NEW YORK — Tens of thousands of costumed marchers paraded up Sixth Avenue in Manhattan on Saturday night for the 53rd Village Halloween Parade. It was the first time since 2020 that the event had fallen on a weekend night. Organisers had predicted one of the largest crowds in its history.

The parade stepped off from Canal Street at 7pm and moved north towards 16th Street, led by giant puppets built by the event's artistic team. Anyone in costume is allowed to march. Organisers have long put participation at around 50,000 people, with spectators in the millions along the route.

The New York Police Department closed Sixth Avenue and surrounding blocks of Greenwich Village and Chelsea to traffic from late afternoon. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority advised riders to expect crowding at stations near the route. The parade began in 1973 as a neighbourhood walk for children and has grown into the largest Halloween night procession in the United States.

A Saturday Halloween drew visitors from across the tri-state area and beyond. Bars and restaurants along the route in the West Village reported heavy bookings. Hotels in Lower Manhattan had marketed packages tied to the parade weekend. The timing also gave families without school or work the next morning a rare chance to stay out late.

The march was broadcast live on local television and streamed online. Organisers, who rely on sponsorship and public donations, have warned in recent years that rising insurance and production costs threaten the parade's future. A large weekend turnout was seen as a boost to its finances ahead of the 2027 event.