Wishes

16x20 inch Black & White print on Epson Art Cotton Smooth 250 gram paper. From the NYC Village Halloween Parade, 1982–86.

In this striking 35mm image from the mid-1980s Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, a playwright named Fred transforms into a radiant, larger-than-life Fairy Godmother. Caught in a sharp, professional grade flash, he wears a shimmering, star-studded gown, voluminous wings, and an ornate crown, holding a slender wand he playfully uses to "bonk" parade-goers to grant their wishes. This whimsical performance is immortalized in Jack Kugelmass's Masked Culture, where Fred's role exemplifies the era's DIY theatricality. The heavy grain and deep blacks of the analog film perfectly capture the raw, celebratory energy of the New York City night, freezing a moment of neighborhood magic amidst the crowded streets.