While the Day of the Dead may not be until November, the day of the dog happened this past Saturday at New York City’s Tompkins dog parade.
From Trump dogs to sushi pooches and everything in between, the “world’s biggest dog parade” did not disappoint. It brought out more than 1,000 people (from our estimates) to see all sorts of dogs, costumes and owners march around the park showing off their creations.
While some owners opted for store-bought costumes to celebrate the festivities, others went all out putting in a ton of time to make some pretty elaborate ensembles.
Dog designer Anthony Rubio dressed his Chihuahua up as “Sarah Jessica Barker” from the Met Gala and told us his dog’s headpiece took about a week to make, as he “had to research the photo of and make sure it was balanced and weighted, so it doesn’t bother her.”
The owners behind a Frida Kahlo dog told us it took seven to eight months of planning and researching to ensure their costume represeented the famous artist.
Related: New Yorkers Get Ready for One of the Biggest Halloween Dog Parades in the World
And all the hard work paid off for owners Danny and Amy Cox and their dogs Pearl, Paco and Penolope. Their Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos, won the entire contest. Hailing from Dallas, the couple shipped the elaborate costume, including a garden cart and pvc pipe, to a hotel in Manhattan New York City and has been preparing it for the big parade. “I have been hot gluing for two days!” Penelope told us.
While the contest element was a huge draw for people to come out with their dogs, for many owners it didn’t matter if they won or lost.
“We love meeting everybody. The press, taking pictures. You feel special, said Victoria Viscardi, who along with her dog Gia, were dressed as jewelry-box ballerinas. “Competition is pretty steep here, but we don’t come here to just see if we are going to win, we come here to meet everyone.”
The event was sponsored by Purina’s Beggin and all proceeds from the event went to Friends of First Run, the organization that helps with the upkeep of Tompkins Square Park.
If you weren’t able to make it out to this event, here is a glimpse at what you missed.
The Crowd
With more than 1,000 people, this parade was not for the faint at heart.
Image via I_Will_Always_Love_My_Mom
Hugging a minion corgi in the middle of the chaos.
The Celebs
We snapped a few pics of the celeb dogs that came out but there were many more.
Menswear dog as a racecar driver. Image credit: Geoffrey Woodcock
Chloe the mini Frenchie giving us a wink. Image credit: Geoffrey Woodcock
The Costumes
From handmade to PetSmart costumes, the creations definitely ran the gamut.
Spider dog. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
The Simpsons. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
Bride. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
Lion pooch. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
Dinosaur. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
Guardians of the Galaxy and Baby Groot. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
More sushi! Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
Pomeranian as pom frites. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
The pope. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
Circus dogs. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
Lobster pup. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
Frida. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
A pharaoh dog.
Bat dog. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock
Andy Cohen and ‘Sarah Jessica Barker.’ Image via Geoffrey Woodcock
‘Walking Dead’ dog. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
King pug.
Donald Trump. Photo by Jason DeCrow/Invision for Purina Beggin’/AP Images
Knight dog. Image via Geoffrey Woodcock.
The Contest
Dogs of all shapes and sizes took to the runway to strut their stuff.
Three little pigs. Photo by Jason DeCrow/Invision for Purina Beggin’/AP Images
Medieval dog. Photo by Jason DeCrow/Invision for Purina Beggin’/AP Images
Photo by Jason DeCrow/Invision for Purina Beggin’/AP Images
Marty McFly and Doc Brown from Back to the Future. Photo by Jason DeCrow/Invision for Purina Beggin’/AP Images
Captain Hook and Tinkerbelle. Photo by Jason DeCrow/Invision for Purina Beggin’/AP Images
A bunch of corgis as Minions. Photo by Jason DeCrow/Invision for Purina Beggin’/AP Images
The Champions
Day of the Dead took home first place!
Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, take home first place. Photo by Jason DeCrow/Invision for Purina Beggin’/AP Images
