With October on the horizon and Halloween here before we all know it, it’s time to get into a spooky mood. It’s no secret that NYC goes all out every Halloween, and we expect this year to be no different! Whether you love dressing up in a costume, getting freaked out in a haunted house, or just like taking in the fall decor, there’s a little Halloween magic for everyone. We put together our ongoing list of the best Halloween events in NYC happening throughout the month. Let’s let the spirits guide us to our next adventure…
1. NYC Village Halloween Parade
If there’s one NYC Halloween tradition unlike any other, it’s the yearly NYC Village Halloween Parade that goes up Sixth Ave from Canal St to 15th St each Halloween night (Thursday, Oct 31)! Every year’s event always nets about 50,000 people, always dressed the part with hellish and spooky costumes that are enough to scare anyone! Walking in the parade is completely free as long as you have a costume. You can also live stream the parade on their website. Learn more info about the parade here!
Where: Greenwich Village
2. Halloween Candlelight performances
Get ready to experience haunted Halloween tunes in a way you never have before. Accompanied by hundreds of illuminated candles and a string quartet, you can experience a multi-sensory musical experience that will leave you in awe. From Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to “The Addams Family Theme Song” we promise that you’ve never heard Halloween songs like this in your life!
Grab your tickets to the show here:
- Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics (Oct 19)
- Candlelight Halloween: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics (Oct 24, 25)
Where: Various Locations
3. Check out this Jimmy Fallon Haunt
The first-ever ‘Jimmy Fallon Tonightmares‘ is an intimate haunted experience, taking place in Rockefeller Center. Step inside 10 themed rooms each inspired by Fallon’s greatest nightmares. This is no laughing matter, the event isn’t recommended for kids under 13-years-old.
For more details and tickets go here!4. Pumpkin Nights at The Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo’s annual “Pumpkin Nights” are set to make a return for 2024, featuring a half mile illuminated animal-themed Jack O’Lantern trail! More than 5,000 pumpkins will come to life for an incredible pumpkin walk experience…which also pairs incredibly with tons of local food trucks, refreshments, outdoor games, photo ops, live pumpkin carvings, and more. This year’s installment of Pumpkin Nights will run Sundays, September 26th – October 27th, 7 – 10 pm. Learn more about the Bronx Zoo’s Pumpkin Nights here!
5. Compete in Squid Game: The Experience in Midtown
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Squid Game: The Experience[/caption]
The new competition and immersive experience from one of Netflix’s most popular shows is coming to Midtown Manhattan! [trackLink link_url="https://squidgameexperience.com/new-york/"]Squid Game: The Experience On October 11th tickets were recently released and have been selling fast! Play classic games like “Red Light, Green Light,” shop for exclusive merch and experience the incredible Night Market at the Manhattan Mall, steps from K-town.
Find out about general admission tickets and special VIP tickets here!6. Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is one of the most stunning visual Halloween experiences that comes each year, and it’s because of the 7,000+ uniquely carved pumpkins forming all sorts of art installations. From their gorgeous Pumpkin Bridge to the jaw-dropping Pumpkin Planetarium, there are tons of illuminated art pieces that are surreal to see in person (including NYC staples like the Statue of Liberty and a subway station entrance).
The blazin’ pumpkins are slightly outside of NYC in Hudson Valley, but are surely worth the train ride up! The experience is celebrating their 20th year, and it’s running on select days from September 13 – November 17. Learn more here.
Where: Van Cortlandt Manor (525 S Riverside, Croton-on-Hudson, NY)
7. Black Lagoon pop-up
The annual Halloween pop-up Black Lagoon is set to return again this year to NYC, this time at Someday Bar in Brooklyn. The goth and horror theme will create an immersive Halloween cocktail experience, with spine-chilling drinks! This year’s pop-up runs from October 1 – 31! Learn more here.
Where: 364 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn
8. Halloween parties in NYC
We’d be silly not to mention the Halloweekend nightlife that brings an eclectic energy to NYC. There’s so much going on this year from a going out perspective, including rooftop Halloween parties to warehouse raves. No matter what vibe or bar you’re looking for, we’ve got some of the hottest parties you couldn’t be caught dead missing.
9. Stroll through autumn decor at Fall-O-Ween at New York Botanical Garden
Fall-O-Ween at the New York Botanical Garden is one of our favorite yearly happenings, and this year’s lineup will include a massive slate of activities that will get you in the fall mood. While we still await this year’s announcement, some of year’s past have included Spooky Garden Nights and a Giant Pumpkin Carving Weekend. Stay tuned for more information on 2024’s Fall-O-Ween itinerary!
Where: 2900 Southern Blvd, The Bronx
10.Solve a Murder Mystery At This Elegant Dinner
Head to the Liberty Speakeasy Room and be sure to dress up for an unforgettable dinner experience! Truffles Immersive Mystery is a Clue-like experience you can be a character in the murder mystery experience or you can be an observer! It’s dinner and a show (that you can be part of).
Learn more about it here and ticket levels!11. Trick-or treating around NYC
Get out your candy buckets and figure out your trick or treating route because the night has come! No matter what borough you’re in, nothing beats going door to door for some sweet treats. Check out the best neighborhoods to going trick or treating in NYC right here!
12. Catacomb tours of Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
A creepy 200 year old cathedral is just waiting to be uncovered, and that’s what you’ll get with this 90 minute walking tour of the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. With the help of a tour guide and pure candlelight, you’ll explore otherwise off-limit parts of this haunting church, like the two walled cemeteries. Be ready to step into something you’ve never seen before… Learn more here.
🕯️ Buy your tickets to the Catacombs by Candlelight Tour here!
13. Halloween bars in NYC
Put your spirit to the test at one of NYC’s ghoulish bars before the 31st. Treat yourself to a seasonal cocktail at a bar or speakeasy that gives off the spook-tacular vibes you’re after! Check out our guide to the best spooky bars and restaurants in NYC for Halloween vibes.
Where: Various Locations
14. New York City Ghost Tours
Boo! How haunted do you think NYC is? Well you’re about to find out…Greenwich Village is notoriously one of the most haunted neighborhoods in the city and this walking tour will bring you around the area and spook you out on the way. Learn about scary Manhattan history all while walking in the shoes of ghosts past!
Where: 131 E 10th Street, St Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery
15. Halloween decorations in NYC neighborhoods
While still a bit aways still, you know New Yorkers always go all out when pulling out their Halloween decorations! From the haunted Greenwich Village to the residential Upper East Side, there are tons of neighborhoods to walk through and admire their spookiness. This is one of our favorite free ways to spend a few hours getting into the Halloween spirit!
Check out our favorite neighborhoods for decorations here!
Where: All around NYC
16. Seaport Pumpkin Arch
One our favorite Halloween photo opps is set to return this autumn in the form of the Seaport Arch. With the Brooklyn Bridge perfectly in the background, this pumpkin themed spot is the perfect place to grab your Halloween Instagram photos! It will return and run from September 28 – November 3. Plus, there will also be a Kids Halloween Bash on October 26, which features pumpkin decorating, music, and crafts. Learn more here.
Where: Seaport District (Fulton St. to Pier 17)
17. Pumpkin picking at Decker Farm
Nothing says Halloween like spending a few hours in a pumpkin patch! Decker Farm on Staten Island is our go-to patch of choice that’s perfect for pickin’. After you’re done, stick around for their hay maze, pumpkin painting, hayrides around the farm, and autumnal food and drink. Pumpkin picking will happen from October 5 – 27 (12 – 5 pm)! Tickets are required to enter the family farm.
Learn more about the oldest, continually working family farm here!
Where: 435 Richmond Hill Rd, Staten Island
18. Greg’s Great Pumpkin Patch
NYC’s amazing annual pop-up patch, Greg’s Great Pumpkin Patch is returning in 2024 and we couldn’t be any more excited. It’s taking over Greenwood Park Beer Garden from September 27 – October 31, bringing a massive selection of pumpkins, fancy gourds, and tons of Halloween decor. Plus, there will be tons of pumpkin painting activities, Instagrammable photo ops, hay bales, corn stalks, painted pumpkins for sale, and Fall Mums.
Where: 555 7th Ave, Brooklyn
19. Circle Line’s Halloween Pup Cruise
NYC’s favorite boat tour company Circle Line is hosting a Halloween dog cruise for one day only on October 26 at 12 pm! Em-bark on this 90 minute cruise with your pup, which will include NYC skyline views, tasty treats, music, and a costume contest for both pets and owners! Learn more here.
20. Tap into your inner paleontologist Take a Weekend Trip to Dinos Alive
Pack up friends and family for a roadtrip that’s a few hours from Midtown! Dinos Alive in Schenectady showcases over 80 life-like, animatronic dinosaurs. There’s even a virtual aquarium to see and learn about prehistoric sea creatures! There are so many photo ops to be had so step back in time while you can!
Find out more info & book tickets here.21. Circoloco New York Halloween 2024
The iconic Ibiza brand, Circoloco, is returning to NYC with a massive Halloween lineup for 2024. This year’s event, in partnership with Teksupport, will feature 3 nights of house and techno music across 2 weekends in Brooklyn, marking the biggest edition of the party series in New York to date. Attendees can expect performances from top dance music artists like &ME vs Rampa, Chris Stussy, The Martinez Brothers, and many more. For more details on this exciting event, check out the full Circoloco NYC 2024 lineup.
22. Fall programming at The Green-Wood Cemetery
The Green-Wood Cemetery has announced some fall programming that features performances, walking and trolley tours, lively community gatherings, and much more! Throughout September and October they’ll be hosting various events centered around arts and culture as well as themed walking and trolley tours, and death education programs. Check out some of the standouts below:
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MɔɹnꞮŊ [Morning//Mourning] (September 12-14): Singer and composer Gelsey Bell presents a specially adapted rendition of the critically acclaimed opera Set in Green-Wood’s Catacombs, which traces the weeks, months, years, and millennia that follow humanity’s disappearance from Earth.
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Curios in the Catacombs (October 2-3): Artist Margaret Leng Tan, “the queen of the toy piano” (The New York Times), leads the audience on a bizarre and bewitching journey into the world of the carnival as she transforms Green-Wood’s Catacombs into a musical and theatrical cabinet of curiosities.
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Nightfall: Time Flies (October 17-18): An immersive experience through the the Cemetery’s illuminated winding paths with entertainers, including musicians, performance artists, and storytellers.
23. Halloween Harvest at Luna Park
Take a trip to Luna Park in Coney Island to experience the magic of fall with its 11th annual Halloween Harvest. From September 20 to October 27, the park transforms into an autumnal wonderland featuring pumpkin decorating, tractor races, and trick-or-treating. Visitors can savor fall-inspired treats like pumpkin-spiced funnel cakes and indulge in Halloween-themed cocktails for a spirited twist. Learn more about Luna Park’s Halloween Harvest via their website.
📍 Luna Park, Coney Island
🗓️ September 20 – October 27