NYC Halloween Parade 2024 route map, start time and road closures

NEW YORK -- New York City's annual Village Halloween Parade returns for 2024, with spooky costumes and street closures. 

Get into the Halloween spirit at the parade or the official after party channeling this year's theme: "Meow."

"On Halloween night, NY's Halloween Parade calls on Cat Ladies of every purr-suasion to don your finest tails and whiskers, and join the Ball," the parade website says. 

Here's everything to know about where to watch, when it starts and how to get around the area.

Map shows NYC Halloween Parade route 

The 51st annual parade marches through Manhattan's West Village. It starts at Canal Street and Sixth Avenue, then it travels up Sixth Avenue to West 15th Street. 

Spectators can watch from either side of Sixth Avenue between King and West 15th streets. Organizers say the area from Bleecker to West 14th streets is usually the most crowded, so arrive early.

The parade is free and open for the public to watch or join in costume. VIP tickets are also available to secure prime viewing spots. 

What time does the NYC Halloween Parade start?

The parade steps off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31 and ends around 11 p.m. 

Sunset is shortly before 6 p.m., roughly an hour before the start time. It's an unseasonably warm Halloween this year, and temperatures are expected to be in the low 70s as the night winds down.

Organizers say there will also be an after party at Webster Hall. It starts at 9 p.m., with a costume contest at midnight.

Mass transit to the NYC Halloween Parade

Parade organizers ask people to leave their vehicles home and take the train. That said, the following service and station changes will be in effect: 

• Trains will bypass the Spring Street C/E station in the southbound direction from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• The northbound side of the Spring Street C/E station will be exit-only
• After 10 p.m., southbound A trains run local from 59th Street to Canal Street
• After midnight, northbound A trains operate via the Rutgers Tube
• After midnight, southbound F trains operate via the Cranberry Tube
• 14 Street-6 Avenue L/F/M station: The 16th Street side will be exit-only, the 14th Street side will be open
• West 4th Street A/B/C/D/E/F/M station: Street entrances will become exit or entrance only at various times
• Buses along Sixth Avenue will be re-routed from just after 6:00 p.m. until the parade is over

NYC Halloween Parade street closures

For those driving, the NYPD says the following streets will also be closed Thursday evening: 

Formation:

• 6th Avenue between Spring Street and Canal Street
• Dominick Street between Varick Street and 6th Avenue
• Sullivan Street between Broome Street and Spring Street
• Broome Street between Sullivan Street and Varick Street
• Spring Street between Sullivan Street and Varick Street

Route:

• 6th Avenue between Spring Street and West 18th Street

Dispersal:

• West 16th Street between 5th Avenue and 7th Avenue
• West 17th Street between 5th Avenue and 7th Avenue
• West 18th Street between 5th Avenue and 7th Avenue
• 5th Avenue between 14th Street and 19th Street
• 7th Avenue between 14th Street and 19th Street

Miscellaneous:

• West 10th Street between 6th Avenue and Greenwich Avenue
• Van Dam Street between Varick Street and 5th Avenue

The city is also celebrating Halloween with 147 open streets across the five boroughs and more than 100 car-free events. For more of the Halloween spirit around the area, watch our Snapshot New York special. 

In:
• Greenwich Village
• Manhattan
• Halloween
• East Village