Puppets of Light
In a time of darkness, turn on the light. It’s that easy yet so hard for some to do. Some like hiding in the darkness..brooding, afraid and plotting what harm to do next. But others shine their light so those bad intentions go far away. That was the theme in the 42nd annual Halloween parade in the Village. Bring the Light…Bring the Love. Artistic and Producing Director, Jeanne Fleming brought hundreds of artists, puppeteers and volunteers together to pull off an amazing display of creativity with positive themes and lots of bright lights. Thousands of marchers came out in some of the most creative costumes only New Yorkers can invent. Not only is this parade the largest Halloween party in the world but it’s also one the largest displays of puppetry in the country. Hundreds of thousands of revelers lined the parade route on 6th Ave., in the Village, waiting for the blessings to be bestowed by the the beloved angels of light signaling the start the parade. Soon after came the wow inducing display of puppets that had many people smiling at the imagery and message. The puppets of lights started a dance to the theme of 2001 A Space Odyssey….a very classy touch. A very impressive way light was shined on to chase away the darkness was when a group from Mexico carried signs with the names of the 43 college students that were missing and later determined to be murdered in Mexico. This group honored their memory and now that light has been passed on to us to uncover the truth from the darkness where it hides.
Let the Light Shine In
Picasso Drawing a Masterpiece
Honoring the Missing 43 Mexican Students
The first of several bands and floats made its way up the parade route. The Lesbian and Gay Marching Band of NY got the party started with a nice tune. The Hungry March Band got things swinging into action with their lively music and dancing. The first wave of marchers arrive with some really creative outfits. My personal favorite was the colorful Picasso costume. A float with futuristic dancers really got the crowd worked up with some future techno beats. A crowd favorite is the Day of the Dead float that honors the celebrities that have passed away including Jackie Collins, Leonard Nimoy, Cecil the Lion, former NY Gov. Mario Cuomo, and Yogi Berra. The distant sounds of a rhythmic drumbeat could only mean one thing..the samba dancers were coming. They really got the crowd worked up. A nice surprise for the event was the masquerade party float with none other than the commercial sponsor of Dos XX beer, the most interesting man in the world with a lovely lady on each arm.
Marni the beautiful butterfly
Rat Chomping on a Slice
Stay Thirsty My Friends
Waves of costumed marchers showed off their creative side like only New Yorkers can. Perhaps some of the better ones included a slice of pizza with rats gorging into the crust… an interpretation of the viral video of the rat eating a pizza in the NYC subway system. Another good one was Cecil’s revenge where someone dressed as a lion biting into a dentists neck. A perennial favorite came dancing up the parade route to Michael Jackson’s Thriller and they were soon followed by the amazing all female drum band that rocked the parade. Batala came in full force to get the crowd all worked. Mission accomplished. Most of the groups performing in the parade dressed in white to reflect the bright light and chase away the darkness even if for a few fun-filled hours. There’s no other party like this in the world and it’s only in NYC on Halloween night. Scare ya later.
Come Inside for a Ride
NYC Parade Life 