In 1974, an informal parade of
puppets for children was organized by
Ralph Lee of the Mettawee River Theatre Company around his residence of artists in the
Westbeth Artists Community. The next year, the parade went from Jane Street at the Hudson River to
Washington Square Park. About 200 adults and children participated. The 1975 parade was produced by the
Theatre for the New City (which at the time was in Westbeth). Lee and the Theatre won
Obie Award for the production. The 1975 parade grew to 1,500 participants. The new management introduced more adult elements into the event including a Halloween ball after the parade. Organization of the parade was formally handled by a non-profit organization starting in 1976.
Sophia Michahelles and
Alex Kahn directors of
Processional Arts Workshop become the official designers of the parade's puppets in 1998, and the following year,
Basil Twist designed the spider that currently appears on the Jefferson Market Library. Less than seven weeks after the
September 11 attacks in 2001, the parade was broadcast worldwide and was an indication that New York was bouncing back. The parade was led by a giant puppet of a Phoenix rising out of the ashes. Noticeably missing from the parade was
Bread and Puppet Theater which had been a political staple of the parade but was protesting the new
War in Afghanistan. Earlier the Bread and Puppet contingent consisted of five blocks of its giant puppets. Similarly, less than 8 weeks after
Hurricane Katrina in 2005, more than 8,000 storm evacuees attended a funeral procession tribute as part of the parade. In 2010,
Haitian Carnival Artist Didier Civil created Haitian carnival figures as a tribute to victims of the
2010 Haiti earthquake. Less than four hours after eight people were killed six blocks west of the parade route in the
2017 New York City truck attack, the parade proceeded as scheduled. Both Mayor
Bill de Blasio and Gov.
Andrew Cuomo marched in the parade. In 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the parade was canceled for the first time in eight years. The parade's organizers cited concerns that
social distancing would be impossible with the high crowds that the parade typically saw. In its 51st year in 2024, the parade featured over 65,000 participants and 1.5 million spectators. The procession moved on 6th Ave from Canal Street to 15th Street. The theme was meow and celebrated the inner cat lady in everyone. The director of the Village Halloween Parade was Jeanne Fleming. The parade was led by the grand marshal, Tony Award-winning actor
André De Shields, best known for his role as Hermes in the Broadway musical
Hadestown. In 2025, the grand marshal was City Harvest, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting poverty by rescuing fresh produce and delivering it to New Yorkers for free. The theme was potluck and was about everyone bringing something to the table, such as art, costume, food, or joy. Jeanne Fleming continued as the director of the parade. ==Theme==