Have you picked your Halloween custom yet? Because New York City's iconic Halloween Parade makes its grand return October 31.
The parade kicks off at 7 p.m. from Spring Street, moving from 6th Avenue all the way up to 16th Street. This year's theme is "Let's Play," according to organizers who dedicated the parade to children of New York who didn't get to have a regular Halloween in 2020 because of the pandemic.
New York City kids designed giant puppets to lead the parade and Randy Rainbow, a New York comedian known for his satirical YouTube videos, will serve as Grand Marshall.
With the pandemic still ongoing, organizers said all CDC guidelines will be followed for the outdoor gathering and urged attendees to wear creative Halloween-themed masks.
The parade's future and return to the East Village for the 2021 holiday wasn't a guarantee due to the ongoing pandemic and the organizer's finances taking a hit.
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When Jason Feldman heard that the annual Village Halloween Parade was going to be canceled due to lack of funding, he stepped in and gave a big donation.
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"The idea that this could be this uplifting thing and the idea that it might not happen. I'm like, this is easy," said Feldman. The finance manager at UBS Financial Services didn't give it a second thought because he said he wanted to save the parade.
Jeanne Fleming, who has been producing the parade for the past 40 years, said it takes a couple hundred thousand dollars to put on the show. The march of costumes was already canceled last year due to COVID-19 and the parade's budget shortfall plus costly insurance was going to be the end of this year's festivities.
"On the one hand it sounds like a very big number, but on the other hand, I guess I've gotten used to helping people with big numbers," Felman said. "I hate to say it. It's embarrassing but it is what it is."
The good news rolls on -- Storm Team 4 says the forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and temps in the upper 50s, with rain clearing out well before the start of the parade.
