Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade has been canceled for 2023

UPDATE, October 4: The 2023 Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade has been saved

Hundreds of costumed canines show up each year for the Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade, making for a beloved NYC tradition. But sadly, this annual festival in Manhattan has been canceled for 2023, event organizers say.

A post on the organization's website reads simply, "Parade has been cancelled for the foreseeable future." Considering this is the largest Halloween dog costume contest in NYC—and perhaps even in the world—the announcement shook fans of the event. 

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This isn't the first time the beloved festival had to shut down. Amid the pandemic in 2020, the parade paused, but it came roaring back in 2021. This year's closure isn't pandemic related, though. In a post on Instagram, the event's leaders explained: 

"Despite our best efforts to keep the parade going, with ongoing building work in both our local parks there was just no way to hold the parade this year.

As many of you are aware the Halloween Parade is a fundraising event to raise money for maintenance and improvements in the dog run. If you would like to donate to support the dog run please follow the link in our bio." 

Some of our favorite costumes from past years include Phantom of the Opera, Starbarks, and even an NYC garbage can. The creativity knows no bounds.

In addition to pets and their humans, hundreds of spectators gathered on the sidelines to cheer on these canine competitors as they vied for top dog.

If you're looking for other dog costume contests, Fort Greene's Great PUPkin contest is always a dog-gone good time.

The folks at Tompkins Square still want to see photos of your pets in their Halloween finery. They're asking for New Yorkers to tag their Instagram account in your photos. As they say, "it's still our favorite holiday," even if this year's event is off the table.