Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade cancelled this year
NYC’s annual Halloween Dog Parade has been drawing hundreds of costumed dogs and their owners, as well as thousands of onlookers, to Tompkins Square Park in October for nearly thirty years. This year, unfortunately, the much-beloved tradition has been called off due to the skyrocketing costs of putting on the parade. In a message on Facebook, organizers wrote, “the Parks Dept is asking for a large insurance & liability policy in order to hold the event this year — and we simply don’t have the funds or sponsor willing to provide it.”
Dog Parade organizers are still looking ahead, though, as they write, “we’re hopeful that the annual dog parade will return in some form in the future.” Read the full statement below, and check out pictures from the 2017 edition of the parade in the gallery above.
A GoFundMe has also been started to crowd fund money to save the parade, and help maintain the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run.
It’s with a very heavy heart that I have to announce that the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade will be CANCELLED this year.
Although the parade has grown over the past 28 years, it has always been the creation of a small group of volunteers from the dog park. The Parks Dept is asking for a large insurance & liability policy in order to hold the event this year — and we simply don’t have the funds or sponsor willing to provide it.
Having a means to fundraise (or a park conservancy which Tompkins Square does not) was a pre-requisite to renovating our dog park. Over the years the parade has raised more than $200,000.00 for the park — and secured twice that amount in matching funds. We are also leaving the dog park with an endowment at City Parks Foundation for it’s maintenance and upkeep for the next 10 years.
We wish to thank all our sponsors as well as everyone who has donated time, money, effort or stayed up to the wee hours getting that super hero cape to fit just perfectly on their dog.
We’re hopeful that the annual dog parade will return in some form in the future.
