Thousands set to fill Sixth Avenue for NYC Halloween Parade

The Village Halloween Parade begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday in New York City, with organizers expecting thousands of people to line the streets of downtown Manhattan. The event starts at the corner of Canal and Sixth Avenue and proceeds north up Sixth Avenue to West 15th Street.

The first group on the route will be a troupe celebrating the link between skeletons, imagination, and dance. Later in the lineup, a large troop of dancers will perform the choreography from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video as they transform into zombies. Organizers identify the block between Bleecker and 14th Street as the most crowded section of the route.

Spectators can watch the parade for free. Anyone wearing a costume may join the march by entering the lineup at the corner of Canal and Sixth Avenue between 6:30 and 9 p.m. on Saturday. Participants arriving from the east or south must enter via Sullivan, East Broome, or Canal Streets. Those arriving from the west may only enter from Canal Street.

The New York City Department of Transportation has listed extensive street closures for the event. Formation areas include 6th Avenue between Spring and Canal Streets, as well as sections of Dominick, Sullivan, Broome, and Spring Streets. The parade route itself covers 6th Avenue between Spring Street and West 18th Street.

Following the parade, dispersal zones will block West 16th, 17th, and 18th Streets between 5th and 7th Avenues. 5th Avenue will be closed between 14th and 19th Streets, and 7th Avenue will be closed between 14th and 19th Streets. Additional closures affect West 10th Street between 6th Avenue and Greenwich Avenue, and Van Dam Street between Varick Street and 5th Avenue.

Organizers advise that it is best to meet friends a block or two away from the route because the start area becomes congested quickly. They recommend that both spectators and participants use the train or bus to reach the event.

The parade is scheduled to run for several hours as thousands of costumed participants move through the Village. The event concludes once the final group passes the dispersal zones on 5th and 7th Avenues.