41st Bronx Halloween Parade: Noon on Southern Boulevard

The Bronx Halloween Parade lands a week early this year: Saturday, October 24, 2026, starting at noon at Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue in Longwood, under the elevated 2 and 5 tracks. It is free, open to all ages, and the 2026 theme is Carnival of Nightmares. If you want a halloween parade near me that has real floats, drum lines and dance crews but is not the Sixth Avenue crush, the 41st edition in the South Bronx is the one to circle.

The parade was founded in 1986 by two neighborhood leaders, Father Louis Gigante and Sister Miriam Thomas, as a safe Halloween for South Bronx kids. Organizer V. Taveras, who has run it since 2019 and marched in it as a child, told the Bronx Times it began as a walk from one block to the next with about 50 people. Four decades later, the paper calls it the second-largest Halloween parade in the city after the Village.

The 40th edition in 2025 drew about 5,000 participants and nearly 20,000 spectators, and the city co-named the corner of 163rd Street and Simpson Street, where it all started, Bronx Halloween Parade Way. The sign is a few blocks from the route, so it is worth the short detour on Simpson Street for a photo before the floats arrive.

The parade starts at Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue, heads south down Southern Boulevard, turns right onto Intervale Avenue and finishes at Dawson Street, beside Bill Rainey Park. The city permit for the march, number 956421, runs from noon to 5 pm and covers Southern Boulevard, Intervale Avenue, Dawson Street, Tiffany Street and Simpson Street; a second permit covers the park festivities from 11 am. Last year the march itself stepped off at 1:30 pm after the street co-naming, so the listed noon start is when the area comes alive rather than a hard step-off.

The whole route is close to half a mile, which is why it feels so packed: thousands of marchers move through a compact stretch of commercial blocks. Spectators line the barricades along Southern Boulevard from Westchester Avenue down to Intervale. For the best view, take a spot on Southern Boulevard just south of Westchester, where the floats turn onto the route and the dance crews are freshest.

The 2026 theme, Carnival of Nightmares – The Greatest Fear on Earth, points straight at haunted ringmasters, sinister clowns and creepy acrobats. In past years the parade has mixed homemade family costumes with choreographed crews; last year a New Rochelle dance group performed Thriller in the street, and Puerto Rican flags were everywhere, many carried by Boricuaverse, a cosplay collective founded in 2023 that blends fandom costumes with cultural pride.

That mix is the reason to come. Unlike neighborhood kids' parades, this one has a real performance layer, and unlike the Village parade, you can actually see it from the curb without arriving three hours early. Bronx Community Board 2 is involved, and recent sponsors have included Planet Fitness, Urban Health Plan and BronxWorks; Urban Health Plan staff joined the 2025 march in costume.

After the march, everyone heads to Bill Rainey Park, on Beck Street between Intervale and Longwood Avenues, for an artist showcase with local politicians, marching bands, performers and costume contests that pay cash prizes, plus candy for every kid. If your child has a contest-worthy costume, go straight to the park as the tail of the parade reaches Dawson Street; the stage area fills quickly once the march ends.

Participation is free and open to all ages, so you can walk with the parade in costume. Families who want to march should gather near the start at Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue before noon, and keep an eye on the event contact listing, for any day-of changes.

Southern Boulevard is a working commercial strip, so lunch is easy. Sugar Restaurant at 1010 Southern Boulevard is a sit-down option on the boulevard itself, and Lechonera Pollo Sabroso at 1089 Southern Boulevard is a neighborhood lechonera a few doors away. Aldus Pizza at 1023 Southern Boulevard handles slices for kids who refuse anything else, and Yummi Bakery at 952 Southern Boulevard covers something sweet.

Because the route is short and crowded, the honest advice is to eat before noon or after 3 pm. Once the barricades are up, crossing Southern Boulevard to reach a restaurant on the other side means walking back to Westchester Avenue or down to Intervale, which can take a while with a stroller.

Take the train. The 2 and 5 stop at Simpson Street, right at the start of the route, and at Intervale Avenue and Prospect Avenue near the finish. The 6 runs to Hunts Point Avenue and Longwood Avenue, both a short walk east. Driving into the closure area on a parade Saturday is a mistake: Southern Boulevard and the side streets close, and the elevated structure makes the curbs narrow.

If you are coming from Manhattan, the 2 from Times Square or the 5 from Grand Central reaches Simpson Street in well under an hour, which makes this an easy daytime outing before an evening event elsewhere.

This is the best Halloween parade in the city for people who want spectacle without a midnight crowd. Skip it if you need quiet: drum lines, sound systems and dancing crews make it loud, and young toddlers can find the elevated-train roar plus the drums overwhelming. Bring ear protection for little ones, and a folding stool if you plan to stake out the curb at noon.

It is also a full week before Halloween, so it pairs well with Halloween-night plans elsewhere; do this parade on the 24th and keep the 31st free for trick-or-treating on your own block.

Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026. Listed time: noon to 3 pm; street permit noon to 5 pm. Start: Southern Boulevard and Westchester Avenue, Bronx, NY 10459. Route: south on Southern Boulevard, right on Intervale Avenue, ending at Dawson Street. After-party: Bill Rainey Park. Cost: free, all ages. Trains: 2 and 5 to Simpson Street or Intervale Avenue; 6 to Hunts Point Avenue or Longwood Avenue. Theme: Carnival of Nightmares – The Greatest Fear on Earth.

Ask Karpo in the Karpo APP for a family lunch spot near Southern Boulevard or a second Halloween event for the following Saturday.