Theme revealed for 53rd annual Village Halloween Parade 2026 in NYC
The theme for the annual Village Halloween Parade in New York City's Greenwich Village was released Wednesday.
Tens of thousands of participants and spectators are expected to take to the streets on Halloween night for the Body and Soul-themed event.
The theme celebrates the connection between the skeleton and imagination and dance, which combines the two, according to the parade's website.
Organizers say people need to get back to their human bodies to express their souls, rather than communicate through screens and online.
The parade will take place from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Oct. 31. It runs up Sixth Avenue from King Street to West 15th Street. Organizers say the streets most crowded are between Bleecker and 14th Street.
Anyone in a costume can march in the parade and can join the lineup area at the corner of Canal and Sixth Avenue between 6:30 and 9 p.m.
If you'd rather not dress up, you can volunteer to help animate a puppet.
The theme for 2025 was Potluck, which celebrated Halloween's roots as a harvest feast. Participants leaned into the theme by dressing as food items alongside classic costumes such as ghosts and witches.
The New York City Village Halloween Parade started in 1973 when a puppeteer, Ralph Lee, took his family and friends on a walk in the neighborhood. It has grown into a giant spectacle that past governors and mayors have attended.
