New York City is gearing up for plenty of Halloween fun ahead of the 51st annual Village Halloween Parade, which is set to kick off in Lower Manhattan Thursday night.

The festivities kick off at 7 p.m., with celebrations set to last until around 11 p.m. New Yorkers and visitors can attend the parade in person or tune into NY1’s live coverage from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

This year’s theme is “MEOW!!!” Organizers are inviting everyone to embrace their inner cat for the city’s biggest costume event of the year. Broadway icon André De Shields will serve as grand marshal of the parade.

More than 50,000 costumed marchers are expected to parade up Sixth Avenue from Canal Street to West 15th Street. Barricades along the parade route were already in place as of 7 a.m. Thursday.

The following streets will be closed at the discretion of the NYPD, the city’s Department of Transportation said:

Formation:

  • Sixth Avenue between Spring Street and Canal Street
  • Dominick Street between Varick Street and Sixth Avenue
  • Sullivan Street between Broome Street and Spring Street
  • Broome Street between Sullivan Street and Varick Street
  • Spring Street between Sullivan Street and Varick Street

Route:

  • Sixth Avenue between Spring Street and West 18th Street

Dispersal:

  • West 16th Street between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue
  • West 17th Street between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue
  • West 18th Street between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue
  • 5th Avenue between 14th Street and 19th Street
  • 7th Avenue between 14th Street and 19th Street

Miscellaneous:

  • West 10th Street between Sixth Avenue and Greenwich Avenue
  • Van Dam Street between Varick Street and Fifth Avenue

In the city, Halloween isn’t just a big day for children and creative adults: it’s also an economic boost for those who help New Yorkers get their costumes ready, like Celeste Vanya, a makeup artist at Manhattan Wardrobe Supply.

She spoke with NY1 about the costumes they had available and what was catching people's eyes.

"Beetlejuice character,” Vanya said. “Also, we have the skeleton. We have here, the monster, and then the witch. I think the ‘Wicked’ movie is also causing people to dress up like Elphaba a lot."