By Nicole Breskin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
Tough times have scared organizers of Greenwich Village Halloween parade with funding cuts forcing them to make several cuts to the annual spook show.
Just seven floats will parade in this year’s event, compared to 20 last year.
“We’re concerned,” said Jeanne Fleming, who has been the parade's artistic and producing director for 30 years. “We could definitely use more money. We’re getting down to bare bones.”
Street lamps will replace bright light shows and volunteer musicians and artists will step in for last year’s paid talent.
Fleming would not be drawn on her exact budget. But she said funding is down a third from 2008. Last year, she said the budget was already slashed due to sponsorship cuts at the start of the recession.
This year, several companies did not continue donations, such as Sony and Perrier. Others, including NY1 and the Village Voice, had to cut back.
“We are still seeking sponsors,” said Fleming. “Our budget now does not reflect the kind of impact we have and the good we do in the city.”
Parade organizers estimate that the parade brings millions of dollars in business to downtown New York.
PopCap Games, which makes the video program Plants vs Zombies, is bucking the trend. The company became a first-time sponsor of the parade this year.
“It will definitely be great exposure," said PopCap spokesperson Laura Jackson. "We also just wanted an opportunity to do something fun with New York fans."
And, come Halloween, Fleming promised nothing short of a spectacle, despite financial set-backs.
“When times get tough, the tough get imaginative,” said Fleming, who is expecting more homemade costumes this year. “This is our chance on Halloween to let the scary in.”
