New York is getting a bonus hour this Halloween, and nobody even had to ask for it.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 am on Sunday, November 1, the earliest date it can possibly land.
That means the clocks roll back smack in the middle of the spookiest night of the year.
Sixty extra minutes of costumes, candy and questionable decisions?! We’ll take it.
The best way to spend a chunk of them might be at the most photographed staircase in Manhattan.
On Saturday, October 31, Hudson Yards’ Vessel swaps its daytime selfie crowds for flickering candlelight and a live string quartet for Candlelight Open Air: Halloween Classics.
31 October 2026 21:00
Vessel at Hudson Yards
For one hour, the iconic honeycomb landmark on the West Side will become the moodiest concert hall in the city, illuminating with thousands of candles and soundtracked by Halloween’s spookiest soundtracks.
It’s going to be one unmissable evening, and we have all the details on how to check it out.
A horror movie marathon, played on strings
The Highline String Quartet is bringing a setlist that reads like your October watchlist.
Picture the opening notes of the “Stranger Things” theme echoing up 150 feet of copper-toned steel, and you’ll get the vibe.
Here’s a taste of what’s on the tentative program:
- Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”
- The “Stranger Things” theme and Danny Elfman’s “Beetlejuice” main title
- Music from “Ghostbusters” and “The Addams Family” theme
- “Tubular Bells” from “The Exorcist” and John Carpenter’s “Halloween” theme
- “Time Warp” from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”
- A suite from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
The classics get their moment too!
Saint-Saëns’ “Danse Macabre” and Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain” bring the old-school chills. Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” builds to that frantic finish you definitely know, even if you can’t name it. And Gounod’s “Funeral March of a Marionette” might sound familiar for a different reason: it’s the theme from “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”
Why Vessel is the move this Halloween
Vessel has always looked a little otherworldly. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, it’s made up of 154 interconnecting flights of stairs, all stacked into one giant geometric beehive at the heart of Hudson Yards.
By day, it’s a tourist magnet. On Halloween night, lit by candles and soundtracked by horror scores, it turns into something way more cinematic.
The timing works out nicely, too.
The Village Halloween Parade kicks off at 7 pm on Sixth Avenue, so you can soak up the first wave of costumes downtown before heading west for a 9 pm show.
Or skip the Sixth Avenue crush entirely and make this your main event. Either way, you’ll still have that extra hour waiting for you when the clocks roll back.
Good to know before you go
- When: Saturday, October 31 at 9 pm. The show runs about 60 minutes.
- Doors: Open 45 minutes before showtime, and late entry isn’t allowed, so give yourself a buffer.
- Tickets: General admission starts at $70 plus a $5.60 booking fee ($75.60 total). Grab them here.
- Format: It’s open air and standing room only, so dress for the weather. Costumes are very much encouraged.
- Ages: 8 and up. Anyone under 16 needs to come with an adult.
- Accessibility: The venue is not ADA accessible.
- Where: Vessel, 20 Hudson Yards. The 7 train to 34 St–Hudson Yards drops you right there.
More ways to haunt NYC this week
Want to make a whole spooky season of it?
Candlelight is also turning the Upper East Side’s Church of the Heavenly Rest into a glowing Halloween sanctuary on October 29 and 30.
For everything else, from car-free trick-or-treat streets to haunted houses, our full guide to NYC’s 2026 Halloween lineup has you covered.
And if your night isn’t over at 10 pm, these are the hottest Halloween parties in NYC this year.
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