East Village Halloween Scenes

Maya Millett Trick or treating siblings Ayodele and Adetayo Abinusawa, Alexia and Leo Muentes, and their Iron Man-costumed friend, Ethan Unthank, take a break from collecting sweets along First Avenue.

“Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!” sang Adetayo Abinusawa, 7, to a gaggle of fellow trick-or-treaters as they waited for a crosswalk light to turn near First Avenue and Avenue A. He and his older sister, Ayodele, 10, have been trick-or-treating in the neighborhood their whole lives, and by now could be considered local experts on the subject. “The Dunkin’ Donuts usually gives out free munchkins,” Ayodele says, adjusting the black felt pirate hat on her head, “but this year, it was just candy.”

Across the East Village, excited groups of children popped in and out of the neighborhood’s many restaurants, shops and corner stores Sunday afternoon in the hopes of accumulating as much sugary loot as their pumpkin pails could handle. They clustered close on street corners, pushing aside wings and antennas to get a better look at their wares; they traded sticky taffy for lollipops and strategized their next moves.

For 10-year-old Alexia Muentes, dressed in a black and purple crushed velvet witch costume, there was nothing off limits for treating. Grocery stores, laundromats, and even big chain stores were all fair game. Leaving a neighborhood pharmacy, she and her friends’ candy bags were no fuller than they were before entering. “They didn’t give out anything!” Alexia exclaimed, despite the aisles of candy the shop had available for sale. But the disappointment on her face was fleeting and it was on to the next block of shops, her 4-year-old brother Leo, a striped green bug sporting John Lennon-style lavender sunglasses, trailed behind.

Not far away, Ayodele watched as her brother, dressed in a white and green Star Wars stormtrooper outfit, bolted out of a nearby drug store, candy residue on his fingers. “I’ve only had two pieces so far!” he said, reasoning with himself while he unwrapped a cherry red tootsie roll. “Okay, now just three!”

Here are more photos from Halloween in the East Village.

Maya Millett A children’s Halloween parade, hosted by The Neighborhood School (121 East Third Street), brought out a host of creative costumes, including this headless ghoul.

Maya Millett A tight scrimmage around the entrance to the tiny Juicy Lucy Juice Bar on Avenue A confirmed the availability of their yearly Halloween special: little free cups of frozen yogurt. Rene “Lucy” Henricks, the shop’s owner, served up cups.