This summer has flown by in the blink of an eye, but it’s hard to be upset about the end of summer when there’s so much to look forward to in the fall, and the New York Botanical Garden is giving NYers a bunch of exciting events to add to their fall bucket list.
From September 16 through November 12, 2023, Fall-O-Ween at NYBG will be offering an array of attractions and activities for all ages, from lawn games and self-guided tours to spooky nights on select evenings and dance parties.
Fall-O-Ween programming highlights are as follows:
Ongoing Fall-O-Ween programming:
Beer Garden
Craft beers are available to purchase in the Leon Levy Visitor Center. Grab-and-go meals, snacks, and drinks can also be purchased at the nearby Pine Tree Café.
📍 Leon Levy Visitor Center
Pumpkin Promenade
Capture picture-perfect fall photos and explore hundreds of pumpkins and gourds of all shapes, sizes, and colors on view amid chrysanthemums, apple crates, and bales of hay. Marvel at pumpkin creations by master carver Adam Bierton and pick and purchase your own pumpkin at NYBG Shop.
🗓️ Saturday, September 16 – Sunday, October 29
📍 Leon Levy Visitor Center and Garden Grounds
Pumpkins and Scarecrows
Fun scarecrows will greet visitors along the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden fall trail. The puppet theater and musical instruments will offer the chance for kids to express their creativity, pumpkins and gourds will be on displays for visitors to observe up close, pot up a festive fall plant to take home, and more.
Self-guided activities: All Day, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Guided activities: Weekdays, 1:30 – 5:30 p.m., Weekends and Monday Holidays, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
🗓️ Tuesday, September 19–Tuesday, October 31
📍 Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Dig! Plant! Grow!
Visitors are invited to roll up their sleeves and help tend the gardens in the Dig! Plant! Grow! program which offers themes to explore through soil digging, seed sowing, and watering stations, as well as an Investigation Station and Exploration Booklet, a take-home activity, and seasonal cooking demonstrations.
🗓️ Tuesdays – Saturdays, 1:30 – 5:30 p.m., Sundays and Monday Holidays, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
📍 Edible Academy
Fall Foliage
Explore the largest remaining expanse of New York’s original wooded landscape as the Thain Family Forest’s seasonal transformation takes hold. Stay tuned for the Fall Color Cam to follow the changing leaves.
📍 Thain Family Forest
Special Weekends and Events during Fall-O-Ween:
Flavors of Fall
Savor your favorite flavors of the season’s harvest and explore the botanical and culinary backgrounds and uses of pumpkins, spices, maples, and more with food and beverage talks, demonstrations, and tastings from local artisan vendors.
📍 Leon Levy Visitor Center
🗓️ Saturdays & Sundays – October 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, and 29, & November 4, 5, 11, and 12, 2023, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Bales & Ales (21+)
Celebrate the beginning of autumn and the harvest season at NYBG with with a host of local breweries. With the souvenir sampling mug included with ticket purchase, explore unlimited samples of craft beers, ciders, and seltzers available. Settle on the lawn for music, games, and light bites available for purchase.
📍 Daffodil Hill
🗓️ Saturday, September 30, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. (Rain Date: Sunday, October 1)
🎟️ Non-Member $50, Member $25
Spooky Garden Nights
Spooky Nights are back with fun for all ages. Wear your Halloween costume and explore the twisting trails of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden by flashlight during this frightfully fun nighttime adventure.
- Dancing Skeletons
- Live Shadow Puppet Performance
- Nighttime Giant Pumpkin Carving
📍 Multiple locations
🗓️ Saturday, October 21, & Saturday, October 28, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
🎟️ Non-Member $30, Member $25
Giant Pumpkin Carving Weekend
Master carver Adam Bierton returns for a pumpkin carving finale. Last year, after 16 hours of scraping, chiseling, carving, and detailing, a dragon’s head emerged from his 2,424-pound pumpkin. Don’t miss the masterpiece Bierton creates this year.
📍 Leon Levy Visitor Center
🗓️ Friday, October 27 – Sunday, October 29, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The full Fall-O-Ween event calendar can be found here.