The weather was perfect for a procession of ghoulish dancers, larger-than-life monsters and haunted circus acts who were a fraction of the performers at this year’s 40th annual Bronx Halloween Parade.
Founded in 1986 by community leaders, Father Louis Gigante who died in 2022 at the age of 90 and Sister Miriam Thomas who died in 2014, also at 90 years old, the parade started from humble beginnings.
“I actually attended the parade as a child,” said V. Taveras, who has organized of the Bronx Halloween Parade since 2019. “To be one of the organizers now and celebrating 40 years, it’s a really full circle moment for me. It started off as a very, very small walk from one block to the other and it was like 50 people that were marching.”
Four decades later, the Bronx event is recognized as the second largest Halloween parade in the city, after the West Village parade, and this year, the parade route extended to nearly half a mile and saw about 5,000 participants and nearly 20,000 spectators.
Spectators were lined up behind police barricades along Southern Boulevard starting at Westchester Avenue all the way down to Intervale Avenue, where marchers turned right and ended around Bill Rainey Park where a block party awaited.
The day started at 11 a.m. with a street co-naming on the corner of 163rd and Simpson streets, commemorating four decades of creepiness and community. Members of Bronx Community Board 2 did the honors of the reveal, along with City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca who will reach his term limit this December after serving the South Bronx area since 2016.
“As a New York City council member, we do a lot of cool stuff. We get to allocate funding where it’s needed, and we also get to rename streets,” Salamanca said. “And it is my honor to rename the corner of 163rd Street and Simpson Street, where it all started, to Bronx Halloween Parade Way.”
Sponsored by Planet Fitness, Urban Health Plan, Bronxworks and several other organizations, the parade itself kicked off at 1:30 p.m. with creative costumes rooted in Halloween tradition and cultural pride.
Puerto Rican flags of all sizes and colors were prominent throughout the festivities, most of them courtesy of Boricuaverse – a cosplay collective founded in 2023 by Lili-Beth Torres.
“It’s representing something nerdy and the culture together,” Torres said, dressed as a Mandalorian from Star Wars, painted with the Puerto Rican flag while she carried a jibaro baby Yoda with the iconic straw hat worn on the island. “I found other people at festivals and parades that also represent Puerto Rican characters.”
There was also a group of lechones, a Dominican tradition of elaborately costumed individuals wielding loud-cracking whips. While Puerto Ricans were the dominant Hispanic demographic in the Bronx for decades, they have been superseded by Dominicans in recent years.
Legendary DJ Funkmaster Flex was one of two grand marshals and spun old-school hip hop with his signature style of scratching and voiceover. Local TV personality Rhina Valentin served as the other grand marshal, complete with a Cruella de Vil outfit and a posse dressed up in Dalmatian costumes.
“When it comes to inclusivity, it doesn’t even matter what color or culture or what race you are. At this particular time, everybody’s in costume, so nobody’s even paying attention to that,” Valentin said.
Valentin spoke in reference to the currently political climate and the aggressive infiltration of ICE agents across the country, specifically in New York which has long been a sanctuary city. “Joy is an act of resistance,” she added.
Plenty of joy was spread as parade marchers tossed candy to children standing on the sidelines, some crawling on the floor reaching for rogue lollipops and packs of peanut M&Ms. Their smiles were contagious and the day went off without a hitch.
“In the 40 years that we’ve had this parade, there’s never been an incident,” Taveras said.
Amaurys Grullon was the host with the most at the block party and introduced Bronx Borough President, Vanessa Gibson who did her usual cameo and presented the community board with a proclamation honoring their 40 years of Halloween tradition. The Hunts Point Ballet warmed up the audience with a spooky routine before the headliners, Nina Sky, took the stage. The musical duo made of identical twin sisters performed several songs, including their 2004 hit, “Move Ya Body.”
Overall, the day was a uniting event bringing together locals and out-of-towners, like two dance groups from Baltimore, Maryland and former Bronxites who now live in New Jersey or Westchester.
“I’ve been in this community since 1966,” Julie Young said, who was dressed as a disco queen. “Seeing it go from a few families marching on the street with traffic being open and seeing it to what it is today, it’s just amazing.”
Reach ET Rodriguez at etrodriguez317@gmail.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
