Halloween Dog Parade saved
NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - A famous New York City Halloween parade of costumed dogs was (almost) a victim of its own popularity.
Over the course of almost three decades, the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade has grown so big that this year the Parks Department is requiring organizers to secure a $1 million insurance policy. Faced with that financial burden, the organizers in August canceled the annual event for lack of funds.
But on Thursday, Council Member Carlina Rivera, parade organizers, and supporters of the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run announced a deal to save the colorful event and also put it on streaming TV.
The parade itself will move to the much more spacious East River Park and Good Old Lower East Side, a housing and preservation organization, will hold the required insurance policy, Rivera said.
On top of that, the ESPN+ program Always Late with Katie Nolan will be broadcasting from the parade and the network will donate $10,000 to the City Parks Foundation to benefit the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run.
"This beloved Lower East Side tradition wouldn't be happening this year without the tireless efforts of Good Old Lower East Side and the supporters of the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run, particularly Ada Nieves who has previously co-hosted the parade and took over planning this year," Rivera said in a statement.
In August, dog owner and supporter Therese Moriarty created a GoFundMe campaign to help save the parade. It has raised more than $6,000 so far.
"We're so grateful for everyone's donations and generous offers of support," Moriarty wrote on the campaign page. "We had a lot of starts and stops throughout this process, but the stars just recently came together to ensure that the show will go on this year."
The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade will be held on Sunday, October 28, 2018, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., at the East River Park Amphitheater in John V. Lindsay East River Park.