Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade saved by last-minute sponsor

The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade will be held at the East River Park Amphitheater again this year. Photo Credit: Loreley Beer Garden

The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade has secured a last-minute sponsor to keep the costume event alive.

Organizers were rushing to raise thousands of dollars after a sponsor backed out a few weeks ago, said Jennifer-jo Moyer, one of the volunteer organizers.

But on Wednesday, the Heart of Chelsea Veterinary Group agreed to sponsor the event, covering the costs to put the parade on, as well as donating several thousand dollars to the Tompkins Square Dog Run, which is managed by the community.

“They flew in like superheroes to save the day,” said Moyer, of the East Village.

The parade will be at noon Sunday, Oct. 20, at the East River Park Amphitheater, where it was moved last year due to expected attendance.

All dogs are welcome to participate in the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade. Photo Credit: Todd Maisel

When the Heart of Chelsea Veterinary Group, which has locations in Chelsea, the Lower East Side and Hell’s Kitchen, heard the parade could be canceled if no sponsor was found, its founder, Dr. Marc Siebert, and the management team decided they had to do something.

“Our management team got together and decided that we should step up and make sure this highly anticipated community event — one that many of our clients/patients participate in and would benefit from — takes place,” client services representative Natasha Santiago said in a statement.

In addition to putting on the parade, the sponsorship donation will help fund the maintenance and upkeep of the Tompkins Square Dog Run.

One goal for the community group that maintains the dog run is to put in more AstroTurf.

“This past year we put in the canine AstroTurf in the small dog run, and we were hoping to be able to put it in the large dog run in the next few years, but that would cost about $200,000,” she said.