It almost went wrong: At the end of September, the organizer posted on Facebook and wrote: “I did my best, but it wasn’t enough, so there will be no more Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in the foreseeable future.” There was great consternation, but apparently there was no money.
Almost at the last minute, a sponsor was found to save the dog parade. Yesterday the time had come: how the “New York Times” reported that more than 15,000 people and around 600 dogs attended the parade in the Alphabet City of the East Village in the borough of Manhattan.
According to the newspaper, the weather was uninviting, but that didn’t stop visitors from coming in large numbers.
Dog parade becomes an official part of the city of New York
The hearts of New York animal lovers seem to be attached to the event – which once started very small and then grew ever larger. Even the mayor’s office helped to manage all the work and reduce the costs of road closures and permits. A feed manufacturer from Connecticut finally stepped in as a financier after disappointment over the canceled deadline spread widely on social media.
With its own route, the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade is now an official New York City event. “It’s a dream come true,” Joseph Borduin, one of the organizers, told the New York Times. “It’s something I’ve always thought about in the back of my mind that maybe in 10 years we could do it.”
Pooh the Bear wins the show
As always, the highlight of the event was a costume competition. The loudness of the applause was used to determine which dog the audience liked best. This year the choice fell on a Pomeranian who arrived as Pooh the Bear in the Honey Pot.
You can find more costumes of the four-legged friends, who at least didn’t care about the spectacle, judging by their facial expressions, in this gallery.