Halloween Events and Activities for Families Around NYC

Halloween Events and Activities for Families Around NYC 2022

Halloween Events and Activities for Families Around NYC

There are countless Halloween events and activities for families around NYC. Celebrating Halloween is a great way to spend time together as a family, and we’ve rounded up some of the best events and activities to check out this spooky season!

Click on your region to jump to events near you!

Manhattan

Family Program: Spooky Architecture

Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place, NoHo
Saturday, Oct. 14, 11 am – 1 pm & 2 – 4 pm.
Ages 5 – 13
$10

Just in time for Halloween, they’re creepy and they’re spooky, but apart from the ghosts, what makes a haunted house haunted? Look at real life examples of haunted architecture for inspiration. Families will then get to make their own haunted buildings. 

Dyckman After Dark

Dyckman Farmhouse Museum, 4881 Broadway Street, Inwood
Thursday, Oct. 26, 6 – 8 pm
Ages 12 and younger
Free

Explore the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum after hours at Dyckman After Dark. Drink apple cider, snack on some treats, and listen to some spooky tunes! Costumes encouraged, but not required.

Family Access Mornings: FaBOOlous Zoo Morning

Central Park Zoo, 64th Street & Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side
Saturday, Oct. 28, 9:30 – 10:30 am
All ages
$20; $16 members

During this sensory-inclusive morning program, families will explore the Tisch Children’s Zoo before it opens to other guests and participate in playful, sensory friendly activities with fun animal themes. You’ll also help the animals enjoy their breakfast.

Registration includes child and caregiver admission to the zoo all day long.

Hansel & Gretel + Trick or Treat

Galli Theater NY, 74 Warren Street, Tribeca
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2 – 3 pm
All ages
$25; $20 kids

Hansel and Gretel are brought into the woods and cannot find their way back! A witch lures them into her little house with all kinds of tasty treats.

Can clever Gretel trick the witch and get them safely back home?  Children (and grown ups) are encouraged to attend in costume and will get a treat just like on Halloween!

Watson Adventures’ Ghosts of Greenwich Village Scavenger Hunt for Families

Washington Square Park, Fifth Avenue and Washington Square North, Greenwich Village
Saturday, Oct. 28, 3 – 5 pm
Ags 7 and older
$17.50-$21.50

Kids and adults will work together to uncover the stories of creepy places and the ghosts that have haunted them. Starring secret cemeteries, looming skeletons, the haunted homes of Edgar Allen Poe and Mark Twain, bats on a building, and a gorilla in a window. 

Historical Hallowe’en Party at New-York Historical Society

New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park W., Upper West Side
Tuesday, Oct. 31, 4 – 6 pm
All ages
$20

Get dressed in your Halloween best and join the New-York Historical Society for this annual evening of hands-on games, spooky and silly stories, historical Hallowe’en crafts, and buckets of candy! Play Hallowe’en bingo, read jack-o’-lantern stories, craft costume accessories, and more!

This is also the time of year Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is celebrated in Mexico and beyond by many families. Take part in this unique holiday by creating your own special offering to place on a communal ofrenda (altar).

Trick-or-Treat with East Midtown

Check in at 919 3rd Avenue at 56th Street or 139 East 56th Street, Midtown
Tuesday, Oct. 31, 3 – 7 pm
Ages 12 and younger
Free

Children and their families are welcome to this special event where they will trick or treat for candy and other special treats at dozens of local businesses throughout the district.

Families can check in at one of two locations: 919 3rd Avenue (where they can experience and take pictures with a special themed Jack-O-Latern display by Maniac Pumpkin Carvers) or 139 East 56th Street (where they can participate in a special Halloween arts and craft activity with seniors at Sunrise, Assisted Living facility).

After check-in, children in costume will dominate the streets of East Midtown collecting candy and other special treats at dozens of local businesses in the neighborhood. 

New York’s 50th Annual Village Halloween Parade

6th Avenue from King Street to 15th Street, East Village
Tuesday, Oct. 31, 7 pm
All ages
Free

Join hundreds of Puppets, 53 Bands of different types of music, Dancers and Artists, and Thousands of Other New Yorkers in Costumes of their own creation in NYC’s special brand of Carnivale!

This years theme is Upside/Down : Inside/OUT – in the last few years we have seen our world turn UPSIDE/DOWN and we all went INSIDE–not just inside to our apartments and houses, but inside ourselves.

For a while it felt like we were living between two worlds! Now is the time to come OUT into that new world –but, now that we have had time to reflect on it–what do we want to come out AS? Are we the same or have we changed? And, then take that to your costume self!

Bronx

Spooktacular Night Walk

Bronx Zoo, 2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx
Saturdays, Oct. 14, 21, 28, 5:30 – 7:30 pm.
All ages
$45; $36 for members

In this kid-friendly evening program, you will meet some creepy crawly animal visitors, listen to a spooky zoo tale and take a walk to search for what lurks in the shadows of the zoo after dark! Costumes encouraged! 

Williamsbridge Oval Pumpkin Party

Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, 3225 Reservoir Oval East, Bronx
Saturday, Oct. 28, 1 – 3 pm
All ages
Free

It’s a Pumpkin Party! Come out and enjoy this holiday tradition. There will be games, candy, arts and crafts, interactive activities and a photo booth.

38th Annual Bronx Halloween Parade

Southern Blvd. & Westchester Ave. heading South on Southern Blvd turning right onto Intervale Ave & concluding at Dawson St.
Saturday, Oct. 28, 12 – 5 pm
All ages
Free

This community-based event is heading into its 38th year and is a safe space for all children and adults to enjoy Halloween festivities.

The parade, now deemed a city-wide event, has already been considered the second largest Halloween Parade in New York City.

After the parade, guests will gather at Bill Rainey Park to enjoy an artist showcase featuring surprise celebrity guests, politicians, marching bands, costume contests with cash prizes and distribution of candy for all!

Brooklyn

Vale Cinema Series: Hocus Pocus

The William Vale, 111 N 12th St., Williamsburg
Monday, Oct. 16, 6-9pm
All ages
$20

Watch spooky season favorite, Hocus Pocus, with sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline. 

Halloween at BCM!

Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Ave., Crown Heights
Saturday, Oct. 28, 10 am–12:30 pm, 1–3:30 pm, and 4–6:30 pm.
Ages 12 and younger
$15

Come out for a day of costumed fun and trick-or-treating around the Museum’s exhibits.

Meet some spooky animal and insect friends, enjoy monstrous performances, catch a free screening of Muppets Haunted Mansion, and celebrate the day with a costume dance party on our rooftop. BCM has multiple play sessions during Halloween. 

Halloween Harvest

Luna Park, 1000 Surf Ave., Coney Island
Through Oct. 29. See website for complete schedule.
All ages
$43-$65 for ride wristbands

Welcome the new season with fun-filled activities such as balloon twisting, caricature portraits, trick-or-treating, tractor racing, pumpkin decorating station, pumpkin patch, and more.

DUMBOWEEN

DUMBO Archway, 155 Water St., DUMBI
Tuesday, Oct. 31, 4 – 7 pm
All ages
Free

DUMBOWEEN brings hundreds of costumed Dumbonians out for this Annual March to the Arch through Brooklyn Bridge Park with brass bands + puppets, followed by an Archway Party featuring crafts with Creatively WILD Art Studio, a photobooth and of course, candy!

Plus, Trick-or-Treat at 50 + Dumbo small businesses around the neighborhood!

Queens

Bayside Village Halloween Family Fun Day

Bayside Village BID, Bell Blvd and 41st Avenue, Bayside
Sunday, Oct. 22, 11 am – 3 pm
All ages
Free admission

Get ready for Halloween with stories, magic, music, games, and activities.

No Tricks, All Treats Family Fun Day

Tanenbaum Family Pool, 58-25 Little Neck Parkway, Little Neck
Friday, Oct. 27, 3 – 5 pm
All ages
$10
Pre-registration is required

Come in costume and move through a not-so-spooky path for candy, crafts and fun! 

Halloween Harvest Festival 2023

Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., Astoria
Saturday, Oct. 28, 12 – 5 pm
All ages
Free admission

Celebrate the autumn season with workshops, performance, food vendors, and the launching of the pumpkins! And don’t miss the cutest and spookiest dog costume contest around, hosted by Chateau Le Woof and Friends with Four Paws. 

Halloween on the Farm

Queens County Farm Museum, 75-50 Little Neck Parkway, Glen Oaks
Sunday, Oct. 29, 11 am – 4 pm
All ages
$20; free for children 3 and younger.

Wear your costume to the farm for this Halloween spooktacular for kids and their grown-ups. Your ticket includes The Amazing Maize Maze, live DJ dance party, trick-or-treating with the farm animals, Spooky farmhouse experience, Halloween hayrides, and more.

Halloween at Queens Botanical Garden

Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main Street, Flushing
Sunday, Oct. 29, 12 – 5 pm
All ages
$10; $8 child; free for members and children younger than 3.

Come for a festive, spooky afternoon of Halloween fun! Little ones show off their Halloween costumes, walk the Trick-or-Treat Trail, make crafts, and enjoy live performances—including a magic show! 

Spooktacular Halloween Party

The Shops at Skyview, 40-24 College Point Blvd., Flushing
Tuesday, Oct. 31, 4 – 7 pm
All ages
Free

Come out for a Spooktacular Halloween Party with live DJ, photobooth & treats. Step onto the stage at 6 PM for the “Costume Contest” and win a $200 gift card & more!

Staten Island

Pumpkin Picking at Decker Farm

Historic Richmond Town’s Decker Farm, 435 Richmond Hill Rd. 
Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 30-Oct. 29, and Monday, Oct. 9, 12-5pm
All ages
$12; $10 ages 6-10 and members; free for children ages 0-5.

Explore a fun pumpkin patch right here on Staten Island. 

Spooky Snug Harbor Tour 

Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terr.
Oct. 6, 7, 8, 13,14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 28, 29, tour times at 7:30, 8:30, 9:30pm
All ages
$25

Enjoy this series of nighttime walking tours aimed at shedding light on Snug Harbor’s darkest history. As night falls, attendees will enjoy flashlight tours of the Snug Harbor campus. (There’s a special tour on Halloween night, too.)

Staten Island Zoo Spooktacular

Staten Island Zoo, 705 Clove Rd.
Friday-Sunday, Oct. 20-22, 5-8:30pm
All ages
$28; free for ages 2 and younger

Head to this wildly popular event to enjoy live music, games, costumed characters, scare zones, a pumpkin patch and more.

Funfest Trunk or Treat

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 76 St. Alban’s Pl. 
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2-5pm
All ages
Free

Kids of all ages are invited to wear their costumes and enjoy trunk-or-treating in the church parking lot.

Halloween Trick or Treating and Bounce Houses

Staten Island Children’s Museum, 1000 Richmond Terr.
Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 28-29, 10am-5pm
All ages
$8

Get ready for a ghoulishly good time with an abundance of Halloween candy, creative crafts, and an exciting bounce house, all included with admission. Costumes are welcomed but optional.

Relevant Directory Listings

See More

Brooklyn Music School

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For over a century, we at The Brooklyn Music School have strived to make the joy of music, dance and performance accessible to everyone no matter their age, background, or financial status.</span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to offering affordable in-person and online private and group music lessons, dance classes, after-school programs, and community outreach, we also provide space for </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brooklyn and NYC artists to perform in our 250-seat Spanish-style theatre. Come by for a night of live music, or join us for a class!</span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Visit BrooklynMusicSchool.org to learn more, register for classes, or view our calendar for upcoming events. </span></p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4b378613-7fff-f89d-3c88-fe6beaabeb55"></span></p>

Adventuring Portal

<p><a name="m_-1473885667065203258__Hlk72147528"></a>Adventuring Portal runs Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) games for kids.   We have created a safe online space for tweens and teens to learn and play D&D.</p> <p>Our D&D Summer Camp session are a one-week experience.  Monday – Friday.  Each day will be 3 hours of gaming (with 2 breaks build in).  15 total gaming hours for $180.  If you have played with us before, you are entitled to 10% off.   </p> <p>Need your kids, nieces or nephews, grand kids or neighbor’s kids to be occupied for a bit so you can get work done & take care of your to-do list? Maybe your tween or teen is still a bit isolated and craves connection with their peers? Whether your teen/tween has played D&D before or is brand-new to the experience, this safe space brings players together to have fun and solve problems as a team in ways few other online opportunities do.</p> <p>All our games focus on experiential learning.   Our players leave knowing all the basic game play as well as experiencing: teamwork, bravery, compassion, generosity, negotiation, improvisation, gamer etiquette, strategy, critical thinking, problem solving, cartography and probability - all through online D&D adventuring!</p> <p>We are an inclusive organization and welcome gamers who are LGBTQIA+ and those on any spectrum. </p> <p>All girls’ groups available. </p> <p>I am a parent, a certified elementary school and middle school math teacher and last summer in the midst of the mess started Adventuring Portal, an online Dungeons & Dragons business for kids. There are so many benefits to playing D&D and I hope you will consider us as a great way for your child to safely socialize, grow as people and have a great time.</p>

New Settlement Community Center

<p>Offering a host of healthy, fun and exciting programs for children ages 6 months and up, including ballet and hi-hop dance with Alvin Ailey, group and private swimm classes, mixed martial arts, youth technology, piano, violin and guitar lessons, and more.</p>