Every fall, the East Village gets all furry-scurry as hundreds of dogs and their doting families race to the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade. Despite the chill that descended upon New York on Saturday, October 17, spectators and participants braced the winds to cheer on entries spanning “Pup Leo,” a Yayoi Kusama pumpkin, a cyclosporiasis parasite, and an entourage of Pomeranians dripped out in Knicks gear.
Event organizers for the parade’s 36th iteration welcomed the normal flurry of advertisements while placing a particular emphasis on shelter adoptions, bringing 250 dogs looking for new homes to the parade. There was fierce competition among the around 500 participating pups and their equally committed parents, who moseyed their way from East 13th Street and Avenue B down to Tompkins Square Park. Spectators perched themselves on lampposts and CitiBike seats behind the barricades to watch the march, while a few lucky locals watched the festivity from their fire escapes.
The second iteration since longtime organizer Joseph Borduin stepped down from his post in 2024, this year’s event was arranged by the nonprofit New York Dog Parade and was sponsored by Kismet, the pet food brand co-founded by celebrity couple John Legend and Chrissy Teigen.
Many of the paw-ticipants were also in the running for the annual costume contest. Edging out stiff competition including a pug poking out of a wheel of cheese on a charcuterie board and a Bad Bunny-themed float, a Shih Tzu dressed as Knicks captain Jalen Brunson took home first prize.
