Countdown begins for the Village Halloween Parade

Get your "binders full of women" or botched Jesus fresco costumes ready - the 38th annual Village Halloween Parade is around the corner.

The theme this year is "Tick! Tock!" in homage to the final year of the Mayan calendar.

"This year, as 2012 ticks away - the final year of the Mayan Calendar - and visions apocalyptic or euphoric fill our imaginations, we will explore the many embodiments of time," said Jeanne Fleming, director of the NYC Halloween Parade.
Hundreds of puppets, 53 live bands and parade-leaders dressed in clock-themed costumes are big draws this year.

The parade, awarded the title of "The Greatest Event on Earth" for Oct. 31 by Festivals International, draws more than 2 million bystanders and more than 20,000 marchers annually. It is called the nation's largest public Halloween celebration.

Anyone in costume is welcome to participate, and need only to meet on Sixth Avenue between Spring and Canal streets beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Spectators should line up on Sixth Avenue between Spring and 16th streets from 7-10:30 p.m. or catch the event on TV on NY1 from 8-9:30 p.m.

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Night of the Living Barcrawlers
Dress up as your fave living dead and join the trek through Tudor city with the NYC Official Halloween Bar Crawl. Twelve bars, $3 beers and $5 mixed drinks and shots - you don't want to miss out. Costume mandatory. (Saturday, noon, $15, barcrawls.com)