A beloved NYC tradition, NYC’s Village Halloween Parade first took to the city streets in 1973. From the brain of Greenwich Village mask maker and puppeteer Ralph Lee, the Parade began as a walk from house to house in his neighborhood for his children and their friends. Now, 51 years later, it draws more than 100,000 costumed participants and spectators estimated at 2 million.
And the countdown to NYC’s beloved Village Halloween Parade has begun! We New Yorkers are looking forward to the night where ghouls and goblins will once again roam the city streets, but we also decided to jump back into the past this year and take a look at the Parade over the years.
Here’s a look at some vintage photos of the parade, dating back 50 something years ago! *Oh, and just bear in mind that you may have to squint your eyes to make a few of them out, the camera quality isn’t quite up to par for some…*
But we humans shouldn’t be the only ones getting into the fun–New York City also has few canine-focused Halloween parades as well, like the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade and the New York Halloween Dog Parade & Costume Competition!
And for more vintage NYC photos, check out these ones from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, dating back to 1927!