New York's Village Halloween Parade is committed to the cultural and imaginative life of New York City and to the advancement of large-scale participatory events in the belief that such events, when artistically inspired, can play a major role in the resurrection and rejuvenation of the City’s spirit, economy and the life of its people.The Village Halloween Parade plays an important part in the life of the City. It is the only Parade in the country that has at its heart an artistic base. Over the past 34 years, it's generous spirit has nurtured millions of people who reach into their imaginations and take themselves physically out into public to perform and to celebrate. We believe public events of this sort give people the opportunity to claim the open spaces of their City for purposes other than work; to inhabit them with a sense of freedom and spontaneity; to play, thus renew their relationship to the environment. The Parade is a powerful event, for while it is happening, it animates all the senses--sight, sound, smell, taste, color and movement. The emotional response that it generates has a lasting effect on how the participants and those who either watch or hear about the event feel about the places and the people of New York. Fleeting as it may seem, the Annual Village Halloween Parade provides a subconsciously experienced time structure that lends a sense of durability, continuity and community to NYC life. It is hard to imagine New York City without the Annual Village Halloween Parade--since there is nothing else like it, by its very uniqueness it fills a need discovered over 30 years ago--a need that New Yorkers subconsciously felt, but had no place to get satisfaction. Over the years hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers realized that they had the need to go out on a certain night once a year and discover their fantasy lives--an unmet need that they just could not satisfy at any other time of year or in any other place, really, but the Village Halloween Parade. The Parade provides as joyful a night as NYC can imagine with all ages, sexes, races, ethnic and religious groups mixing together in one place. As the Parade has become a tradition over the years, it has also become something that people expect, look forward to and need as surely as all people need to fantasize, create, perform and share their creation with others.

Description and/or History:
FACT SHEET 2009

Now in its 36th year, New York's Village Halloween Parade is...

The nation's largest public Halloween celebration
Named as The Greatest Event on Earth by Festivals International for October 31
Attended by over 2 million people, seen by over 1 million on TV
The nation's only major night Parade
Seen LIVE on NY 1 Television
Listed as one of the 100 Things to do Before You Die
Recipient of the Municipal Arts Society of New York's Award for making a major contribution to the cultural life of New York City. Recipient of a major grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in recognition of Longtime Artistic Achievement. Recipient of the Mayor’s Tourism Grant in recognition of the Parade’s major impact on the economic life of New York City and grants from the Manhattan Borough President’s Tourism Initiative. Picked by Events International as The Greatest Event on Earth on October 31, and ranked 3rd by Citysearch as the best event in New York City.
The subject of extensive national and international news coverage, including ABC, CBS and NBC television networks; live television coverage on MTV, Channel 13 and the Cable News Network; UPI and AP stories and photographs that appear on front pages coast to coast; annual coverage in The New York Times, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, U.S.A. Today, the New York Post, the Daily News and Time, and every other local New York television, radio and print media. Reaching 4 million viewers in 2 hours of LIVE coverage of the Parade by New York 1 News Television and Z100 and WKTU Radio from 1992_2001. In 2000 the Parade was broadcast LIVE nationally for the first time on USA Networks and the SCI Fi Channel with host Susan Saranden. In 2001 the Parade was seen by hundreds of millions of people worldwide for the Parade was seen as a pivotal moment in the recovery of New York from the tragic events of 9/11.
Internationally acclaimed in France, Russia, Germany, England, Italy, Japan, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, Hungary, Korea, Greece, Poland, China, Argentina, Turkey, New Zealand and Yugoslavia as a result of international television specials on the Parade as well as news coverage and worldwide coverage on CNN.
A mile-long stage featuring close to 60,000 costumed marchers, hundreds Halloween characters, including giant masks and puppets, dozens of marching bands playing music from around the world stilt walkers, jugglers, break dancers and other street performers participate in the Parade.
Behind the scenes, an event where professional lighting designers, stage managers, carpenters, and electricians are called upon to light the mile_long event, create special effects and dress scenes along the route.
An open forum for visual and performing artists to display their art in an environment where all are creators as well as participants and viewers.
A vehicle for the co-mingling of the diverse economic, ethnic, social, sexual and racial components of New York City, putting on display the cultural pluralism of the world's most exciting city.
A family event, thus serving as a form of creative and positive expression for young people in a safe, celebrative environment.
A vehicle for New York City schools, design and performing arts colleges and universities, neighborhood associations and artists to work closely with the Parade staff to design major elements for the Parade throughout the year.
Working closely with the NYC Office of the Mayor, the Manhattan Borough President, Community Boards #1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 and the Departments of Police, Sanitation, Fire, Parks and Recreation and Cultural Affairs to produce the safest, cleanest Parade in the City. Indeed, the New York City Police have lauded the Parade as a valuable public service institution in that it makes Halloween safe for the citizens of New York on a night which is a high crime night in many other parts of the city.
A carefully planned collaborative effort organized by a not_for_profit, tax_exempt, year round, organization called Village Halloween Parade, Inc. Working with a Community Advisory Board under the leadership of Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields that includes 60 community leaders and politicians.
An event which has a positive impact on New York economic life, bringing hundreds of thousands of tourists and an estimated $60 million in tourism dollars into the city, providing Greenwich Village businesses and restaurants their best night of the year.
An event which has a tremendously positive impact on how people who live in or come to visit New York see and feel about this community. The excitement and goodwill that it generates is lasting.
In effect, by turning a large and complex city into a small town for just one night, the Parade has been a pioneer in the critical movement toward the resurrection and rejuvenation of the City.

.Village Halloween Parade funders have included (to name a few):

Amtrak, Annheiser Busch, Avenue Q, Wicked, Spamalot, Comedy Central, New Line Cinema, Greenwich Village Chamber of Commerce, HERE Arts Center, Jet Blue, Juicy Fruit, Little Shop of Horrors, Manhattan Monster, Photogra.com, PONY Pedicabs, Trio TV, Webster Hall, WKTU, Z100, MIX 103, The VillageVoice,Volkswagen, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The Mayor's Office of Tourism, The Manhattan Borough President, The Rudin Foundation, the Association for a Better New York, NY1Television, USA Networks. SCREAM USA, Sci Fi Channel, Ben &Jerry's Ice Cream, Bell Atlantic, Mammoth Records (Disney, Starbucks, Zappos.com, ZipCar, Perrier, Whole Foods Market, Mannheim Steamroller, SONY, Focus Features, Captain Morgan,The Geek Squad, Volkswagon, Rubie's Costume Company, Microsoft, Snapple, Logic Records, The Geek Squad, BMW, Vespa, Monster Energy Drink, Miller Brewing, Focus Features, Columbia Records, Elektra Records, Ford Motor Company, Mindspring, Con Edison, Vampire Vineyards, Dunkin' Donuts, and many more movie promotions, Broadway Shows and hundreds of individuals, small businesses, foundations and governmental agencies.

Contact people:

Jeanne Fleming, Program Director, (845) 758-5519, (email) Lewis Siris, General Manager, (212) 719-1495, (email) Mike Abegg, Project Manager, (917) 972-6777, (email)

Address:

C/o HERE Theater 145 6th Avenue New York, NY 10014 (See a map)

Directions:

Take the subway to Spring Street, walk one block South to Dominick St.   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Spring St.,   Walk distance (in minutes): 2