The 33rd Annual Village Halloween Parade in New York, allegedly the largest public Halloween celebration in the United States is slated to kick off Tuesday night, its organizers said.

 

The official march starts at 7 p.m. in lower Manhattan and takes more than two hours to get all participants past the starting point, according to parade's organizers.

 

Partygoers wishing to participate are asked to log on to the parade's Website well in advance to let the organizers know their choice of costume. Those without costume inspiration can volunteer to be a puppeteer or facilitate the lineup and help participants clear the initial staging area, said the event's organizers.

 

Organizers describe the parade as a local, family-oriented Greenwich Village promenade. The event started by a mask maker and puppeteer in 1973. In 1975, Theater for the New City enlarged the scale and produced the event as part of their city in the Streets program. In 1976 the Village Halloween Parade Inc. formed as a not- for-profit organization and has produced the parade on its own ever since with the help of volunteers and donations.

 

After the 8th year, the crowd had reached more than 100,000 participants and spectators, and celebration artist and producer Jeanne Fleming took over the production of the event.

 

Now the parade boasts a mile-long route featuring almost 50,000 marchers in costume and an estimated 2 million spectators.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2006)