This is Halloween: NYC Style

Halloween is a feeling, a smell in the air, a time for dress up and a time for scare. Every year on the night of this hallowed holiday, thousands of people dressed in all sorts of costumes line up for one of New York’s hottest and most participatory events ever: the Halloween Parade.

This year, my friends and I decided to dress up as a Mariachi quartet—we pulled out all the stops, with skull makeup and outfits pulled from our own wardrobes, and we did it all on a budget. We donned the streets in our blazers and our sombreros, and dozens of halloweeners snapped our picture as we walked through the subways and the city streets to the parade.

Once at the parade, we became mini-celebrities of sorts, and every other person asked to take a picture with us. It was exciting, the energy palpable and the spirit of Halloween oozing out of our pores. This is what Halloween is about, but more importantly, this is what Halloween in NYC is all about: it’s a venue for showcasing creativity, wit, current events, and more. New Yorkers come together to celebrate the festivity and wonder of the night, and showcase the true and diverse community that is New York. It’s more than Halloween; it’s an experience that will change your life. New York tends to do that, you know.