NYC Village Halloween Parade 2012
New York's 39th Annual Village Halloween Parade Theme 2012: Tick! Tock!
Tick! Tock!
This year, as 2012 ticks away the final year of the Mayan Calendar, and visions apocalyptic or euphoric fill our imaginations; we will explore the many embodiments of Time. The sound of ticking seconds reassures us of the continuity of our universe, a mechanical heartbeat, definite yet infinite. But how well do we know Time? We think of time as immutable, yet we know it to be elastic. Some moments pass with glacial slowness, as others speed past us. It bends and stretches, like Dali's drooping watches and Einstein's speeding trains. We think of time as intangible, yet we can know it only through physical forms: swinging pendulums or orbiting celestial bodies. We think of time as infinite, yet modern physicists tell the story of its beginning, and ancient calendar-makers tell of its end. With all this in mind, this year's Parade will be lead by a host of temporal entities. Clockwork White Rabbits will keep time for the procession, as winged alarm clocks sail overhead, incarnating Virgil's adage "tempus fugit". Other manifestations and analogs will abound, from cuckoos to TARDISes, culminating in a grand horlogical dance, as Time goes by.
Come and lend a hand or an eye at www.halloween-nyc.com/volunteer.
Jeanne Fleming - Director
Alex Kahn & Sophia Michahelles, Master Puppeteers
When You Get to the End of the Parade at 22nd Street continue on to the best Halloween party in NYC -- Joonbug's 11th Annual Masquerade Halloween Ball at Capitale
New York Village Halloween Parade Overview
All Those in Costume are Welcome to Join Hundreds of Puppets, 53 Bands of Different Types of Music, Dancers and Artists, and Thousands of other New Yorkers in Costumes of their Own Creation in the Nation's Most Wildly Creative Public Participatory Event in the Greatest City in the World!
For all those in costume gather on 6th Avenue South of Spring Street and North of Canal between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Alert ! ONLY enter the line-up on 6th Ave. from the East and South between Canal and Spring.
Watch it in person on 6th Avenue from Spring Street to 16th Street from 7 - 10:30 p.m. Live on NY 1 Television from 8 - 9:30pm p.m.
Halloween NYC Parade Route
Don't bring your car to the Parade!
If you are coming in a group, meet somewhere away from the Line-up and walk to the line-up together.
The Parade takes until 8:15 to move out. Join the Parade at the beginning and approach the Line-up only from the South and the East.
Streets West of 6th are closed by the Police.
Take These Trains To These Stations
| A | West 4 Street |
| C, E | West 4 Street, Spring Street |
| B, D | West 4 Street, Broadway/Lafayette St. |
| F | 23 St, 14 St, West 4 St. B'way/Lafayette St. |
| N, R | 23 St, 14.Union Sq, 8 St, Prince St |
| 1, 9 | Christopher Street |
| 2, 3 | 14 Street |
| 4, 5 | 14 Street/Union Square |
| 6 | 23 St, 14 St/Union Sq, Astor Place |
| PATH | 9th St, 14th St, 23rd St |
24 Hour NYC Travel Information: 718-330-1234
You Are Invited To Be In New York's Halloween Parade
Follow these 5 Simple Steps for Joining the Parade, the largest public participatory event in the greatest city in world!
- Be Creative - Wear Your Costume ! Only costumed marchers are allowed in the Parade.
- Show Up on Sixth Ave bet. Spring & Broome Sts.
- Arrive between 6:30 and 8:30 or you might miss the Parade! The subway is the best way to get there, parking is always difficult and the Parade makes it even worse.
- Find your Friends, Good Music or A Group to March With
- Follow the Crowd Up Sixth Avenue (please do not go down Sixth Avenue, the police will stop you!)
Don't have a costume? ...then volunteer to carry a puppet!
How To Volunteer
Yes, its puppet season again, and 38th Annual Village Halloween Parade is searching for some people who can pull a few strings for us. Whether you are a veteran of previous Parades, or a newcomer who wants to see the Parade from the inside this year, we welcome you to come and perform with us. No previous experience with 20 foot tall glowing caterpillars or dancing skeletons is necessary.
HALLOWEEN NYC PARADE FACT SHEET 2012
Now in its 39th year, New York's Village Halloween Parade is...
- The nation's largest public Halloween celebration
- Named as The Greatest Event on Earth by Festivals International for October 31
- Attended by over 2 million people, seen by over 1 million on TV
- The nation's only major night Parade
- Listed as one of the 100 Things to do Before You Die
Halloween NYC Costume Workshops
Every weekend in September and October prior to the Parade, Village Halloween Parade Puppet Building workshops will be hosted by the Official Puppeteers of the Parade, Superior Concept Monsters, at our Puppetry Workshop in the Hudson Valley near Rhinebeck, NY. In return for your help, you get lunch and dinner, a spectacular walk to the Hudson River and a bonfire.
Spend the day or the weekend out of the City and in our Puppet Barn...there is always a big pot of soup, some hot cider, tea, coffee and cookies to fill out a day of good company while learning techniques and actually constructing the puppets that will appear at the head of the Parade on Halloween night.
These workshops are free and open to the public, but spaces are limited, so you must pre-register by signing up to be a Volunteer. You must provide your own transportation and housing if you plan to stay the weekend.
Vehicle Guidelines for Halloween NYC
The tradition of the Village Halloween Parade is to invite anyone in costume to join the parade -- and typically 20,000 to 30,000 people take advantage of that invitation every year! Because of the number of costumed celebrants on foot, and the complications of people in costume, distracted, having a good time, sometimes with limited vision due to a costume, and stopping and entertaining the crowd on the sidewalks -- we regret that only a limited number of motorized vehicles are allowed in the Village Halloween Parade.
Those limited spaces are usually given to the handful of sponsors who support the parade, as a thank-you for their support. And even those vehicles must meet strict rules about the size, sound systems, capacity, and contents of the vehicle; and require prior arrangement with the parade to get official permits.
Finally, sorry to say this, but because our first concern is for the safety and enjoyment of the general public, motorized vehicles that just 'show-up' at the parade will be kindly requested not to join the celebration.
Thanks for your understanding and, Happy Halloween!