An afternoon look at 7th Street and Avenue B

Photo by Robert Miner 

At the height of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade this afternoon...

What to know about the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade tomorrow

Photos by Stacie Joy

The 33rd edition of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade takes place tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 21. (Yes, the event was canceled this year, then revived via sponsor Get Joy, a Connecticut-based dog wellness company. Details here.) 

Given that a sizable portion of Tompkins Square Park is closed for construction (here and here), the city has OK'd extending the event onto parts of Avenue B and Seventh Street. 

The info here comes from the Dog Parade website: 

The day consists of a walking parade down Avenue B (free and open to all) and an exclusive costume competition in the park (also free, but limited space and wristbands available. Wristbands are available the day of the event, first come, first serve). 

To join the parade in your costumes, meet at 13th Street & Avenue B. (Do not meet in Tompkins Square Park!) Spectators can watch the parade on Avenue B from 12th Street to 7th Street. The parade is rain or shine and begins at 1 p.m. There is no registration to walk in the parade. 

To have a chance to compete in the exclusive costume competition (or score a free wristband to watch), arrive at 12th Street and Avenue B no later than 12:30 p.m. The waiting area for the parade opens at 12 p.m. Judges will be selecting their favorite costumes to compete in the competition from 12-1:30 p.m. 

The map (via the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade Instagram account) shows the parade route, which starts at 12th Street and Avenue B... heads south to Seventh Street, where the parade turns right and enters Tompkins at the entrance mid-block...

Some specifics about timing: 

1 p.m.: Parade kick-off 

1:45 p.m.: Interview finalists 

2 p.m.: Best in Show begins 

2:30 p.m.: Best in Show winners are crowned 

And for the bullet-point crowd:

• This event is open to all, and attendance is free 

• The first 600 paradegoers will receive wristbands, giving them access to march in the parade and access the park/contest stage and Seventh Street (first-come, first-serve basis) 

• Event is rain or shine 

• During the parade, a panel of judges will select canines and their humans to advance to an exclusive costume competition on the park stage

And what about parking in the area? Like, if you live here and have a car that might typically be parked along Avenue B or Seventh Street... this info comes via the 9th Precinct:

No parking on both sides of the street on Avenue B from 14th Street to Seventh Street, and no parking on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B (both sides of the street). Starts Friday at midnight, ends Saturday at 9 p.m.  

Per a spokesperson at the 9th: "Tow trucks will be towing people, but we'd rather get the word out to the community ahead of time."

Otherwise, enjoy!

So the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade will take place this year after all

There will be a Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade after all this month.

Last Thursday, organizers canceled the event "for the foreseeable future." According to an Instagram post: "Despite our best efforts to keep the parade going, with ongoing building work in both our local parks [East River and Tompkins] there was just no way to hold the parade this year." 

Organizer Joseph Borduin told EVG and other outlets that there was too much bureaucracy involved with city agencies and local elected officials for the necessary permits and insurance costs — upwards of $50,000. The parade was to take place along the Open Street of Avenue B.

Enter Get Joy, a Connecticut-based dog wellness company, who, according to a press release, jumped in as the exclusive title partner to work with the Friends of the First Run, the official 501(c)(3) fundraising organization for the Tompkins Square Dog Run, to help fund and orchestrate this year's parade. 

"This parade is all about dogs finding joy by spending time with their families and other dogs in their community," Get Joy founder and CEO Tom Arrix said in a statement. 

"I couldn’t have imagined this in my wildest dreams. First, the Mayor offers his support, and then Get Joy reaches out to pay for everything all within the hour," Borduin told EVG's Stacie Joy last night. "I was done with Halloween and ready [to] think about Thanksgiving, but this time, the entire country spoke out and said that this show must go on, and thanks to everyone's support, it will!" 

The parade is scheduled for Oct. 21 from 1-3 p.m. Stay tuned for more details on this 33rd edition.

Updated: Per City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office:

The parade will take place on Avenue B from Sixth Street to 14th Street, with staging on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. Additionally, a stage will be set up in Tompkins Square Park. 

The event was nearly canceled in 2018 as well, though a deal was eventually worked out.

At the 31st Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade

The 31st edition of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade took place again at the East River Park Amphitheater this past Saturday afternoon.

As the top pic shows, there was a big turnout for the event after last year's primarily virtual offering (there was a small in-person/dog event at Lucky on Avenue B).

And as always, there were pop (pup?)-cultural references galore represented in the costumes, from standbys such as "Star Wars," "It" and "Joker" to recent phenomenons like "Squid Game."

In the end, the panel of judges, which included local resident Lindsey Jordan, the singer-songwriter behind Snail Mail, selected a more topical Best in Show... 

... an essential workers tribute created by Bronx resident Ruben Santana and featuring his dog Amun ...

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was there ... and she shared this look at some of the costumes seen on this dog day afternoon...

The Dog Parade, which outgrew Tompkins Square Park, took place in East River Park in 2018 and 2019.

With the gutting of East River Park expected to start in several weeks, this will likely be the last time the Dog Parade is held at this venue in the foreseeable future. 

Opponents of the city's current resiliency plan for the Lower East Side stormed the stage at one point to protest the impending "destruction" of East River Park. The move drew some criticism from attendees, to which East River Park Action responded in an Instagram post with: "Is the city's destruction of our park more onerous than disrupting the doggies in costume?"

The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade returns on Oct. 23

ICYMI: The 31st edition of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade takes place again at the East River Park Amphitheater on Oct. 23 from noon to 3 p.m.

The Farmer's Dog, a service that delivers freshly made pet food, is this year's sponsor. Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help on Oct. 23 (must love dogs?). Volunteer info is at this link.

 

The Dog Parade, which outgrew Tompkins Square Park, took place in East River Park in 2018 and 2019. Last year's pandemic version was mostly virtual with a small in-person/dog event at Lucky on Avenue B.

Thanks to Steven for the photo!

At the 29th annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade

The 29th annual edition of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade returned to the East River Park Amphitheater yesterday.

Despite the rain, there was a big crowd, who brought umbrellas...



Heart of Chelsea Veterinary Group served as the sponsor (part of the $17,500 sponsorship goes to the year-round maintenance of the Tompkins Square Dog Run) ... while 1010 WINS Midday Anchor Susan Richard served as the emcee.



EVG correspondent Stacie Joy was there to snap photos of the canine competitors, dressed as everything from ramen noodles to a box of White Claw Hard Seltzer. Movies were again a prime source of costume inspiration. Films spotted included "Midsommar," "The Wizard of Oz," "The Exorcist," "Alien" and "Star Wars."
























[Global Warning, a runner-up]




















[Midsommar, a runner up]




[NOT A DOG!]




[Trump Unraveling, an honorable mention]

And the best in show — Lincoln the Yorkshire Terrier as “Snoopy & the Red Baron” ...