After watching the Village Halloween Parade for the first time in 2014, I immediately knew I want to join them. And I did, I’ve been marching this parade every single year since 2015. My latest coverage is from October of 2021 and you can watch my content on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Twitter.

At the beginning of October, you can start sensing the Halloween atmosphere when the leaves changed their colors to yellow and the streets are covered up with pumpkins and skeletons.
My first time joining the parade left such a big impression on me that I had to put everything in words: When the big day arrived, I went to the starting point a few hours before the parade started. Getting there early with a costume proved to be a minor nuisance, as quite often I had to stop and pose for other photographers. An hour later the place was packed with cosplayers, professional artists, and amateurs alike. The costumes and makeup I saw were phenomenal and the people in the costumes were very cooperative. Still having daylight during the preparations provided for lots of great photo opportunities. Another advantage of showing up early was meeting fellow photographers. The scene however was not complete until the sun set down.
When the darkness came the drums began to roll and the puppeteers with their huge skeletons and pumpkins opened the parade. Some of the photographers were also in costumes. I particularly liked a TV crew that stood in the opening line catching cosplayers for interviews; the two cameramen and the sound man dressed up as Super Mario and the reporter was dressed up as Princess Peach.   
I however did not stand still. I was walking with the skeletons, looking for the best place to take photos, a spot that will capture the atmosphere of the parade. Then I saw the Empire State Building.
Getting what I was looking for, I walked back to the parade’s starting point, only to find myself in the middle of a big group of random cosplayers. I couldn’t pass through them, I couldn’t even lift my arm up to snap a photo. I was stuck. There was nowhere to go. Whenever I found an opening I squeezed myself in and half an hour later I was out! Looking behind my shoulder to avoid meeting this group again, I bumped into a zombie that tried to eat me alive. As a Viking, I had my own weapons and I managed to chase the zombie away to the cheering of the crowd. Unfortunately, no one recorded the event so I can’t share it with you. I do however have a photo of some scary people from the parade.
Face-to-face with the zombie was one of the evening’s highlights, but also the ending cue for me. Happy and exhausted, I left the parade, although the night was not over yet. Union Square, the subway, and Times Square are also great photo spots for Halloween. I went to each and every one of them and stayed there until I got my moment. The new camera definitely stood up to the challenge. The night of Halloween was concluded after eight hours and 1222 photos of amazing encounters. This was easily one of the best nights I had in the city and I can’t wait to see everyone again next year.