Oct 31

Oct 31 It's Halloween

Donald Trump, New York City, Performances, Protest, Public Declarations, The Age of Trump, Signs and Posters, Demonstrations

“We’re so sorry, skeletons, you’re so misunderstood
You only want to socialize (But I don’t think we should)
’Cause spooky, scary skeletons
Shout startling, shrilly screams
They’ll sneak from their sarcophagus
And just won’t leave you be”

— Andrew Gold, Spooky Skeletons, from Halloween Howls; Fun & Scary Music (1996)

“
When I look over my shoulder
What do you think I see?
Some other cat lookin’ over
His shoulder at me
And he’s strange, sure is strange . . .

Mm-hmm, must be the season of the witch
Must be the season of the witch, yeah
Must be the season of the witch”

— Donovan, Season of the Witch, from Sunshine Superman (1966)

Poetically, Halloween arrived just five days before the face-off between former President Donald J. Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s presidential election. After months of endless text messages begging for dollars, tiresome CNN/MSNBC/Fox (pick your poison) pundit panels, meaningless polls and prognostications, and the unwatchable debates and town halls, the populace collectively screamed, “Enough.” The losing side will invariably take to the streets in the months ahead, but tonight, everyone just wanted to blow off steam and momentarily forget. The perfect antidote: the 51st New York City Annual Village Halloween parade.

Over two million people lined the roughly 1.5-mile parade route, starting at Spring Street, heading north along 6th Avenue to 16th street, with over 50,000 costumed participants taking part—statistics from the organizers, as reported by Wikipedia. Beetlejuice, Chucky, Edward Scissorhands, Jason, Freddy Krueger, the Joker, Ghostbusters, and Killer Clowns were all well represented, together with Trump lookalikes, Day of the Dead corpses, Cinderella, dominatrices with crackling whips, half-naked painted ladies and men, marching bands, and zombies who danced to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

Originally organized in 1973 by puppeteer Ralph Lee as a neighborhood event for children, the Village Halloween Parade has grown exponentially from its humble beginnings. Lee’s efforts did not go unnoticed. In 1975, he received a Village Voice Obie Award. Given its cultural significance, the parade has received grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council of the Arts, the Public Theater, and American Express. It is the largest Halloween parade in the world, as well as the largest nighttime parade in the United States.

This year’s theme was Cat Ladies Unite: Meow, a not so subtle gibe directed at Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance. With that theme, the perennial paper mache puppets that lead the floats and marchers each year were fashioned as pink, blue, and yellow cats. Of the five Village Halloween parades I have now covered, this year’s most consistently carried the theme throughout the nearly three-hour event, with most of the floats and many participants echoing the theme

In terms of weather, the organizers could not have asked for better weather. The skies were cloudless, with the temperature hovering just below 80 F when I arrived at the parade’s assembly location, just north of Canal Street. Participants were milling about, some wolfing down food and drink, as everyone put final touches on their costumes and posed for photographs. Not surprisingly, given the weather and the need to blow off some steam before the election, I sensed there were a lot more participants than in prior years.

To cover the parades expenses, the organizers offer many opportunities to participate for a modest fee, including riding on floats and marching in a formation. Yet, anyone who wants to join the processional, can do so for free by simply donning a costume and assembling at the intersection of Canal Street and 6th Avenue. The assembly area jam-packed this year.

In past years, the marchers had full use of 6th Avenue. Unfortunately, this year, bicycle-rack barricades were used to create what I assume was an emergency lane available to the fire department, ambulances, and the police. While such a lane was probably advisable, it compressed 6th Avenue’s ‘width.” The resulting congestion made photography difficult because too many participants simply blended into the pack, making it harder to isolate characters in the composition. Moreover, the costumed revelers were far less animated than in prior years, simply being carried along by the crush from behind. In the grander scheme of things, the new configuration meant that the spectators lining the east side of 6th Avenue were unable to interact with the cat ladies, skeletons, and ghouls because of the empty space created by the empty lane.

Cellphones continue to detract from everyone’s experience. Too many of the spectators were looking down at their phones rather than watching the spectacle as it passed by. Those spectators who left their phones in their pockets and purses witnessed far too many costumed characters on the floats and walking the route looking down at their phones. This disengagement becoming disturbingly more prevalent, infecting an ever-increasing number of people each year. Too many are simply unable to live in the moment.

As a photographer, I have to live in the moment to avoid colliding with a devilish character or being run over by one of the floats. I typically position myself at the intersection of 4th Street and 6th Avenue because it is brightly lit. After an hour, I then head south, moving against the flow, snapping photographs as I walk.

Every year, I plan on continuing my photographic efforts in the surrounding streets when the parade ends. The West Village is packed with thousands of Halloween celebrants, spilling out of bars and restaurants into the traffic-free streets. Yet, I always end up heading to dinner—this year at Odeon in Tribecca. While the parade is a yearly highlight and always exhilarating, it is also an exhausting experience. Three hours in the parade maxes me out.

If you have the opportunity, plan a visit to New York for Halloween. This year, the weather was spectacular, but 14 years ago, I photographed the parade during a three-hour downpour. Still lots of fun. For spectators, the westside of 6th Avenue offers the better views. My impression is that there are gaps in the crowd along the earlier portions of the parade’s route.

If you do decide to take the parade in, I also suggest leaving at least half-a-day to wander through the West Village. The Halloween decorations are always over-the-top.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]