40 Dog Halloween Parade Participants Whose Costumes Were So Spooky, They Stole The Show

Halloweenis a spectacular celebration that every person living today is aware of and, quite possibly, loves. But what makes it even more fun is that it isn’t exclusive to humans, and every creature can partake as long they have their costume ready.One of the best proofs of this statement is the Halloween Dog Parade that recently sent shivers down the streets of New York. When thesepupsdressed as all sorts of famous characters ventured out to spread the spookiness while showing off their festive outfits, the internet was all over them in an instant. Scroll down to check them out!More info:Tompkins Square Dog RunThis post may includeaffiliate links.

One of the best proofs of this statement is the Halloween Dog Parade that recently sent shivers down the streets of New York. When thesepupsdressed as all sorts of famous characters ventured out to spread the spookiness while showing off their festive outfits, the internet was all over them in an instant. Scroll down to check them out!

More info:Tompkins Square Dog Run

This post may includeaffiliate links.

Spooky-Dog-Halloween-Parade

Last Saturday was a special day for Halloween and dog lovers as October 19th marked the 34th annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade held in the streets of New York City. Half of Manhattan’s Avenue A was filled with dogs of various breeds and sizes, marching down the street together with their owners, dressed in the most spectacularly creative costumes.The event first came to life at the Tompkins Square Dog Run in Tompkins Square Park way back in the1980sas a way for the locals to celebrate establishing the very first official dog run in the park. The dog run meant not only a nice hub for dog lovers but also the transformation of a previously unsafe space near their homes, and thus, the celebration was well deserved.

The event first came to life at the Tompkins Square Dog Run in Tompkins Square Park way back in the1980sas a way for the locals to celebrate establishing the very first official dog run in the park. The dog run meant not only a nice hub for dog lovers but also the transformation of a previously unsafe space near their homes, and thus, the celebration was well deserved.

Spooky-Dog-Halloween-Parade

The number of participants has steadily increased for a good while now, but it saw its biggest jump in attendance after theCOVIDrestrictions were lifted. With the parade growing into a bigger and bigger thing each year, it reached the point where organizing and overseeing it became quite a challenge.

Spooky-Dog-Halloween-Parade

John Borduin, a commercial photographer and the parade’s volunteer who’s been organizing it since 2020, toldGothamistthat while he had fun taking care of these things, now he’s ready to quit. “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.”While full of love for the dog run and its parade, the stress and never-ending issues of organizing such a massive thing haveexhaustedthe man to the point where there is no more passion left to take it all upon himself. “You get burned out,” John shared. “There’s only so much you can do.”

While full of love for the dog run and its parade, the stress and never-ending issues of organizing such a massive thing haveexhaustedthe man to the point where there is no more passion left to take it all upon himself. “You get burned out,” John shared. “There’s only so much you can do.”

Spooky-Dog-Halloween-Parade

No matter who takes up this mantle next, we can be sure that the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade will not disappear anytime soon. It may no longer be exactly how it used to be initially, but this kind of evolution is natural and inevitable.Moreover, this impressive annual parade that started as a small community celebration for local dog lovers is not only going big and strong to this day but has also pioneered a way for other similar events.Mikiodo, or simply Mike, a photographer who captured many of the greatest moments from this year’s Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade that we get to see here, told Bored Panda that there are at least 5 more similar events happening this coming weekend around New York City alone, and so, that’s where he plans to be, too.

Moreover, this impressive annual parade that started as a small community celebration for local dog lovers is not only going big and strong to this day but has also pioneered a way for other similar events.

Mikiodo, or simply Mike, a photographer who captured many of the greatest moments from this year’s Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade that we get to see here, told Bored Panda that there are at least 5 more similar events happening this coming weekend around New York City alone, and so, that’s where he plans to be, too.

Spooky-Dog-Halloween-Parade

The man, who has lived close to Tompkins Square for a few years now, shared that he happened upon the parade once and fell in love with it forever, taking photos of it ever since. “I love Halloween, photographing parades, and especially dogs. So this is a no-brainer.”For Mike, it’s the unusual, creative costumes that bring laughter that make all of this so amazing. “It’s just a very joyful event,” said the photographer, adding that, on the other hand, the parade could have better spacing and perhaps a staging area so it would be less dense and the people there would get to see more outfits in person.Nevertheless, Mikiodo got a chance to see so many great cosplays that he could hardly pick a favorite. He expressed how much he liked the dog with painted-on eyebrows, the Star Wars cosplay with the pup dressed as an Ewok, Leela and Bender from Futurama, the tiny-head Bob in a big yellow suit from Beetlejuice, and, of course, the ‘They’re eating the dogs’ costume.

For Mike, it’s the unusual, creative costumes that bring laughter that make all of this so amazing. “It’s just a very joyful event,” said the photographer, adding that, on the other hand, the parade could have better spacing and perhaps a staging area so it would be less dense and the people there would get to see more outfits in person.

Nevertheless, Mikiodo got a chance to see so many great cosplays that he could hardly pick a favorite. He expressed how much he liked the dog with painted-on eyebrows, the Star Wars cosplay with the pup dressed as an Ewok, Leela and Bender from Futurama, the tiny-head Bob in a big yellow suit from Beetlejuice, and, of course, the ‘They’re eating the dogs’ costume.

Spooky-Dog-Halloween-Parade

Ultimately, if you were there at the start of it, chances are you’ll be nostalgic over those times and wholeheartedly prefer how it was in the past. But everything has an end, and we should learn to love it because every end is the beginning of something new. And just because those new things take the place of the old things you love, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad.

While this parade may not be so much about the Tompkins Square Dog Run any longer, it has since become a celebration of community,creativity, and the unique bond we have with our four-pawed buddies. It gives another reason for like-minded people and their pets to come together and celebrate Halloween. And who could argue that this isn’t a good thing?

Spooky-Dog-Halloween-Parade