The Manhattan terror attack did not stop the Village Halloween Parade from marching up 6th Avenue on Tuesday. NY1's Ruschell Boone was there with the people who went to make a statement.

Under heavy security, the show did go on Tuesday: thousands turned out for the annual Village Halloween Parade, just hours after a man in a pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists near the World Trade Center memorial, killing at least eight people.

"We got to keep on going, you know, no matter what," one parade watcher said. "So we're here, we're united in peace."

"It's important not to be afraid and carry on like nothing happened," another said.

And carry on they did.

Boone: It's just about having a good time.

Parade-goer: Exactly.

Boone: Despite everything that's going on tonight, how did you feel coming out?

Parade-goer: We've got to come together, and come together as a city. What else can you do?

Boone: Did you hesitate at all coming out here tonight?

Parade-goer: Not at all.

"We consider this our high holiday, and we're not going to let anybody take that away from us, and we do this out of respect for the victims," one costumed man said.

There were concerns about whether the parade would go on as planned. A couple of floats pulled out after the attack, which happened a few blocks from the parade route. But in the end, the city and organizers decided not to cancel it.

This was the parade's 44th year, and the only time it had been cancelled was five years ago, just days after Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the city.

"The people of this city are resilient and strong, and we are not going to change who we are," Mayor Bill de Blasio said during an interview with NY1's Pat Kiernan. "We are not going to change what we do because of a terrorist trying to undermine our city, undermine everything we stand for."

"If we change our ways, they win," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in the interview. "And they are not going to win, and that's what these thousands of people say today."

In a rare show of solidarity Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo came together to walk the route. The move drew cheers from the sidelines. But some of the biggest cheers went to the night's traditional show stopper: the mass "Thriller" dance.

"It's just energetic, electric," said the leading dancer, who was dressed as Michael Jackson. "It's the best parade ever. I love it."

And that's why many at the parade said nothing was going to stop them from taking part in the New York tradition.