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. March through NYC in your costume at the 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 (Tuesday, 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. Walk through the illuminated wonderland of Pumpkin World
Although slightly outside NYC limits, Pumpkin World is coming later this month and is the ultimate Halloween experience! This illuminated wonderland of hand-carved Jack O’Lanterns includes all kinds of festive fall highlights. We’re talking magical pumpkin-scapes, a pumpkin trail, live carvings, an actual pumpkin patch, photo opps and so much more! It runs through Halloween night, October 31. Learn more here.
🎃 Buy your tickets to Pumpkin World here!
Where: Clover Stadium, 1 Phil Tisi Way, Pomona, NY
3. Enjoy spooky Halloween tunes at a Candlelight performance
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:
Where: Various Locations
4. Light up the night at the 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 goes from until November 19 and you can learn more here.
Where: Van Cortlandt Manor (525 S Riverside, Croton-on-Hudson, NY)
5. Dance the night away at an NYC party
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.
Our choices here!6. Survive the scariest haunted house in NYC at A Haunting in Hollis
One of our favorite haunted house experiences is getting ready to open their doors for the 2023 season, running through November 1! A Haunting in Hollis is full of goblins, ghouls, and hungry zombies that are sure to terrify you! The escape rooms are equally as terrifying! Approach if you dare…
🧟 Buy your tickets to A Haunting in Hollis here!
Where: 21117 Hollis Avenue, Queens
7. 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 includes a massive slate of activities that will get you in the fall mood. Some notable ones on our list include Spooky Garden Nights as well as the Giant Pumpkin Carving Weekend, which is the grand finale of the season featuring three of the largest pumpkins in the world! It’s going on through November 12, and you can learn more here.
Where: 2900 Southern Blvd, The Bronx
8. Explore the candlelit catacombs 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 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!
9. Stop by the “creepy-as-hell” Black Lagoon pop-up
The annual Halloween pop-up Black Lagoon is set to return again this year to NYC, this time at Pretty Ricky’s in the Lower East Side. The goth and horror theme will create an immersive Halloween cocktail experience, with spine-chilling drinks! This year’s pop-up runs through October 31! Learn more here.
Where: 101 Rivington St
10. …Or one of NYC’s other spooky bars
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
11. Test your fears during one of the 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
12. Walk through a decked out NYC neighborhood
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
13. Snap a picture under the 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’s here until November 7! Learn more here.
Where: Seaport District (Fulton St. to Pier 17)
14. Go 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 corn maze, pumpkin painting, hayrides around the farm, and autumnal food and drink. Pumpkin picking will be open every October weekend from 11 am – 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
15. Catch an entire night of spooky movies at The Roxy Cinema
Spend a night at The Roxy Cinema, where they’ll be showing a range of Halloween films via their film series titled “Death Takes a Holiday!” Their lineup of movies all the way up to Halloween are sure to freak you out, like The Fog, Halloween, and more. See the full lineup here.
Where: 2 6th Ave, Cellar Level
16. 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!
17. Check out Greg’s Great Pumpkin Patch in Brooklyn
If you’re in Brooklyn, stop by this pop-up patch through October 31st and have some fun at Greg’s Great Pumpkin Patch. Enjoy things like Instagram photo ops, a dog costume contest, a great corn maze, and of course pumpkin picking! You’ve got to grab your last pumpkins before the big day!
Learn more about it here.
Where: Pollyn (115 Broadway, Brooklyn)
18. INTERWEEN: Halloween at INTER_
Embark on a journey through the HALLOWverse dimension at INTER_, an immersive visual experience right in the heart of SoHo! From now through November 5, you can experience INTERween, a multi-sensory experience consisting of spooky infinity rooms, 360-degree visual immersions, and activities like pumpkin decorating and scavenger hunts! Learn more here.
Where: 415 Broadway
19. Celebrate a Dia De Los Muertos Halloween party at Pink Taco
Get festive at Pink Taco, a rocker- chic Mexican restaurant that is serving up all sorts of Dia De Los Muertos vibes on Halloween night. From 6 pm – close, their party will feature all-night happy hour deals, music, face painting, a costume contest, and more! Be sure to take advantage of their OG Pink Tacos and $8 margs.
Where: 7 Times Square
20. Cityside Pumpkin Patch at The Summer Club
Stop by Cityside Pumpkin Patch through Halloween and enjoy the spooky haven that awaits at the decorated venue The Summer Club! Not only will there be over 10,000 pumpkins spread across the 25,000-square-foot space (with the option to take one home), there will also be great activations too! See all the fun below:
- Sam Adams Beer Fest, Fear Fest: An OctoberFest-themed haunted challenge for adults. Carry a full pint of the #1 fall beer through jump scares and win in a season’s supply of OctoberFest if you make it.
- Smash-o-Lantern Zone: Unleash your inner daredevil by smashing pumpkins.
- Straw-Man Showdown: Test your archery marksmanship and aim at foam-tipped scarecrow targets to become the archery champion.
- Face Painting: Our talented artists can turn you into a spooky masterpiece or a friendly jack-o’-lantern.
- Interactive Photo Moments: Filled with Instagrammable installations, from a mirrored funhouse to a vampire’s crypt to a full LED-displayed midnight cemetery.
When: Through October 31
Where: 8-08 Queens Plaza S, Queens
21. Eat Halloween Bagels at Liberty Bagels
Stop by Liberty Bagels, a spot with one of the best bagels in NYC, to enjoy their limited-time Halloween bagels! Not only are the orange and black coloring as festive as it gets, but you can even pair it with their pumpkin cream cheese that is bound to make your mouth water. Learn more and find your location here.
22. Explore the haunted Ridgewood Asylum
Where: 94 Bogart St
23. 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 30 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.
24. Harriet’s Haunted Forest
Dance the Halloween night away at Harriet’s Haunted Forest, where an all-night party of state-of-the-art technology and lush greenery will be the perfect backdrop! The spooky celebration will be a mix of great cocktails, music, and costumes of course! It’s on October 31 from 8 pm – 3 am.
Where: 60 Furman St, Brooklyn
25. “Autumn in the Sky” at EDGE
Ascend high into the clouds on Halloween night to take in the breathtaking “Autumn in the Sky” decor at EDGE. Filled with gorgeous foliage and pumpkins, you can take photos from the observation deck…all while looking over the stunning NYC skyline! Learn more here.
Where: 30 Hudson Yards
Also published on Medium.