World-Famous Nyack Halloween Parade Rises From The Crypt This Saturday

NYACK, NY — It's the season of the witch and the glowing eyes of the world are once again turning toward the Hudson Valley.

The 35th anniversary Nyack Halloween parade returns to the "scene of the screams" this Saturday (rain date Sunday). The fun will begin at noon and continue into the evening. Main Street and South Broadway will be closed for the day of celebration, with the parade starting promptly at 5:30 p.m. from Nyack's memorial.

Hosted by the Nyack Chamber of Horrors Commerce, the Nyack Halloween parade is the biggest outside NYC, second only to the Greenwich Village event, but just as spectacular "for color, pageantry and unabashed craziness." It has even been on the Travel Channel as one of the top 10 in the country.

"For people who love the scary fun and pageantry of Halloween, Nyack is the place to be for the best parade, costumes, parties, trick-or-treating and all-out wacky celebrations," Roger Cohen, President of the Nyack Chamber, said.

The chamber says music will drift through the village from the mobile stage provided by the Town of Orangetown in the Main Street parking lot:

• 2 p.m.: Rockin rollers - Students from Music for Life
• 3:30 p.m.: Rockshop showcase, Nyack’s own music mech
• 5 p.m.: Drum circle in Hezekiah Easter Park
• 5:30 p.m.: Frankie D, the one, the only, a tradition for decades.

Building on an impressive history of record-breaking crowds, over 25,000 spectators are expected to line the streets of Main and Broadway for the fun-filled, family-friendly event, "featuring marching bands, festooned fire trucks, fantasmagorical floats and a host of costumed revelers."

Great prizes will be awarded to the most creative parade participants (human and animal).

Best Adult Costume
1st Place: $200
2nd Place: $100
3rd Place: $50

Best Couple Costume: $100

Best Group Costume: $100

Best Kids Costume
1st Place: $75 plus prize
2nd Place: $50 plus prize
3rd Place: $25 plus prize

Best Float
1st Place: $1000
2nd Place: 500
3rd Place: $250

Pets with the most creative Halloween regalia can compete for high-end salon services, such as a full service bath, brush and trim, a creative color dye, or a nail trim and file. (Who doesn’t need that?)

Best Pet Costume
1st Place: Paws on Main Prize
2nd Place: Paws on Main Prize
3rd Place: Paws on Main Prize

All are welcome to march in the parade and compete for prizes. Marchers and floats will assemble at 3 p.m. for check-in and contest judging in Memorial Park at the corner of Depew and Piermont streets in downtown Nyack. Registration is required for prize eligibility. Prize contestants (both costumes and floats) are encouraged to pre-register online here to speed up the process on parade day.

Registration and judging will continue until 5 p.m., followed by the parade step-off at 5:30 p.m.

The parade route runs from Memorial Park (Depew and Piermont streets): south on Piermont Avenue, west on Cedar Hill, north on Broadway, west on Main Street, south on Franklin Street and finally east on Artopee.

The much-anticipated prize award ceremony for costumes and floats will begin immediately after the parade on the Main Street stage in the center of town.

Post-parade parties will continue into the evening, with the traditional costume madness and live music at Casa del Sol across Main Street from the gazebo and other establishments in the village.

To get the spooky vibe going for the parade, students from Nyack High School will be painting the village store windows on Saturday with appropriately monstrous themes.

Find out more about Nyack events on the Nyack Chamber's website, Facebook and Instagram.