The Bronx Halloween Parade turns 41 on Saturday, October 24, stepping off at noon at Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue in Longwood and ending with a family festival in Bill Rainey Park. This year's theme is Carnival of Nightmares, The Greatest Fear on Earth, and the event goes on rain or shine. Watching is free.

The parade is presented by Bronx Community Board 2, which bills it as New York City's second-largest Halloween parade. Organizers say nearly 20,000 people lined the route last year.

The route

Marchers assemble on Simpson Street between East 163rd Street and Westchester Avenue, and participants need wristbands to line up. The parade then starts at Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue, heads south on Southern Boulevard, turns right onto Intervale Avenue and finishes at Dawson Street and Rogers Place, at the edge of Bill Rainey Park.

Spectators can watch from anywhere along Southern Boulevard and Intervale Avenue. The elevated 2 and 5 trains stop at Simpson Street, right at the starting point, and at Intervale Avenue, a short walk from the festival grounds, which makes it easy to catch the start and then ride or walk down to the park.

Who is marching

The grand marshals are Jason Reyes, principal of the Bronx School of Hip Hop, and Council Member Justin Sanchez, who is also a co-sponsor. The confirmed lineup, which organizers say may still change, leans heavily on drums and drill teams: the Baltimore All Stars, Essence Legacy, Fogo Azul, Globesonic Drumline, Iconic Marching Unit, the Magnetic Force Smooth Steppers Drill Team, the Magic Music Group Drill Team, Magic Soul Academy, the Marching Cobras of NY, Mass Destruction Marching Unit, Mass Konfusion, the NYPD Band, Royal Legacy and the West Powelton Drummers and Steppers.

Performers listed so far include Bronx Gems, Repertoire Dance School, the Chinelos de Morelos USA dancers, Las Catrinas Guardianas de Corazón NYC, Camacho Son Floats, Kaisokah USA, Team Fun Entertainment and others. Community groups marching include Casita Maria, Democracy Prep, Destination Tomorrow, the Institute for Applied Human Dynamics, O.U.R. Place Family Enrichment Center, United Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science II and the FDNY, along with an NYPD color guard.

Expect stilt walkers, carnival characters, dancers and free candy and giveaways along the way, all built around the evil-circus theme.

The festival in Bill Rainey Park

Once the last unit reaches Dawson Street, the party moves into Bill Rainey Park at Dawson Street and Rogers Place. Rhina Valentin, a host and producer, will emcee, and DJ WAWA (Joshua Wawa Valcarcel) is on the decks. Special guests announced so far are Amaurys Grullon of The Bronx Native and New York content creator Diego Leon, with a festival headliner still to be named.

The centerpiece is the Most Creative Costume Contest, with cash and other prizes. Anyone thinking of entering should come in full costume; the carnival theme is a hint, not a requirement.

Four decades on Southern Boulevard

The 2026 edition is the 41st, which puts the first Bronx Halloween Parade in 1986. Organizers describe it as a parade that still belongs to the families who line Southern Boulevard every October, and the route has stayed on the same stretch of Southern Boulevard and Intervale Avenue, ending at Bill Rainey Park.

How to join or help

Groups that want to march can use the registration form on the parade's website, bronxhalloweenparade.com, which also has a volunteer sign-up and a donation page; businesses interested in sponsoring can reach the organizers at events@bxcb2.events or 718-328-9125.

For spectators, the plan is simple: be on Southern Boulevard near Westchester Avenue by noon on Saturday, October 24, follow the parade south to Intervale Avenue, and finish at Bill Rainey Park for the festival and costume contest. Dress for the weather, because the parade runs rain or shine.

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