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See the winners of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade
By
Scott Lynch
Published Oct 21, 2023
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Scott Lynch for Gothamist
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Scott Lynch
Published Oct 21, 2023
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After a close competition, Pookah the Pomeranian was named “Best in Show” at the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade on Saturday.
The pup, who stole hearts in a Winnie the Pooh costume, garnered enough audience applause to beat out close contenders, including Mimi, who was dressed as a Pikachu parade balloon, and Bagel, who was dressed as the “This Is Fine” meme.
Before competing, the contestants and their owners marched in the parade on Avenue B alongside hundreds of other canines.
This year marked the first time that the event was a procession through the streets – but the parade almost didn’t happen at all.
Last month, due to exorbitant permitting issues, the parade was canceled just three weeks before it was scheduled to happen. But the festivities were back on a week later after the city made the parade part of the Open Streets program and a parade sponsor offered to cover the remaining costs.
Taylor Swift and Barbie costumes were especially popular among parade participants. Meanwhile, some other dog owners put a personal touch on their costumes.
“We’re the New York City New Year’s Eve ball drop,” said Jessica Marx, whose dog Beast took home the grand prize last year in his spotted lanternfly costume. “My husband and I got married on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, so we wanted to pick a costume that was close to our hearts.”
Judges selected 40 contestants for the “Best in Show” competition from the dogs in the procession.
These dogs were divided into six groups, and the winners from those groups would move on to the next stage of the competition. Winners were chosen based on applause from the audience.
Other notable participants included Bodhi, who was dressed as “pupcorn,” as well as Parker, Paige, Jada, Ruby, Skyler, Tallulah and Timothy, who were dressed as Henry VIII and his six wives.
And although the event is officially a dog parade, other critters were in attendance. Elizabeth Bays brought along her Screamy, who was dressed as Gandalf, for the second year in a row.
“I wasn’t sure if they were going to let me walk on stage, but they did,” Bays said of last year’s competition.
The parade can sometimes have other unexpected surprises, too.
“You never know what you’re gonna see,” she said. “We saw a skunk last year. I heard there was a chicken last year.”
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tompkins square halloween dog parade
Scott Lynch
Photojournalist, food writer, preschool receptionist. Love NYC.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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