It was super ghoul!
Pint-sized witches and warlocks duked it out in a massive costume contest at Coney Island’s 10th annual Children’s Halloween Parade on Saturday as their personal tailors and seamstresses waited anxiously in the wings.
“My wife helped make the costume,” said Mario Rivera, whose six-year-old son, Santiago, dressed as Edward Scissorhands, and took home the prize for best homemade costume. “It took almost a week!”
The parade kicked off with activities and performances in MCU Park, including face painting, caricature drawings, novelty sumo wrestling, and a magic show, before some 1,300 kids went head-to-head in the costume showdown seeking nods for best overall costume, best homemade costume, best group, and most creative outfit.
According to parents, creating a winning ensemble is no day at the beach.
One said that her seven-year-old daughter’s Wicked Witch of the West outfit, which won most creative costume, took days of vintage shopping and alterations.
“I love the ‘Wizard of Oz,’” said Coney Islander Folayan Murray. “I tried to create the exact pieces.”
After the contest, a marching band led the young attendees and their families down the boardwalk, where they showed off their costumes to passersby before arriving at Luna Park, where the kids enjoyed two hours of free rides.
“We always enjoy the parade,” said Rivera, who has gone with his family to the event since 2015. “That’s why we come back every year.”
The event was so much fun, the costumed ankle-biters are already planning for next year’s candy rush, according to one mom.
“They’re talking about next year already,” said Latisha Hardamon, who schlepped her five children and several other local kids all the way from the Bronx!
