Tompkins Square Park was filled with dogs masquerading as alligators, bananas, tacos, princesses, cowboys and hot dogs, all ready to march in the 22nd annual Halloween Dog Parade on Saturday.
The Tompkins Square Park Dog Halloween Parade is the big leagues — hot-dog costumes are cute, but to win Best in Show, dogs need to think outside of the box.
The park was overrun with elaborate, off-the-wall costumes, including Eli the Celebrity Chihuahua as a turkey, and his owner Karen Biehl as a pilgrim. The duo star in the show “Doggie Moms,” a New York City Life reality show that follows New York dog owners. Many other costumes were topical, including a dog dressed Big Bird, a binder full of dogs and “Mutt Romney” who was riding on the roof of a toy car.
Click below to see a gallery of more photos from the parade.
This year, a dog named Maddie took home the Best in Show award for her costume, which was based on Steven Spielberg’s classic movie E.T. The costume was an elaborate re-enactment of the iconic scene where Elliot and E.T. bike through the night sky, complete with a cardboard moon.
The parade attracted a crowd of over 3,000 people, and all admissions proceeds going to the upkeep of the newly restored Tompkins Square Dog Run.
Jan Tedder, 31, and her dog Banjo drewa sizable audience. The pair sported his-and-her costumes — Jan was dressed in formal wear and Banjo was her dapper gentleman, dressed in tuxedo. Like many of the dogs in the parade, Banjo was adopted from a shelter just two weeks ago.
“It’s the first time here for both of us,” Tedder said.
On the other side of the park, a petite terrier named Kate got her own share of attention, despite a last-minute outfit change.
“Kate was supposed to be a French maid, but when the costume arrived in the mail it was too small,” said her owner Erin Broad.
Broad dressed Kate in festive patriotic garb, including a red, white and blue top-hat, instead.
Liz Childers, a first-year student at the Graduate School of Journalism, also attended as a spectator.
“This is the one of the weirdest things I’ve ever been to,” Childers said of the parade.
Laura Entis is a contributing writer. Email her at [email protected].
