Editor’s Note: For more Halloween fun, check out:
Party tips from our favorite experts
Our Pinterest boards for costume and recipe ideas
Our complete Halloween Handbook
Through October 31
New York Botanical Garden’s Everett Children’s Adventure Garden transforms into a Haunted Pumpkin Garden for the Halloween season. Play inside the Pumpkin House, perform a spooky show at the Pumpkin Puppet Theater, and marvel at over 500 carved pumpkins transformed into scary scarecrows, spooky spiders, and more. Tues-Fri, 1:30-5:30pm; Sat-Sun 10am-5:30pm, nybg.org
October 11
Jefferson Market Garden’s Children’s Harvest Festival is sure to get everyone in the mood for Halloween and some fall fun. Decorate free, kid-sized pumpkins, make autumn crafts, play in bales of straw, and enjoy entertainment provided by the New York Public Library. 11am-2pm, jeffersonmarketgarden.org
October 18
El Museo del Barrio’s free Super Sabato event celebrates the 3,000 year-old tradition of Dia de los Muertos. Get your face painted, enjoy the musical procession and concert from Pistolera, make some spooky crafts or visit the storytelling section! 12-5pm, elmuseo.org
October 24 & 25
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum is celebrating Halloween with its annual Monster Mash! Face your fears and touch creepy land and sea crawlers, take a seat at story time for little monsters, make some spooky crafts and get your dance on at the ghoulish glowing dance party! $13.00 per person ($12.00 presale); $8.00 for members. 4-8pm, brooklynkids.org
October 25
Brooklyn Bridge Park’s free Harvest Festival is sure to get the whole family in the fall spirit! The family-friendly festival on Pier 6 is full of excitement. Visit the pumpkin patch; face painting booth and mask-making crafts. The festival also offers a Halloween costume parade, musical performances and the opportunity to ride an old-timey trolley bus! 10:30am-1pm, brooklynbridgepark.org
October 25
Come see the spooky transformation of the High Line at its 4th annual family Halloween celebration, the Haunted High Line. Trick-or-treat with the Mad Cookie Man and the West Side Cowboy, create Halloween art, explore the haunted train tunnel created by students from the School of Visual Arts, and learn about the creation of the High Line and the spooky history of Manhattan’s West Side. 11am-3pm, thehighline.org
October 25
Don’t forget about the four-legged family members—they get to join in on the Halloween fun, too! Dress your dog up in costume and join the 24th annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade, the “largest dog costume parade in the world.” Prizes will be awarded for the best canine costumes. 12-3pm, tompkinssquareparkdogrun.org
October 25
Experience chills and thrills during Ghouls and Gourds at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The day’s activities include performances by Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem and The Mettawee River Theatre Company, arts & crafts, a Children’s Book Barn where local children’s authors will read and autograph their books, as well as a costume parade with the Black and Gold Marching Elite. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students ages 12 and up. Children under the age of 12 are free, bbg.org
October 26
Come down to the South Street Seaport and join FiDi Families for a Howlin’ Halloween party! Your little ghouls can jam to Music for Aardvarks, and participate in kiddie and doggie Halloween parades. 11am-1pm, southstreatseaport.com
October 26
This year, Harlem will host the Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Sail at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center. Wear your favorite costume, listen to spooky music, and march in the parade. At twilight, the largest pumpkin flotilla in NYC sets off from the Harlem Meer. To participate in the flotilla, bring a pre-carved pumpkin by 5:30pm. Weight and size restrictions do apply. 4-6:30pm, centralparknyc.org
October 26
Celebrate the spooky season at the Queens County Farm Museum’s Children’s Fall Festival. Don your costume and enjoy free games, storybook characters, pig races, pony rides, food, live country music, and the Haunted House and Amazing Maize Maze! Cost is $5 per person, admission is free for farm members. 11am-4pm, queensfarm.org
October 26
Hudson River Park is hosting its wickedly wild Halloween Kidz Karnival at Pier 26! Dress in costume for mask decorating, face painting, spin art workshops, rides, cotton candy, and more. Also, the Story Pirates will put on a Halloween-themed improv show that’s sure to thrill. Recommended for children ages 2 through 8, however all ages are welcome. Some activities are $2, hudsonriverpark.org
October 27-29
Moms can celebrate the spooky season too! Join MommyBites at one of their fabulous Halloween parties on the Upper East and West Sides or Gramercy. Each bash includes a three-course lunch, musical entertainment, vendor shopping, and gift bags. The events are free, but a deposit is required to hold your spot. Oct. 27: 11am-1pm,Tony’s Di Napoli; Oct. 28: 9-11am & 12-2pm, Sarabeth’s Gramercy; Oct 30: 11:30am-1:30pm, Scaletta Ristorante; mommybites.com
October 29
Join the New York Junior League for an afternoon of festive fun at the Lil’ Goblins Halloween Ball. The Astor House will be decorated in spooky Halloween style, and the little ones can enjoy magic shows, face painting, cookie decorating, and more. $25.00 for children under 13, and $20.00 for adults. Free for baby goblins (under 1). 4-6pm, nyjl.org
October 31
Families with children ages 3-12 are welcome to march in the 24th annual Children’s Halloween Parade. NYU and Community Board 2 will host the city’s largest free kid’s parade beginning at Washington Square Arch and concluding at LaGuardia Place. A brass band, costumed characters, and circus performers will guide kids along the parade route. Afterwards, there will be free candy bags, games, and rides for all marchers! 3-6pm, nyu.edu.
October 31
No Halloween would be complete without the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, now in its 41st year. With a reputation as the most creative public participatory Halloween event, this parade is a must-see! Anyone in costume is encouraged to join in alongside puppets, 53 bands, dancers, and artists. Line-up 6:30-8:30pm, parade 7pm, halloween-nyc.com
October 31
BAMboo! is one of Brooklyn’s hippest Halloween spots for the whole family! Wear your costume to the BAM Peter Jay Sharp Building and take part in the costume contest and obstacle course as you watch performances by stilt walkers, a rock band and DJs. Free. 2pm, bam.org
October 31
Bring the kids to sports venue Asphalt Green for Asphalt Screams. This spooky sports celebration is complete with ghoulishly good activities like zombie freeze tag—and don’t forget your costume! The first 400 kids to arrive will receive a free goody bag. The event is free and open to the public, but a $20 donation per family is suggested; all proceeds go towards the Fit Kids Fit City Campaign. 4-6pm, asphaltgreen.org
October 31
Trick-or-treat amidst the wonders of the natural world at the American Museum of Natural History’s Halloween Celebration. Enjoy trick-or-treating in the museum’s grand halls, as well as cartoon characters, arts and crafts, and live performances. 4-7pm, amnh.org
