york City fun! If you are in the city on Halloween you can not miss this annual rite of passage to becoming a true New Yorker!
Posts Tagged ‘costumes’
We Did it Our Way
After I got out of high school, I enlisted in the US Air force and served four years of active duty, and I after completing basic training and tech school, I was stationed at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. I had only been on post for a few months, when Halloween came around. My roommate wanted to go to a costume party somewhere, but we had not figured out where to go. After checking out the parties, we decided to take a trip to New York and go to a costume party at the Waldorf Astoria. The ride took us about two hours, before we got into the city. We had no idea where we were going, so we started asking people for help. We found a helpful person in the name of Monica. It seems, she was going to the party, and was hitching a ride. We found a place to park, and headed to the Waldorf. We never shopped for a real costume. We just purchased two mop heads, and some white paint, and went as zombies. Monica stayed with us for a good part of the night, and made sure we enjoyed ourselves. It was a great time, and hard to believe a New Yorker could be so nice.
A Night To Remember
3 years ago, a few friends of mine and I, were enjoying a beautiful New York Halloween night. We were all at a party that my friend was having and just enjoying the crisp fall air. It was a costume party and I decided that I was going to dress up as a member of KISS and other friends dressed up as the other members of the band. During the nighttime we were given compliments about our costumes and some girls even thought that we were kind of cute. What topped the entire night off was a request by one of the females that we perform some KISS classics. My friends and I had no singing experience whatsoever, but we knew the songs and knew that we could give our friends a show. We performed for 2 hours and had the entire party going wild. By the end of the night, numerous people asked us if we would play at their weddings and birthday parties and we had to gladly decline. At the end of the night, my friends and I, left the party and went to a Denny’s and sat down to eat some early breakfast. The people in the restaurant were giving us the funniest looks, but none of that phased us. It was an amazing Halloween night as KISS.
Halloween and the Beatles
In 1992 when we were working for a music publisher one of my friends there who happened to be British decided to ask his three best friends to join him at the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade dressed as the Beatles. They bought matching suits that were very similar to they style that the Beatles wore when they first began performing, skinny ties and all. They also bought Beatles style wigs which really transformed them into Beatles lookalikes. On the night of the parade they dressed and added instruments and went downtown. They barely got to the parade before they were mobbed by crowds of people. Girls were screaming like they had when the Beatles first arrived in New York and everyone wanted to take their picture. Everyone knew that of course they weren’t the Beatles but I think that just the idea of re-creating such a famous event that happened long before most of these people were even born (including the four young men wearing the costumes) was exhilarating. Everyone along the parade route mobbed them and in a parade known for its outlandish and outrageous characters they were a stand-out. Even though it was 18 years ago, we’ve still got pictures and looking at them is a great reminder of a very special time.
New York Halloween Parade
My favorite Halloween experience in New York City was attending the Village Halloween Parade. It’s an annual parade that takes place in Greenwich Village. The parade itself consists of tons of bands playing an assortment of music, dancers, artistic performers, and hundreds of unique puppets. It reminded me of a Mardi Gras carnival with all the different colors, movement, and sounds.
I dressed as Rainbow Brite, which was by far the least unique costume there. That was part of the experience- taking in all the different crazy costumes. Anyone was able to join the parade, which made it an interactive experience as well. There were so many interesting people there, and everyone was friendly and personable.
The typical New York essence was in full force, with the eclectic parade-goers and onlookers. The most entertaining part of it all was the giant puppets. These creations seemed to come alive, and they had magical personalities to match the mood of the night.
New York on Halloween night is an amazing place to be, if you love action, mystery, and tons of craziness. The parade is a great way to wrap up a New York experience. What better way to end a day in New York than by celebrating the magic and wonder of Halloween night with a group of wild, colorful, lively characters!