Weekend Planner: Fun Family Events in NYC (October 24-26)

Puppets on Film Festival at BAM

Presented by BAMcinématek and the Jim Henson Foundation, the Puppets on Film Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) will screen national and international puppet films such as “Muppets Most Wanted,” “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” and “Tomorrow We Disappear.” Also, be sure to check out the puppet-making workshops and the exhibit of master puppeteer Richard Termine. (Friday-Sunday)

Monster Mash at the Brooklyn Children's Museum

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! (Friday-Saturday)

Haunted High Line Halloween Party

Head over to the High Line for its 4th annual Haunted High Line Halloween party. Costumed kids can participate in a kite-making workshop, learn about ghosts of the West Side, crawl through a haunted train tunnel created by puppet master Ralph Lee, and more. Performers include The Trummytones and the Story Pirates. Free. (Saturday)

Ghouls & Gourds at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

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. (Saturday)

Brooklyn Bridge Park Harvest Festival

Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park is the place to be this Saturday for autumn enthusiasts. At the park’s Harvest Festival, families will enjoy storytelling, arts & crafts, volleyball games, a photo booth, and a pumpkin patch. There will also be live musical performances by Astrograss, the Space Racers Band, and DJ Kai Song. Free. (Saturday)

Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade

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. (Saturday)

Central Park Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Flotilla

Join Central Park for its annual Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Flotilla. Participating families can drop off their carved pumpkin for the flotilla and then enjoy spine-tingling storytelling, live music, nocturnal animal mask making, the Halloween parade, and pumpkin carving demos. (Sunday)

Lolli-Pops Circus Parade at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College

Appreciate classical music with the young ones in a fun way with the Lolli-Pops Circus Parade at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College. You can become the ringmaster and choose which melodies suit the circus folk—tightrope walkers, clowns, bears, and more—creating your own circus soundscape! (Saturday)

Hudson River Park Halloween Kidz Karnival

Hudson River Park is hosting its wickedly wild Halloween Kidz Karnival this Sunday! 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. (Sunday)

Coney Island Children's Halloween Parade

Come out to Coney Island for the 5th annual Children's Halloween parade and costume contest. Enjoy free entertainment, food, giveaways and trick-or-treating! (Saturday)

Queens County Farm Museum Children's Fall Festival

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! (Sunday)