60,000 Expected at NYC Halloween Parade, Retailers Unafraid
By Al Barbarino October 31, 2013 11:56 am
reprintsFollowing a harrowing but successful effort by organizers to raise $50,000 to save the 2013 NYC Halloween Parade, the horrific procession will go on as planned tonight in Greenwich Village.
The 40th anniversary of the storied parade will attract an assortment of ghouls, ghosts and goblins, along with a welcome swarm of freakishly – if not scantily – clad pedestrian traffic.
“The foot traffic is always a nice boost for the local retailers, especially on a weeknight,” said David Zar of Zar Property NY, which owns several retail properties in the area.
The largest public Halloween event in the United States will commence at 7 p.m., beginning on Sixth Avenue and Spring Street, eventually coming to a bloodcurdling halt on 16th Street around 11 p.m.
After organizers cancelled the parade last year in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, a.k.a. “Frankenstorm,” a Kickstarter campaign reached the $50,000 necessary to save this year’s parade – a good opportunity to tag the event with a “revival” theme and bring back some old favorites.
“We’re bringing back old puppets that have been sitting in the barn that are in disrepair or covered in dust and saying, ‘Wake up!’” Jeanne Fleming, director of the NYC Halloween Parade, told International Business Times, which mapped out the parade route on its website and got a sneak peek at artist Basil Twist’s giant spider, “Whitey.”
The parade dates back to 1973, when puppeteer Ralph Lee started the parade for his puppet creations, eventually evolving into the nonprofit it is today. Hundreds of puppets, 53 bands, dancers and artists, along with an estimated 60,000 costumed New Yorkers and tourists, are expected tonight, IBT reported.
Boo.
