vip in the city

Halloween 2006

Tuesday night marked the 33rd Annual Village Halloween Parade in New York City. According to the parade association’s website, the parade is the nation’s largest public Halloween celebration, and the only major nighttime parade in the country. The parade was started in 1973 as a local, family-oriented promenade event for children — ironic, given how the event has evolved. Over the decades, it has grown to encompass almost 50,000 marchers, an estimated 2 million spectators along the mile-long route, and an audience of another 4 million for the televised broadcast — none of whom should be children.

Anyone in a costume is invited to join the puppets, floats and performers in the march up Sixth Avenue. This year’s theme was “The Village Hearth,” a reference to times when communities would gather around giant bonfires to mark the changing of seasons. Parade Grand Marshals Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS appeared on a KISS Float in full costume and makeup.

For old times sake, I went to observe the parade from SC’s and my former block. On the way downtown on the subway, we passed the usual assortment of ghouls and goblins, and the requisite saucy witches, Playboy-esque bunnies, sexy kitty cats and naughty nurses.

The parade had just started, and the crush of people at the intersections made it difficult to see (or photograph, or move) much. The excitement in the air was palpable, though, and I was happy to be out on this unseasonably warm night, taking small part in this NYC tradition.

I stayed only for a short while, apparently just missing out on RB, MP, BK and their band — bunch? — of roving bananas. Also somehow missed running into MB, her dad and L, who were watching the parade from a spot one block north of where I was. (And where a man was later stabbed — non-fatally — in the chest in one of those random NYC altercations. Some people don’t like to be asked what their problem is.)

We had dinner on Greenwich Street, from which we had a prime view of the rest of the night’s festivities. As we were leaving the Village, we witnessed a heartwarming moment on Seventh Avenue South when a man dressed as a giant penis passed a man dressed as a giant sperm. They called out to one another like long-lost friends, and posed with their arms wrapped around each other, as the flashbulbs of half a dozen cameras fired off to capture the magical workings of Fate.

Check out lots and lots more wild photos from the parade (via Gothamist) — and a Thriller-ific film clip. (via Gawker)

There are 3 Comments ... Halloween 2006

Qsoz
November 8, 2006

SBSP!

vipnyc
November 8, 2006

One of my favorite headlines of 2005: Will Spongebob make you gay?

(Of course he will.)

FMBJ
November 17, 2006

Oops, I know so and so loved to watch Spongebob. So?

Go for it ...