Village Halloween Parade 2026: Oct. 31 Time, Sixth Avenue Route, NY1 and Subway Changes

The 53rd Village Halloween Parade steps off at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, according to the parade’s organizers, who say it ends around 11 p.m. The parade site says Spectrum News NY1 presents it live at 8 p.m. This page puts the line-up, step-off, television and subway times in one table and adds a one-page night plan you can print.

The 2026 theme is “Body & Soul”. The site says the parade “will be led by a spectacular new performance: Firehorse!”, a puppet commissioned from puppeteer Basil Twist and choreographed by performance artist Julie Atlas Muz. The Grand Marshal is performance artist Joey Arias. For the date itself, see When is Halloween?; for sunset and trick-or-treat hours, see our Halloween 2026 story.

Village Halloween Parade night plan, Oct. 31, 2026

Time (ET)	What	Source
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.	Arrival window for ticketed Skip the Line marchers (tickets sold out)	Parade tickets page
6:30 to 9 p.m.	Public line-up at Canal Street and Sixth Avenue	Parade participate page
7 p.m.	Parade steps off	Parade home and watch pages
8 p.m.	Presented live on Spectrum News NY1	Parade home page
Around 11 p.m.	Parade ends	Parade watch page
5 to 10 p.m.	Downtown C trains bypass Spring Street station	Parade site subway notice

Where is the Village Halloween Parade route?

The watch page says the parade runs straight up Sixth Avenue from King Street to West 15th Street. Spectators can stand on the east or west side of Sixth Avenue between King Street and West 15th Street. The organizers say the streets are most crowded between Bleecker Street and 14th Street.

The participate page gives a different starting point: marchers line up at Canal Street and Sixth Avenue, and the parade goes up Sixth Avenue to 15th Street. Read the two together this way. The line-up area is at Canal, and the stretch the organizers describe for watching runs from King Street to West 15th Street.

How to watch the Village Halloween Parade on NY1

The parade site says the parade is presented live on Spectrum News NY1 at 8 p.m. on Oct. 31. The in-person step-off is an hour earlier, at 7 p.m. The site does not list another broadcast or stream, and we did not find one on it.

Is the Village Halloween Parade free to watch?

Yes. The watch page calls the parade a free public event, and the site says everyone is invited to watch. Ticketed viewing areas exist, but the tickets page lists standing ($250) and seating ($450) as sold out. Its $125 Skip the Line marcher ticket is also sold out. The organizers describe that ticket as a way to avoid the wait with “the 80,000+ General Public Participants”, a figure from the parade site.

How do you march in the parade?

Only people in costume may march. The participate page says to join the line-up area at the corner of Canal Street and Sixth Avenue on Saturday, Oct. 31 between 6:30 and 9 p.m. It lists these entry rules:

1. Enter the line-up area only from the east and south, meaning Sullivan, East Broome and Canal streets.
2. If you come from the west, enter only from Canal Street.
3. Skip the Line ticket holders arrive between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.

The site says marchers share the street with “Hundreds of Giant Puppets”, “More than 50 bands” and dancers. It advises against bringing a car and says groups should meet away from the line-up and walk over together.

Which subway lines change for the parade?

The parade site’s subway notice lists two changes. Check Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) service status before you leave, because the parade site is not the transit agency.

When	Change on the parade site’s notice
Friday, Oct. 30 at 10 p.m. to Monday, Nov. 2 at 5 a.m.	A and C trains rerouted in Manhattan and Brooklyn
Saturday, Oct. 31, 5 to 10 p.m.	Downtown C trains bypass Spring Street station

The notice also says uptown A trains run via the F from Jay St-MetroTech to W 4 St-Wash Sq, and stop at 23 St and 50 St. The parade site calls the subway the best way to reach the line-up.

Street closures, rain plan and what is not announced

The parade site does not list street closures or a rain plan, and we do not give them here. The only end time it gives is “around 11:00 pm”. Mark the date on the October 2026 printable calendar; the next page is the November 2026 printable calendar. For other New York events later in the season, see the NYC holiday calendar 2026 and the NYC Marathon 2026 story.