Village Halloween Parade 2026: route, times and how to march

The 53rd Village Halloween Parade is on Saturday, October 31, 2026. It starts at 7pm and runs until about 11pm, rain or shine — the organizers add "or wind". This year's theme is Body & Soul.

It is free to watch and free to march, as long as you are in costume. Spectrum News NY1 broadcasts it live from 8 to 9:30pm if you would rather watch from the sofa.

The parade goes straight up Sixth Avenue and nowhere else. Marchers line up at Canal Street and step off northward; the organizers give the watchable stretch as Sixth Avenue from King Street to West 15th Street, where the parade ends.

There is no loop and no return leg. Once marchers are on the route they keep walking north, and police turn back anyone trying to go south on Sixth Avenue.

Only people in costume can march. Street clothes are turned away at the line-up, however good your excuse.

You can stand on either side of Sixth Avenue between King Street and 15th Street. The organizers say the stretch between Bleecker and 14th Street is the most crowded; the blocks further south, towards King Street and Houston, fill later and are the easier bet if you arrive after 7pm.

The parade takes hours to pass, and the big puppets and bands come in the first part. Arrive before 7pm if you want to be at the barrier, and bring nothing you would mind holding for four hours.

Do not drive. The parade route and the streets around it close, and the West Village is hard enough to park in on a normal Saturday.

The A, C, E, B, D, F and M all stop at West 4th Street, and the F and M also stop on Sixth Avenue at 14th and 23rd Streets. The C and E stop at Spring Street, which is closer to the start. The L runs its normal schedule. Stations near the route are packed when the parade ends, so walk a few avenues east or west before you head underground.