Walking in the New York City Village Halloween Parade

An honest review of my experience with the Quiet Events silent headphone costume party in the New York City Halloween Parade

I used to visit New York City every year when I was a university student, and I would try to time my visits to coincide with special events and experiences like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade or the Christmas holiday season. When I learned that NYC actually hosts the largest Halloween parade in the world, I thought it would be the perfect place to celebrate this fun holiday.

While I considered just being a spectator and watching the parade, when I found out that I could actually join the parade as part of a silent headphone dance party hosted by Quiet Events, I booked a ticket and started working on my costume!

I booked my own tickets for this activity in October 2018 and I paid for it myself so this is a completely independent review. 

You can read a detailed summary of the experiences I had at this event or jump straight to the end where I share my final recommendation for this New York City Halloween Parade party by Quiet Clubbing Events.

Go to final recommendation

Quick Overview of the New York City Halloween Parade with Quiet Events

Destinations: This activity took place entirely in Manhattan in New York City, following the route of the Village Halloween Parade, an annual event that takes place in Greenwich Village on October 31.

Who was on the tour: This was a large group activity, it was hard to tell how many people were actually in the group during the parade, but based on the photos, there were at least 150 of us, plus the DJ and staff who distributed the headphones.

Who was the guide: This Quiet Events silent headphone party was lead by a DJ who accompanied the group throughout the whole parade, he had a portable turntable/computer set up and would give directions to join in on dance moves and yell out cheers at certain times, so that was a fun, energetic and social aspect of the activity.

What to bring: Dress for the weather, as it can be cold at the end of October and wear a costume and comfortable shoes, pretty much anything goes, as long as you can walk and dance.

History of the New York City Halloween Parade   

There are amazing Halloween celebrations all over the world, but the Village Halloween Parade is one of the most well known in the United States and apparently the largest Halloween themed parade in the world. It has been going on since 1973 and is a bit unique because anyone can join in if they are in costume but there are also organised groups of marchers, along with floats, musical bands and large themed puppets. It starts around 7 PM at night and goes for two or three hours, the parade goes up Sixth Avenue, from the official starting point at Spring Street, ending at 16th Street.

Joining the New York City Halloween Parade

I arrived at the Quiet Events meeting point, about an hour before the parade officially started. They provided a digital ticket pass I could show on my phone to be let into the meeting point. They did note that it was important to be on time because once the parade starts, it would be hard to catch up with the group and get headphones. I was able to pick up my headphones with no issues, and they take a deposit on your credit card to make sure you return them undamaged at the end of the night.

The starting point was also really the only chance I had to see other people and groups in costumes and take photos, since we obviously couldn’t see the other participant groups once they were marching in front or behind us. There were so many great costumes and I talked to visitors from all over NYC and many people from out of state or even international travellers like myself. I thought people at this event were quite friendly and social.

There was also no where to really change into a costume, so either wear it to the event or have thin clothes on underneath you can easily layer your costume over. I was a glowing peace sign as you can see in the photo below. Many people also had glow sticks or other glowing/light up accessories. This is one of the largest night time parades in the world, so you might as well dress to stand out.

Just a note, there were not a lot of restrooms available, so it would be best to go before you arrive. I also brought my own juice and snacks in my purse, there were some various restaurants and vendors near the starting point, but it is probably better to eat dinner before you go.

My experience with Quiet Events 

Once the parade started just after 7 PM, we all moved as group down Sixth Avenue. There was a choice of I think two channels on the headphones, either top 40 pop music or 90s throwback from what I remember. The DJ would also sometimes give instructions to do some dance moves or cheer at certain times so I did feel like our group was contributing to the festive parade atmosphere.

You won’t lose the group because everyone is wearing glowing blue and green headphones and the DJ had a glowing portable turntable music computer as he led the group through the parade route, so you really just follow along and enjoy the music. The parade is quite a busy event, there are a lot of spectators and it can be loud. I did feel safer as a solo woman traveller that there were designated staff from Quiet Events walking with our group in case of any issues, but we had no problems.

Please note the two photos below were provided by Quiet Clubbing and are credited to the official photographer.

Image provided by Quiet Events official photographer

Image provided by Quiet Events official photographer

Quiet Clubbing Headphone Party at the New York City Halloween Parade

We continued walking and dancing until the end point of the parade, I think around 10 PM and returning the headphones was much easier than I thought, they had a very efficient system for handing them back to staff and I got my credit card deposit returned with no issues. I think they also recommended some other Halloween parties and events going on that evening for people who were not ready to go home yet. I had to leave for a tour of Philadelphia the next day so I went back to the youth hostel where I was staying after the parade. Overall, it was an amazing atmosphere and such a memorable Halloween experience!

Visiting NYC on a budget? Read this next: 26 tips for saving money on a trip to New York City

Final Recommendation for the Quiet Events NYC Village Halloween Parade Silent Headphone Costume Party

As an international visitor to NYC, participating in this event was really a once in a lifetime experience. It was amazing to see so many cool costumes up close, to pass by thousands of cheering people, to see all the lights and sounds of the city at night, along with all the festive Halloween decorations! As a solo woman traveller, I also felt a bit safer being with a designated group and organised activity while the streets were so busy at nighttime.

The actual logistics of the activity were well managed. I had no issues finding the group at the designated meeting point, signing in and getting a pair of headphones, and they were comfortable and functioned fine all night. Returning the headphones and getting the deposit amount back on my credit card was also fine. I thought the pre-departure emails and communication were adequate and I felt prepared for the event. The DJ was fun and friendly and I enjoyed having a choice about the songs I was listening to and because the music is just through the headphones, my ears didn't hurt when the event was over.

The only minor downside of being in the parade is that you don’t get to see as many parade participants with all the groups in matching and coordinated costumes since they are walking in front or behind the group. However, being in a major parade in one of the greatest cities in the world on a special holiday was on my bucket list of travel experiences to have in my 20s, and was such a cool experience that I really have no regrets about joining this silent headphone Halloween party activity in NYC.

---

Pin it or share it

---

---

New on the blog