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 spon
sor 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!
Here's a look at a few of the costumes... drawing heavily as always from pop culture, including the "Barbie" movie, Joker from Batman and Cruella de Vil ... and there were multiple NYC rat czars...
Pookah, a Pomeranian going as "Winnie the Pookah," received the top prize...
