The Throggs Neck community is getting ready for another fun day of celebrating Halloween in an event that’s been a community tradition for over three decades.
The 34th Annual Throggs Neck Halloween parade, carnival and costume contest will take place on Saturday, October 28 from noon to 4 p.m.
There will also be a separate parade and celebration in the Pelham Parkway community on that same day.
In Throggs Neck, the parade well step off at noon and be followed by a carnival and costume contest adjacent to the Throgs Neck Little League Field on Throgs Neck Boulevard between Harding and Schurz avenues.
In addition to a costume contest with first, second and third place prizes for the best costume in different age categories, the carnival will include raffles, games, rides, bear building, spin art, music and food, including pop corn.
Assemblyman Michael Benedetto is taking the lead in coordinating the event, as he has done since he has been in office.
“First and foremost, its about how happy (the kids are) and how much fun the kids have,” Benedetto said about the Throggs Neck event.
The assemblyman said the Throggs Neck celebration was the first parade of its kind in the area, and he likes to believe it is the best.
Benedetto’s predecessors, former Assemblyman John Dearie, started the event 34 years ago and it was continued by Assemblyman Stephen Kaufman.
It became a community tradition that Benedetto said is “woven into the fabric of the community,” just like other events like the upcoming Throggs Neck Veterans Day Parade on Sunday, November 12 or the community’s annual St. Patrick’s parade.
The parade, carnival and costume contest receives the support of local volunteers and area-based organizations like the Throggs Neck Merchants Association.
“It is quite gratifying to see everyone working together for the common good: to provide a fun day for the children,” he said.
Congressman Joseph Crowley, Senator Jeff Klein and Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj are co-hosting the Throggs Neck Halloween event.
Klein stated the parade and carnival is a “staple in our community that brings together families.”
Crowley said that he is always proud to partner with Benedetto and local elected officials to keep the community tradition for everyone to enjoy.
“The Throggs Neck Halloween Carnival and Costume Contest is a wonderful opportunity for Bronx families to come together, embrace the Halloween spirit, and let New Yorkers show just how creative they are,” said the congressman in a statement.
Gjonaj said that the Throggs Neck Parade and Carnival is a celebration of creativity, community and family.
“For good reasons, it has become a tradition that both young and old alike look forward to every year,” said Gjonaj.
Gjonaj is joining Klein in hosting a separate parade and party on Saturday, October 28 in Pelham Parkway.
The event is co-hosted with the White Plains Road Business Improvement District, Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association, and the Allerton International Merchants Association.
Organizers of the Pelham Parkway event are asking parents and children to assemble at 1:30 p.m. at the southeast corner of Pelham Parkway and White Plains Road.
A parade marching towards P.S. 105 will kick off at 2 p.m.
Once the group reaches the P.S. 105 schoolyard, there will be a Halloween party for the youth from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
