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Thousands of people packed onto the East Village’s main drag on Saturday to ogle, ooh, and aah at a bevvy of costumed pets at the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade.
Dogs and their humans spilled onto Manhattan’s Avenue A as attendees soaked up the city’s eclectic dog culture and laughed at hilarious costumes that played off politics, entertainment, and the city itself.
“I don’t know how people do it, they’re so creative,” said Madison Uram, 28, a consultant who attended the parade for the first time.
Now in its 34th year, the parade has become the event of the season for New York City dog parents who want to show off their furry friends, with many pure-bred dogs appearing in handmade, ultra-specific, over-the-top costumes − and matching owners by their side.
The grassroots event is volunteer-run and gets its name from the Lower East Side park that’s been home to a popular run for decades.
This weekend’s parade was the biggest yet, said lead volunteer Joseph Borduin, 47, who has organized the parade for five years and worked at the Tompkins Square dog park for seven. In years past, organizers gave awards for best costume, but there wasn’t enough staffing to accommodate that this year, Borduin said.
Besides all the whimsy, dogs are also the emotional support companions that make life in New York City more manageable, said Tyrell Gibbs, a longtime dog walker who also volunteered at this year’s parade.
“It’s the tight companionship that you get living in New York City’s close quarters,” Gibbs said.
Parade celebrates NYC dog culture
On subways and sidewalks, at the park and the café, dogs bring smiles to the faces of New Yorkers, said Leah Tanner, who set up a booth for the dog fashion brand Wild One along the parade route, giving out tennis balls and treats.
“We had heard about the parade for so many years, it’s a special day to celebrate being a pet parent in the city,” Tanner said.
Many dogs on Saturday were dressed up as television and movie characters, or pop music stars, including Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.
Others sported New York City-specific costumes, like subway station designs, and replicas of the Brooklyn Bridge and the newly Tik-Tok famous Bed-Stuy sidewalk aquarium.
One dog, a poodle named Peppa, was part of a political pasta bowl costume poking fun at former president Donald Trump’s false claim that immigrants in an Ohio community are eating pets.
Elissa Desani and her pug named Harlequin La Rue dressed up as mermaids and were getting their dose of parade energy Saturday afternoon. Desani, who also participates in Coney Island’s annual Mermaid Parade, said Saturday’s parade was special because it celebrates dogs and their owners.
“It’s something for her, but it’s also for me, and it’s about being part of the community,” Desani said.
Hannah Mitchell brought her new dog, Babka, to the parade for the first time Saturday, and made his costume herself from a Zabar’s deli bag stuffed with pastry-shaped dog toys, like a bagel and challah. Karen Poeppel was another first-timer after acquiring her dog, Bentley, earlier this year. Now, Poeppel said, she has more activities to do than ever before with Bentley by her side.
“Friends were going, so I decided to go. We’re here to have fun,” Poeppel said, gesturing toward Bentley, who was dressed as a construction worker in an orange vest.
Dogs large and small were some of the best behaved creatures Saturday afternoon, as onlookers jammed intersections and posed for the perfect picture with canines in wigs, in wagons and even one inside a crystal ball.
As police urged crowds to let cars pass and owners hastily adjusted costumes, onlookers spilled past metal barricades and joined the actual parade about an hour after the procession began. As volunteer organizers stood to the side, they said they couldn’t contain the energy.
“You can’t imagine the kind of love there is for the dog population in New York City,” Gibbs said.
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