‘Tis the season for ghouls, goblins, zombies, Miley Cyrus lookalikes, Katniss Everdeens, Superheros, witches, and characters from all your TV shows to all roam the streets.  That is right.  Halloween 2013 was quite an event.  A few of us here at SNOWMAN, myself included, dawned zombie make-up, teased hair-do’s, rocker boots, and (of course) our SNOWMAN jackets before heading down to Greenwich Village for NYC’s annual Halloween Parade. 

This is an example of the SNOWMAN team interacting with New York culture in the most explicit form.  Those of you that have gone to the parade before understand the sheer chaos that ensues all over Lower Manhattan.  Subways are closed, drunk hooligans take over the streets, and roads are blocked with copious amounts of police tape.  But while this is all true, there is something magical about this parade.  Not only is it the largest Halloween celebration in the United States, attended by over 2 million people each year, but it is also listed as one of the 100 Things to do Before you Die.   I would say, unequivocally, that the madness is worth it. 

This year the parade celebrated its 40^th Anniversary.  The costumes, giant puppets, and floats were just as extravagant as ever.  The parade is definitely mind-boggling and even sometimes a tad offensive, but it captures a piece of the NYC essence.  This parade could not exist anywhere else on earth, which is probably why over 4 million people view media coverage of the parade worldwide.  The event, like our SNOWMAN brand, is indivisible from the city itself.  There is an energy this city provides that subsides all sorts of events, endeavors, holidays, and even jackets!

At the 2013 Parade, our SNOWMAN zombies took on the ghoul-infested streets.  We had to maneuver several barricades but on our journey we made friends with a few police officers, attacked a taxicab, posed for some photos in the cobblestone streets of SoHo, met Katy Perry (well… a Katy Perry), almost hopped a ride in a hot air balloon (although I doubt its flying capability)… along with a host of other adventures.  Halloween is a holiday of make-believe and adventure in addition to pounds upon pounds of sweet treats.  The Village Parade captures the holiday in just that way: it transforms the streets usually teeming with stressed professionals into a fantastical world.  SNOWMAN embraced that world this Halloween.  We love fantasy, we love fun, and we love NYC.  

Cited: halloween-nyc.com

Photographed by Rick Daccardi