Ashley Bellman heads down to Tompkins Square Park for a preview of this year’s dog parade and some tips on keeping your pets safe this holiday season.
What to Know
- The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade, which was canceled over funding issues, is back on
- The popular dog parade will be held at the East River Amphitheater on Oct. 28, organizers said
- The parade has drawn dog owners and costumed dogs to Tompkins Square Park for the past 28 years
A popular Halloween dog parade that was canceled indefinitely due to a lack of funding will be happening after all — but not at its namesake location.
The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on Oct. 28 at the East River Amphitheater, organizers said in a Facebook post Wednesday night.
The parade has drawn dog owners, costumed dogs and spectators to the East Village’s Tompkins Square Park for the past 28 years, organizers said previously.
The parade’s former organizer Garrett Rosso scrapped plans for the event this year after the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation said he’d need a $1 million insurance policy, the Wall Street Journal reported.
But parade supporters including Manhattan Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, local civic group Good Old Lower East Side and ESPN stepped in to help with finances and the required insurance, according to the outlet.
Local
Katie Nolan, who hosts “Always Late” on ESPN+, will host this year’s revived parade, the outlet reported.
“People wondered what we could do to kind of rally and make it happen,” Rivera told the outlet. “These are people who really love dogs.”
A Parks Department spokeswoman on Thursday told NBC 4 New York the department had to require a contract for the 2017 parade due to the fact that attendance had grown to more than 500 people.
"The need for contract was determined based on the 2016 event's size and potential impacts on the park," she said. "As part of the contract, a standard certificate of insurance valued at $1 million is required."
The previous organizers provided a certificate of insurance in 2017, but raised concerns about the cost this year, the spokeswoman said. The department is now working with the new organizers for this year's parade, she noted.
"Costumed puppies is a favorite of all New Yorkers, and we are happy that the parade can go on with the help of Councilwoman Rivera's office," she said in a statement.
