Scenes From The 2026 Great Pupkin Dog Costume Contest in Fort Greene

Thousands gathered in the park to cheer on all the very good dogs at the 28th annual Halloween event

More than 100 ridiculously dressed doggos and their equally silly-looking humans strutted across a makeshift stage at the base of the monument steps in Fort Greene Park on Saturday for the 28th annual Great Pupkin Dog Costume Contest.

Among the many, many amazing get-ups this year: several riffs on The Odyssey (the best of which co-starred a mock IMAX camera), a loofah, Kelly Clarkson and that $15,000 bird, the “Mamdami ramp” at the end of the Williamsburg Bridge, Elizabeth Holmes, takes on A24 hits Back Rooms and Obsession, a pinata, an Ugg, a bunch of Knicks tributes, a Rorschach test, Pee Wee Herman, a pothole, Dexter and his murder victim, and the sign for “love” in ASL.

Scenes From The 2026 Great Pupkin Dog Costume Contest in Fort Greene

Photo by Scott Lynch

Jessica Marx of Ridgewood and her dog Beast showed up in an insanely elaborate Scrub Daddy cart/outfit. “This is our fourth or fifth year competing,” she told Brooklyn Magazine. “We take it seriously. And it’s a great way to make use of my art school education, to get those creative cojones going.”

Scores of happy, rowdy spectators filled the stairs and spread well beyond, to shriek with delight and go “awwwww” on cue. The weather was glorious, and ace emcees Torey Strahl and Dan Fox kept the party moving. An esteemed panel of judges—podcaster Hunter Harris, NYC Councilperson Crystal Hudson, Vice Chair of the Fort Greene Park Conservancy Zak Malik, and Saturday Night Live costume designer Sam Bennett—had a tough time narrowing the field down to 10 finalists.

Third place went to the Pawdyssey crew, second place a very cute play on “Where’s Waldo?” and the grand prize was bestowed upon “The Pawstige,” a team of four humans and two identical-looking dogs, who pulled off an actually really cool magic trick on stage.

Photo by Scott Lynch

Crown Heights resident Melissa Johnson did not win anything, but her team, “Daft Pup,” did have a blast with Biscuit, a dog she said she “borrowed from my ex-girlfriend’s new girlfriend’s mom.”

“I come every year for joy and whimsy and this year I finally developed a strong relationship with a dog, so I was able to enter,” Johnson said.

Scroll for some more great costumes from Saturday’s competition.