What to Know
- The NYPD increased security and kept a watchful eye on the annual Village Halloween Parade
- It has been two years since eight people were killed when a truck driver deliberately mowed down people in Lower Manhattan
- As a precaution officers, as well as bomb-sniffing dogs, patrolled around Greenwich Village and around the city
Tens of thousands of costumed revelers marched in New York City's 46th annual Village Halloween Parade.
The mile and a half parade kicked off Thursday night in Greenwich Village under an overcast and heavy police presence.
This year's parade featured hundreds of Wild Things-themed puppets and more than 50 music bands and dancers. Batman and Spider-Man costumes were plenty visible, as well as ghosts, skeletons and even whistleblowers.
Shelly Warwick, 79, called her costume "culturally appropriate." The woman from Manhattan's West Village was dressed as an anonymous whistleblower with multicolored whistles attached to her.
"I like this parade because anyone can participate, there's no agenda, everyone can just show up and be what they want, do what they want, it's so democratic, this is just fun," Warwick said.
The NYPD increased security and kept a watchful eye on the 46th annual event, on 6th Avenue between Spring and 16th Street, as well as around the city.
It has been two years since eight people were killed when a truck driver deliberately mowed down people celebrating Halloween on the popular Hudson River Greenway bike path.
"Based on world events, we are at a height and vigilance at this year's parade. As always, we ask if you see something , say something, no matter is too small to investigate," an NYPD spokesperson said.
Officials set up a perimeter around the parade with blocker vehicles like sand trucks. Uniformed and uncovered counterterrorism officers, as well as bomb-sniffing dogs, patrolled around Greenwich Village, the NYPD said.
While weather was a concern going into the parade, most of the festivities were able to go off without a hitch as the rain held off for the most part.
The Halloween parade tradition began in the mid-1970s as a kind of moving puppet show. The parade, open to anyone wearing a costume, has grown but the puppet tradition continues.
Hundreds of artists and volunteers in the Hudson Valley came together to create 14-foot tall puppets, made from recycled materials and inspired by the children classic "Where The Wild Things Are."
"We never know how people will react, and I like going out with a lot of unknowns," Sophia Michahelles of the Processional Arts Workshop tells News 4.
