Sixty years in, this is the most purely local thing happening in New York that weekend: several thousand Bay Ridge kids in homemade costumes walking sixteen blocks of Third Avenue while the whole neighbourhood stands on the sidewalk. It descends from an actual 1870s New York custom - ragamuffin costumes and hand-me-downs, before Halloween took the tradition over. Watching is free and you do not need a child to enjoy it.
What to expect
A slow, joyful procession of costumed children, marching bands, vintage cars and community groups heading south on Third Avenue from 76th Street, past a main stage around 90th Street, to a finish near 92nd Street. Sidewalks fill early along the route. Registered marchers assemble beforehand at Our Lady of Angels School, and every child who walks the full route in costume gets a gift.
Good to know
- The parade steps off at 76th Street and Third Avenue and finishes near 92nd Street and Third Avenue, with the main stage around 90th Street.
- Watching is free; only marchers need to register.
- Day-of registration for children is at Our Lady of Angels School on 74th Street off Third Avenue, before step-off.
- Every registered child who marches the whole route in costume receives a gift at the end.
- The R train serves Bay Ridge along Fourth Avenue, a block west of the route; 77th Street and 86th Street are the useful stops.
- The sixtieth edition honours Bay Ridge Cares and the Our Lady of Angels parish, with NYPD Captain John Dasaro as Person of the Year.
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Common questions
What is the route?
The parade starts at the corner of 76th Street and Third Avenue, heads south down Third Avenue past the main stage at 90th Street, and finishes in front of the Citizens Bank at 92nd Street and Third Avenue.
Can my child march?
Yes. Children register in advance through local schools or by mail, and there is also day-of registration at Our Lady of Angels School on 74th Street. Every registered child who marches the whole route in costume receives a gift.
Why is it called the Ragamuffin Parade?
It revives an 1870s New York tradition in which children dressed in oversized hand-me-down clothing - ragamuffins - and paraded through their neighbourhoods, a custom that predates modern Halloween trick-or-treating.
