Village Halloween Parade to be Centrepiece of the Late October Celebration With Additional Events, Performances, Haunted Houses and Tours Across the Five Boroughs
New York City's season of scares and frights is a major attraction in all five boroughs each year. In 2019, Halloween enthusiasts will have a diverse range of options in every borough to enjoy the haunting spirit occupying the City all October.
The season concludes with its crown jewel, New York City's 46th annual Village Halloween Parade, on October 31, when tens of thousands of costume-wearing revellers will march up Sixth Avenue from Canal Street to 16th Street spreading the celebratory spirit with the help of dozens of live bands, eccentric puppets and enthusiastic spectators lining the street. This year's theme is "Wild Things!", challenging participants to don their most creative nature-centric outfit. The parade fun takes place from 6:30 to 8:30pm, however, the haunting experiences extend far beyond Manhattan's Sixth Avenue and begin weeks before All Hallows Eve.
Family-Friendly Events
Through October 31 (Fordham, the Bronx)
The 250-acre botanical garden, home to incredible horticulture exhibitions and a year-round calendar of family events, will get a Halloween makeover with a sea of festive gourds and silly scarecrows, with corresponding special activities. Along with the themed scenery, visitors can enjoy programming like visits from "creepy creatures of the night," after-dark activities and a monstrous pumpkin display. (nybg.org)
Boo at the Zoo at the Bronx Zoo
September 28–November 3 (Fordham, the Bronx)
The largest collection of earth's most fierce predators in New York City will also host monsters of a more mythical nature this October with Boo at the Zoo. From costume parades and craft fairs for children to a Halloween-themed beer festival, Bootoberfest, the Bronx Zoo is rolling out the orange carpet every weekend for all that is spooky starting September 28 through the weekend after Halloween. Insider tip: Visitors who stay at an Affinia hotel during these select weekends can receive four tickets for the fun along with their stay with this special package. (bronxzoo.com)
October 17–27 (New York Harbor)
For 10 days in October, the island oasis a short seven-minute ferry ride from Lower Manhattan, will transform into a Halloween paradise. Visitors can take in breathtaking views of the New York Harbor along the Jack O' Lantern trail, a tree-lined pathway weaving through centuries-old buildings. Not to mention the island is also home to Castle Williams, a 200-year-old former military fort and prison, five miles of car-free bike paths and a handful of different leisure areas to explore in the crisp autumn air (govisland.com)
Coney Island Children's Halloween Parade
October 26 (Coney Island, Brooklyn)
Although beach season has concluded on Coney Island, there is still plenty of fun to have on the boardwalk this year, including the 10th annual Halloween parade and costume contest. Brooklyn's most festive residents will parade down Surf Avenue and enjoy face painting, a costume contest and, of course, trick or treating. Families are also encouraged to explore the nearby Luna Park's Halloween Harvest, taking place every weekend from September 28 through October 27. (coneyisland.com)
Halloween in Historic Richmond Town
October 26 (Richmond Town, Staten Island)
In Historic Richmond Town, a live relic from the 18th century where visitors can see what colonial life was like firsthand, families can trick or treat, bob for apples, jump in the hay and make crafts in the town's main village. (historicrichmondtown.org)
October 4 (Randall Manor, Staten Island)
Visitors will recount the events that took place at the beautiful Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden in 1863 at Ghost Tour: The Tale of the Matron, a historic walking tour that includes entry into three buildings that are typically closed to the public: the Matron's House, the Butcher's Cottage and the former Surgeon's House. (snug-harbor.org)
Dead or Alive at the New York Hall of Science
October 26–27 (Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens)
At New York City's only interactive science museum, children are encouraged to explore the science of creepy this Halloween by using household materials to make prosthetic wounds or their own vial of fake blood. Prizes are handed out to those who arrive in costume or make one at the workshop!
October 26–27 (Glen Oaks, Queens)
While families can enjoy the pumpkin patch for three weeks, the final weekend of October is when the most Halloween fun happens on the longest continually farmed site in New York State. At the fall festival, children can take part in a ghoulish adventure in a centuries-old farmhouse, explore the Amazing Maize Maze, take a hayride, two-step to western country music and much more. (queensfarm.org)
The Ride in Masquerade
October 1–31, (Manhattan)
The Ride, the innovative and immersive bus tour of the City, will be in bewitching masquerade this Halloween season. Street performers along the tour route will hide behind their lace and bejewelled masks to celebrate as visitors enjoy enchanting stories, beguiling videos and aristocratic spirits (experiencetheride.com).
Thrilling Haunted Houses
Blood Manor
October 4–November 9 (Tribeca, Manhattan)
Housed in a 19th-century Tribeca building with a history of ghost sighting's, Blood Manor is an adrenaline-pumping experience with more than 5,000 sq. ft. of themed rooms designed to maximise any fears. This year, in addition to the daily frights, the 16-year veteran has added two special events on select dates. Particularly brave thrill seekers can visit for one of the Lights Out Nights, where groups walk through a minimally lit path with just one glow stick per group lighting the way, while Horrorgram invites visitors to come in full cosplay, take photos with the scenery and characters and participate in some of the most popular sets. (bloodmanor.com)
I Can't See
September 25–November 3 (Lower Manhattan)
I Can't See is a brand-new horror theatre experience where participants are challenged to become a character in their own horror story. Done in complete and total darkness, guests are outfitted with an audio headset that directs them through a horror story that manifests in the real world in real-time using every sense other than sight. (nightmarenyc.com)
Bane House
Through November 10 (Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan)
A 40,000 sq. ft. obstacle course with more than 100 live actors, Bane House touts itself as an attraction that plays on common fears without using any animatronics. Visitors are asked to climb up, crawl under, jump over and spin around the spine-chilling contents of this award-winning haunted experience.
Theatrical Performances with a Spooky Spin
Beetlejuice on Broadway
(Midtown Manhattan)
The popular 1988 comedic horror film's stage adaptation is a must-see this Halloween season. Like the movie, the story follows a family that just moved into a house haunted by its newly deceased former residents and the rambunctious spirit, Beetlejuice. This laugh-out-loud production is full of plenty of adult humour with stunning otherworldly stage effects.
Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe? The Cooping Theory 1969
Through November 2 (Times Square, Manhattan)
The year is 1969. After you knock three times, the journey begins with a cocktail party hosted by the Poe Society honouring the memory of Edgar Allan Poe. What follows is an immersive paranormal, story-driven, multi-room show where actors (thanks to the "medium" on-site) are possessed by the deceased writer's spirit who inspires the society to solve his mysterious death.
Illuminated Mausoleums Moonlight Tour at Woodlawn Cemetery
October 25 (Woodlawn, the Bronx)
On this night only, visitors are invited to take a tour of the cemetery grounds after dark guided by the glow of some of its most beautiful mausoleums. Kicking off at 7:30pm, this is a truly unique opportunity to observe the spectacular architecture and attention to detail that make the featured monuments an integral part of New York City's history. (thewoodlawncemetery.org)
Green-Wood at Night
October 4–November 30 (Sunset Park, Brooklyn)
This fall, visitors can explore the hallowed grounds of Green-Wood Cemetery long after the gates close to the public. Under the cover of night, this tour stops by some of the cemetery's most intriguing monuments such as the formerly unmarked grave of William Poole (aka, Bill the Butcher) and Harvey Burdell whose murder in 1887 resulted in one of the most famous trials in the Victorian era. (green-wood.com)
Can't-Miss Halloween Parties
MoMA PS1's 8th Annual Halloween Ball with Susanne Bartsch
October 25 (Long Island City, Queens)
The Museum of Modern Art's Queens outpost is hosting a party by iconic event producer Susanne Bartsch again this year, with the 2019 theme "Valley of the Dolls." MoMA's Long Island City party is a can't-miss event featuring performances, DJs, dancing and otherworldly costumes. (moma.org)
Annual Halloween Yacht Party Cruise – Hornblower Cruises & Events
October 26 (Pier 15, Manhattan)
Visitors can celebrate the season in their best Halloween attire while enjoying the haunting beauty of the Manhattan skyline aboard this yacht party. The Halloween Boat Party Cruise includes a tour of New York Harbor, multiple bars, dance floors and music. (hornblower.com/new-york)
Yotel New York Rooftop Terrace Halloween Party
October 26 (Midtown Manhattan)
The trendy Midtown hotel is hosting a Halloween ball on its rooftop terrace complete with a late-night pizza bar, DJ, open bar and feature event: a costume contest with a grand prize of a one-night complimentary stay. (yotel.com)
Halloween at The Pierre New York
October 31 (Upper East Side, Manhattan)
The legendary Pierre Hotel is celebrating with a family-friendly affair including a Halloween afternoon tea at the Two E Bar & Lounge with themed savoury and sweet snacks, face painting and a photo booth. From 9pm to midnight, the Two E will be taken over by a Halloween party and costume contest with dinner for two in Perrine, two VIP tickets to an upcoming Broadway at the Pierre cabaret performance in Two E, or traditional afternoon tea for two at stake for first, second and third place. (thepierreny.com)
