Wednesday, October 14, 2026

FYI: Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade returns Saturday

Photo by Stacie Joy

The 36th annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade takes place this Saturday (Oct. 17), with costumed dogs and their humans making their way along Avenue B. 

The parade starts at 11 a.m. at 13th Street and heads south on Avenue B to Seventh Street. Organizers recommend spectators arrive between 10 and 10:30 a.m. 

The accompanying festival area on Sixth Street between Avenues B and C will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with photo opportunities, giveaways and activities highlighting rescue dogs and adoption. 

The nonprofit New York Dog Parade, founded by Fern Watt, is organizing this year's parade, with support from Kismet, the pet food company started by Chrissy Teigen and John Legend. 

The event also includes an annual costume competition, limited to selected registered marchers. Marching registration is full, but spectators are welcome, and no registration is required to watch the parade or visit the festival area. 

For more information, including the route and spectator details, visit the organizers' FAQ page.

27 comments:

  1. Not what it used to be. It's a corporate ticktock event now.

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    1. TikTok is the correct name of the social media platform.

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    2. Nothing's correct about social media platforms.

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    1. This is true; I've never yet met a dog who liked wearing a hat or a mask—never mind a full costume—and being paraded in a crowd with other dogs!

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. As has been noted, if one wants to do chores on this day in the EV, do them the day before or the day after this event, the sidewalks are packed from Houston to 14th Street.

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    1. It's not stupid, it's cute and funny, when it's a local neighborhood event, not mass destination "festival".

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  7. Even as a cat dad who loves dogs too, I will be staying in. I have lived in this community for over sixteen years. It used to be more of a manageable, enjoyable and low key event. Now, it is chaotic and overwhelming with people even traveling from out of state to celebrate. It has become a pubic nuance for residents now. Tompkins Park and its nearby streets can no longer handle the magnitude of this event. It should be redirected elsewhere where people don't feel claustrophobic.

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  8. God help us all. I was difficult to even leave my building last year. It was nice when they had it on the East River.

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    1. It was pretty awesome at the amphitheater. Plenty of room, nice stage, seating to relax.

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    1. Exactly. How spoiled we are, to have this to complain about. (And before people start saying "the dogs hate it"--some dogs love that kind of attention. It really depends, but it doesn't require a probing and subtle analysis of your dog's personality to figure out. Over a few years, I haven't seen a miserable-looking dog. Most dog owners aren't stupid enough to try to drag a shy dog or one who hates clothing/accessories through such an event!)

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  10. Who knew SantaCon could look good!

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  11. why is everyone so grumpy? This isn't Santacon.

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  12. Honestly, the handwringing this event causes.

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  13. Isn't the definition of grieve, hence this blog, to express one's dissatisfaction or distress with someone or something? These complaints are valid because people have to go about their lives amidst this annual event which overtakes the entire neighborhood for several hours. Yes, I love dogs. Who doesn't? This is about crowd size. Our community doesn't have the space for it anymore. Move it to Washington Square Park or Prospect Park even as both are much larger and can facilitate more spectators and individuals with their beloved dogs.

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  14. Is it true that someone has "stolen" the parade, which was supposed to be a fundraiser for the dog runs? No money from the parade has shown up to support the runs is what I have heard...

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  15. EVgrumps reign supreme!

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  16. The people doing this dont even live here. They live on Upper West Side. What business do they have coming here. She's an author so I guess this is a way to expand her brand. Smells like crap to me.

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  17. "I never met an animal I didn't like" - Andy Warhol

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  18. These complainers are the grumpy people.

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