Halloween tends to brings out the child in everyone, but in Williamsburg, it’s happening literally.
On Saturday, October 31, hundreds of children and their parents will gather at Flying Squirrel (96 North 6th Street, Williamsburg) at 4 p.m. in their scariest Halloween costumes to kick off the parade. Flying Squirrel’s owner Katie Schmitz and her staff have been organizing the parade for the past three years, after a previous organizer, Sam and Seb, went out of business.
Schmitz’s clothing, toy and accessories store for newborns and infants is the first of many stops, which also include Sweet William (112 North 6th St.), Mini Jake (178 North 9th St.), and several businesses on Bedford Avenue, before finishing at Jimmy’s Diner (577 Union Ave.) for coffee, donuts and beer (for the parents, of course).
“It’s really a refuel for parents. The kids are going to be out of their minds,” said Schmitz. “All the shopkeepers are looking for us. The kids are excited but the shopkeepers are excited too. It’s really fun.”
Last year’s parade had about 200 children, mostly ages six and under, taking up both sides of the sidewalk on Bedford Avenue. Schmitz expects similar numbers this year, with Halloween on a Saturday, particularly if the weather is pleasant.
Expect to see lots of chickens, Frankenstein, superheroes, and other animal-themed costumes this year. That’s what parents have been buying at Flying Squirrel the past month.
“Faeries are popular. And witches. And pirates,” said Schmitz.
The 3rd Annual Williamsburg Witches Walk will be held on Saturday, October 31. Kickoff is at Flying Squirrel at 96 North 6th St. For more information, call 718-218-7775 or visit http://www.flyingsquirrelbaby.com.
Brooklyn’s dog owners can celebrate too at District Dog’s Third Annual Halloween Parade, which kicks off at 1 PM at the McGolrick Park Dog Run (Driggs Avenue and Russell Street).
This year’s theme is “Dress Your Name,” and owners are encouraged to don costumes along with their pets, as they parade around the outer boundaries of the park before meeting in the center commons for the judging.
“There are so many unique and cool dog-names. It will be cool to see what people come up with,” said District Dog’s co-owner Rob Maher. “Last year’s best costume was the G train, which was almost a no-brainer.”
Prizes will be awarded for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners, though there will be lots of food, toys, day care services and free samples from District Dog (142 Driggs Ave.) and Unleashed (216 Franklin St.) for dogs of all shapes and sizes.
District Dog’s Halloween Parade will occur on October 31, at 1 p.m. in McGolrick park (Driggs Avenue and Russell Street). For more information, call 718-290-7434 or visit http://www.districtdog.com.
For additional services for dogs this holiday season, check out Dog Addiction (243 Berry St.), which will be throwing a Halloween costume party for dogs and owners on Wednesday, October 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. at its Williamsburg store.
According to Dog Addiction owner and resident DJ Priti Punjabi, dog owners can vote for the best dog, but they can’t vote for their own, and doggie treats, doggie beer, human treats and human beer will be available for all participants.
“It’s a fun day for owners to meet each other. It’s one of the few holidays that humans and dogs can enjoy,” said Punjabi. “Christmas can be intense for families, it’s not as hectic as Christmas, and pet owners can do more.”
What makes Dog Addiction unique is their music-driven day care services, which the staff picks and plays for the seven to ten hours on average that a dog is in their care. During Halloween, Dog Addiction staff also make music videos which they share on their Web site.
“Dogs are like our family. We give them the right kind of love they need and just let them be dogs,” said Punjabi. “Lots of neighborhoods in New York where dogs don’t get to be dogs and they get treated like humans. It’s important that dogs get to play with each other, but in a safe environment.”
Dog Addiction is located at 243 Berry Street. For more information, visit http://www.dogaddiction.com or call (718) 599-1656.