Big Dave, the clown, woke up early on Sunday to put on his makeup. He colored his long, bushy beard with spray paint in stripes of neon green, pink and purple. His Mickey Mouse T-shirt had been ready since the previous night.

He finished the look with a giant yellow bowtie, decorated with red dots, and picked up a colorful flower patterned hat on the way out. Dragging his “magic wagon,” as he likes to call his little red plastic wheelbarrow filled with toys and candy, Big Dave joined the Columbus Day Parade in East Boston, waving at the curious spectators and throwing sweets at children sitting on the sidewalk along Chelsea Street.