New York's Village Halloween Parade - Annual Theme

Annual Theme

Each year, a parade theme is selected VHP official puppet artists Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles and approved by Fleming as the basis for an anchoring performance at the head of the parade, and as a suggestion to inspire individual marchers throughout its course. The theme draws upon extensive research into the symbolic language and meanings underlying celebrations and rituals. The notion of Halloween as a night of transformation is often reflected in the themes, as well as ideas of self-expression and community.

In 2001, the parade presented a work of puppetry that would become celebrated for its artistry, and remembered in the city's history. After terrorists struck Lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001, events citywide and nationwide were being cancelled. Organizers believed the parade would give the city a much-needed emotional release, reform the community, and help it to begin the healing process. They felt that this was the most positive way they, as artists, could serve the city at such a desperate time. "This is the meaning of the Dancing Skeletons that always lead the march: they know better than anyone what they have lost, and so they dance this one night of the year to celebrate life," Fleming told CNN in an interview.

By September 15, Fleming had scrapped the old theme and chosen a new one. Although no one was certain the parade would take place, designer Sophia Michahelles conceived of a new theme, Phoenix Rising, to galvanize the spirit of New York in the wake of the tragedy. A giant puppet of a "The Phoenix", the mythical bird that rises up out of its own ashes, was created by Michahelles in the workshop of Official Parade Puppeteers Superior Concept Monsters. The animated creation was mechanically configured to spread its wings and rise out of fiery ashes, represented by flickering lanterns lifted on poles, encircling the parading figure. On October 25 the parade received final authorization to go ahead. In light of the widely established community relationships which Fleming had cultivated, and the parade's long tradition, Mayor Rudy Giuliani insisted it go on.

Similarly, in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina, Fleming used the Halloween Parade as a gathering point for displaced New Orleans residents, many of whom had been separated from friends and family, and were being temporarily housed in New York airport hotels. Designer Alex Kahn conceived of a series of giant lanterns depicting New Orleans landmarks that would be carried in procession. The New Orleans community rallied behind the project, suggested specific lanterns (including the Magnolia Housing Projects in the Ninth Ward) and requested that a coffin be created as the centerpiece of a Jazz Funeral. The resulting procession drew dozens of traditional "Secondliners" and was accompanied by the legendary jazz ensemble Rebirth Brass Band.