A community event is a gathering organized around shared place and interest rather than commerce — street fairs, school fundraisers and, in the East Village, a parade of dogs in costumes. The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade began as a local fundraiser for the park’s dog run and kept that spirit for 36 years. John Legend described his brand’s philosophy in similar terms at the 2026 parade: it is ‘built around that kind of love and building community.’
(David Shankbone / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0))
Mentioned in: Inside the Tompkins Square Dog Parade: Teigen, Legend and Hundreds of Very Good Costumes