The 36th Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade happens on Saturday, October 17. According to the organizer's own FAQ, the procession heads south on Avenue B from East 13th Street to East 7th Street. The festival block is on East 6th Street between Avenues B and C. The park is where the parade ends and where the costume contest happens. Avenue B is where you'll actually be standing.
The timing matters because Avenue B isn't the street it was a year ago. Since July, the city has been rebuilding it as a permanent Open Street. Lanes have been redrawn, signs are new, and car traffic now runs in a different direction. Halloween on October 31 comes back to the same pavement. This October, Avenue B is where the neighborhood's main events are happening.
Where the Parade Actually Runs
New York Dog Parade, the nonprofit that runs the event, laid out the morning in its Halloween FAQ.
- 10:00 a.m. The Festival Block opens on East 6th Street between Avenues B and C, and it stays open to the public until 4:00 p.m.
- 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. The organizer suggests finding your viewing spot along Avenue B in this window.
- 11:00 a.m. The parade steps off at East 13th Street and heads south.
- East 7th Street The procession ends at Tompkins Square Park.
You don't need to register to watch. March registration filled up after it opened on September 25, and the registration page says a spot on the waitlist doesn't guarantee a spot in the parade. Spectators can line the avenue and walk the festival block without signing up.
The costume contest is harder to get into. Forbes reported that space inside Tompkins Square Park is limited, so only select registered dogs can compete. It will also be livestreamed for the first time. Our sources didn't say where the stream will air or name the judges, so watch @NYDogParade for those details. Fern Watt, founder of New York Dog Parade, told Forbes that someone had already emailed to say their dog would be going as frozen yogurt.
"So clearly, the competition this year is going to be stiff."
Forbes says Kismet is this year's sponsor. The ASPCA and Animal Care Centers of NYC are partnering on adoptable-dog programming throughout October, which is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. The organizer's FAQ says the whole thing started in Manhattan's first dog run.
Two Sets of Hours for the Same Street
If you live on or just off Avenue B, the organizer's schedule isn't the only one that affects you. The city's Trick-or-Streets list also includes the parade, and its footprint and hours are bigger than the march itself.
| Source | Location | Hours listed |
|---|---|---|
| New York Dog Parade FAQ | East 13th to East 7th Street, southbound march | Step-off 11:00 a.m. |
| New York Dog Parade FAQ | Festival Block, East 6th Street between B and C | 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| NYC DOT Trick-or-Streets | East 3rd to East 14th Street | 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
The DOT entry covers Avenue B all the way from 3rd Street to 14th Street, a longer stretch than the march route. Its hours also start an hour after the organizer's step-off. Our sources don't explain the difference. In practice, go by the organizer's 11 a.m. start if you want to see the parade. If you're planning a delivery, a drive or anything else that needs the avenue, assume it's busy from mid-morning into late afternoon. The city's list also says events can be delayed or canceled.
The Street Under the Costumes
If you haven't been on Avenue B in a few months, it looks different. On June 29, DOT announced construction on the permanent redesign of the Avenue B Open Street, and EV Grieve reported crews at work by July 1. The plan includes wider pedestrian space, new bike connections, curb extensions at intersections and loading zones at the start and end of each block. Every intersection in the project area gets new curb extensions protected by planters, bike corrals, granite blocks or similar elements, according to the DOT release quoted by EV Grieve.
The biggest change is to car traffic. Between 7th and 10th Streets, Avenue B is now one-way northbound, with a two-way bike connection running the length of the corridor. On August 26, EV Grieve reported that the northbound conversion was done, that Bike Boulevard and truck speed limit signs were up, and that parking was banned on the west side between 7th and 9th. So the parade will head south through blocks where cars can now only drive north.
Back in July, a DOT worker was watching cars roll past the new "Do Not Enter" signs at 10th Street. He told EV Grieve, "It will take some time for drivers to get used to it. That happened at 14th Street too."
Don't assume the project is finished. DOT's June release predicted completion within several weeks, weather permitting. EV Grieve's July report said work would go on in phases over the coming months. DOT's current projects page still lists the work as underway and gives no end date. The sources even disagree on where it ends. The release says 4th to 12th Street, and the projects page says 4th to 13th. The pedestrian hours are the same either way. The Open Street stays open to people on foot daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Finish Line Got New Plantings
The parade ends at 7th Street, and that edge of Tompkins Square Park has been replanted in the past two weeks. On October 3, EV Grieve reported that a mini-forest had been planted along the park's Seventh Street side between Avenues A and B. More trees are expected along Avenue B between 7th and 8th Streets, along with work on sidewalk tree pits and planting beds.
A day earlier, EV Grieve covered crews and volunteers planting 10 trees in one day on Wednesday, September 30. They also added a native-plant rain garden near the dog run. More planting is planned before the work finishes later in October. The rain garden sits next to the dog run, and the parade itself grew out of Manhattan's first dog run. So the newest plantings in the park are right beside the place the parade started.
Who's Setting Up Shop Along the Route
The storefronts along Avenue B are changing too. A few are worth checking out after the march.
- Fluff Club, 9 Avenue B. In late September, EV Grieve spotted signage for a dog-themed apparel shop. No opening date has been announced.
- Macario, 167 Avenue B, between 10th and 11th. The Guadalajara-style sandwich shop is moving from Park Slope into the space that was Hekate Café & Elixir Lounge. EV Grieve reported the move for later this fall. Owner Marshall Dean grew up in Guadalajara. It's a plan, not an opening date.
- 38 Avenue B. Potenza Centrale closed here after nearly three years. Owner Luigi Iasilli gave no specific reason and described the decision as essentially "time."
A block or two off the route, there are two newer options for coffee before the parade. Lerivez Coffee opened July 1 at 515 East 12th Street between A and B. It's run by Pedro Chavez and Erika Chau, who both worked as baristas before. On Avenue A, Barryville General's market and café at 70 Avenue A, between 4th and 5th Streets, was in soft-open mode as of October 5. Its official debut is set for October 16, the day before the parade. The initial lineup included Café Aroma coffee, Party Bus baked goods and dairy-free soft serve from Lavender and Truffles on Fridays.
After the festival block on East 6th, Thone is a short walk away at 501 East 6th Street, next to Corner Bistro. The Georgian bakery café and natural wine bar opened October 2. It serves coffee, pastries and Georgian breads in the morning and switches to wine and snacks around 5 p.m. According to EV Grieve, staff described it as an "accessible neighborhood anchor."
Round Two on October 31
Two weeks after the parade, Avenue B hosts another event. DOT's Trick-or-Streets list has the Avenue B Open Street open for Halloween on Saturday, October 31, from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m., between 7th and 3rd Streets. Around the corner, wild project's East Third Street Open Street runs from Avenue B to Avenue A during the same hours. The Halloween Open Street picks up at 7th Street, right where the parade route ended, and runs south to 3rd, so on both Saturdays a street still under construction is given over to people on foot.
On the 17th I'll be somewhere along Avenue B before 11, cheering for the dogs. If you live near the route and you've been wondering what the new street layout, the new plantings and the new storefronts mean for your block, let's talk. Rock N Rolla Reeltor® knows these blocks, so reach out and Let's Connect.
