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Photos: Renegade Halloween Parade Brightens Powerless West Village
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 1, 2012
Modified Nov 1, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 1, 2012
Modified Nov 1, 2012
Share
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Hurricane Sandy forced the cancellation of the 39th Annual Village Halloween Parade (it MAY be rescheduled) but that didn't stop a group of determined costumed revelers from swarming the West Village last night. The small but exuberant parade grew in size as it wound through the darkened, post-Sandy streets sans permit, although they were accompanied by a vigilant police presence to keep everyone from spilling out into the street. Check out Tod Seelie's photographs from the freak show.
Seelie tells us, "It was a pretty fun time, even with the almost 1:1 ratio of police escorts. No trouble with the cops as far as I saw or heard though, mostly they just told us to stay on the sidewalk and blocked traffic so we could cross streets." Instead of following the usual route straight up Sixth Avenue, the renegades took a circuitous route through the West Village's tangled streets, evoking the original spirit of the parade before it was organized in concert with the NYPD.
One of the participants told the Daily Beast, "We’re all artists and activists who go ahead and make things like this happen. We don’t need permits or permission from the city. We’ve got to keep the spirit alive. People have been having a hard time lately and it’s just good to show that we have as much life and vitality as we always have. We’re survivors and we like parades."
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greenwich village
halloween 2012
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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