Excitement In The East Village: The Annual Halloween Dog Parade

The streets of Manhattan's East Village were barking with excitement on Saturday as hundreds of costumed pups took part in the 34th Annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York City. This beloved tradition brings together dog lovers from all over the city to showcase their pets in creative costumes, turning Avenue A into a vibrant celebration of Halloween. From quirky postal workers to enchanting witches, and even a Bob look-alike from this year’s Beetlejuice, the event was filled with Halloween magic.

Established in the 1980s, the fall dog show has grown into one of the city's most anticipated events. Initially designed to raise funds for the park's dog run, which is the first and largest in the city, this parade has transformed into a beloved community gathering. However, this year marked a significant shift in tradition as the much-loved costume contest was not held, and organizer Joseph Borduin announced it would be his final year coordinating the event. Borduin stated, "I’m done. No more. I need another, bigger entity to take over this beast because it’s just too much for a small dog park to handle."

As we celebrate this vibrant parade, Newsweek has collected our favorite costumes in case you missed them. Whether it was the adorable postal worker outfit or the spooky spider costume, the creativity displayed by both dogs and their owners was truly remarkable!

Best Dressed Pets

1 of 7

To celebrate the parade, at Newsweek we have collected our favorite costumes in case you missed them. Here are just a few highlights:

• Postal Worker: Not a usual favorite for our canine friends, one dog donned an adorable take on the USPS worker outfit.
• Spooky Spider: One small pup swapped four legs for eight in a scary-yet-sweet spider costume complete with sparkling details.
• Cinderella: There was no missing the ball for one princess in the parade, who showed up in a sparkling gown that matched her owner's.
• Austin Powers: One groovy dog channeled everyone’s favorite British spy, complete with shaggy wig and iconic glasses.
• Pizza Slice: One pup served up serious cuteness dressed as a giant pepperoni pizza slice.
• Convict Dog: Archie was a firm favorite in his jail-inspired outfit.
• Beetlejuice Bob: Inspired by the much-awaited sequel, one dog came as the fan favorite "Bob" in a hilariously oversized costume.

If your dog loves to dress up and you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet, we’d love to share them! Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.