Hundreds of decked-out dogs walked down Avenue B Saturday for the 33rd annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade — and there was no shortage of glitz and glamour.
“We hired a doggy designer, and we put our heads together and made this quasi-stage and here we are today having the greatest time,” said Ilene Zeins who, along with her friends, dressed up their dogs as the cast of the Broadway musical, “SIX.”
What You Need To Know
- Hundreds of dogs and their owners marched down Avenue B from East 14th to East 6th Street Saturday afternoon
- Organizers said they initially had to cancel due to permit complications, ongoing construction inside the park and rising costs but the dog wellness start-up Get Joy decided to help fund the parade
- A panel of judges selected 40 dogs and their humans to advance to an exclusive costume competition inside Tompkins Square Park
It should come as no surprise that one of the most popular costumes on the parade route was Barbie and Ken.
Leslie Akin said she bought matching costumes for her and her dog Earle minutes after seeing the “Barbie” movie.
“He’s more than Ken to me,” Akin said about Earle. “But he’s just Ken without his Barbie.”
It wouldn’t be the Halloween Dog Parade without some New York City staples like pizza and hot dogs.
Some owners even dressed up their dogs as other animals and they did not shy away from the camera.
“They’re here for the attention and love to be honest,” said Frances Stettner, who was dressed as Little Bo Peep and dressed her dogs as two sheep.
This parade almost didn’t happen this year. Organizers were forced to cancel it last month, but a dog start-up swooped in and saved the day.
“We immediately raised our hand. We immediately said, ‘How can we help? How can we support this amazing parade?’” said Tom Arrix, founder and CEO of Get Joy.
Organizers said they initially had to cancel due to permit complications, ongoing construction inside the park and rising costs but Get Joy got involved and decided to help fund the beloved parade.
“We hope to be a part of this parade for a long, long time. It shined a bright light in our company about really helping in a powerful way. It’s what we love,” said Arrix.
Jaclyn Holmes, who dressed her dog Lexi up as Vanna White, said she and Lexi were overjoyed to hear that the event was saved.
“She actually doesn’t mind being dressed up. She loves holding hands,” Holmes said. “She loves meeting other dogs and I’m glad today wasn’t cancelled and that we’re back on.”
Some say it’s a parade important to New York City and its 600,000 dogs.
“These are our babies,” said Stettner. “This is the greatest day of the year in the city to me.”