20+ free ways to celebrate Halloween in NYC

Halloween is one of the most exciting times in New York City, but some New Yorkers can find themselves priced out of the festivities due to the steep costs that come with them. Ahead, here are some of the best free ways to celebrate Halloween across the five boroughs without breaking the bank, from spooky festivities on car-free streets to famous parades and family-friendly events.

The Village Halloween Parade
Greenwich Village, Manhattan
October 31 at 7 p.m.

The theme of this year’s Village Halloween Parade is “Body & Soul,” encouraging revelers to step away from our increasingly disembodied world of screens and electronic communication and “get back into our bodies” to express their souls. Leading this year’s parade as grand marshal will be Joey Arias, a legendary performance artist, drag performer, and fashion icon.

Highlights of the 53rd annual parade include “Firehorse!,” a new performance commissioned from MacArthur “Genius” and master puppeteer Basil Twist and choreographed by performance artist Julie Atlas Muz. The stunning firehorses will lead the procession, clearing the path for the costumed participants who follow.

Created in 1974 by the late puppeteer Ralph Lee, the cherished annual tradition draws crowds of revelers to Greenwich Village in striking costumes to march in the parade, while hundreds of thousands of spectators line the route to watch the festivities.

Bay Ridge Halloween Festival
5th Avenue, Bay Ridge
October 24 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Brought to you by Brooklyn Bridge Parents and the 5th Avenue BID, the free block party takes over 10 car-free blocks of 5th Avenue from 72nd to 85th streets, transforming the corridor into a space for family-friendly activities. Visitors can enjoy a puppet show, bounce house, pumpkin decorating, haunted trucks, games, arts and crafts, giveaways, and more. Local restaurants will also serve food and flavors from around the globe, reflecting the area’s diverse cultural backgrounds. Pumpkins will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, with one pumpkin allowed per child.

Park Slope Halloween Parade
7th Avenue and 14th Street, Park Slope
October 31, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A yearly tradition since 1986, the Park Slope Civic Council’s Halloween Parade is one of the city’s largest children’s Halloween marches, offering a more family-friendly alternative to the Village parade. Starting at 7th Avenue and 14th Street, the parade heads north along 7th Avenue before turning left onto 3rd Street and ending at the Old Stone House.

Halloween Harvest Festival
Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City
October 31 from noon to 5 p.m.

Socrates Sculpture Park’s annual Halloween Harvest Festival returns to the Long Island City waterfront, offering plenty of free festive fun for attendees. This year’s celebration includes family-friendly workshops, a community resource fair, the Planted Culture Vegan Food Market, and New York’s second-largest dog costume contest, co-presented with Chateau le Woof.

Pumpkin Point
Governors Island
October 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pick out your own pumpkin and welcome in the fall at Governors Island’s annual Pumpkin Point festival. In addition to the pumpkin patch, the event will feature trick-or-treating, ghost tours, fall foliage walks, autumnal food and drink from local vendors, a reading nook, pumpkin painting, and other free family-friendly activities.

There will also be live performances featuring both traditional and contemporary folk music curated by longtime Governors Island event partner Porch Stomp, along with daily performances by Hopalong Andrew and more performers to be announced. The ferry to Governors Island is free for all passengers on Saturdays and Sundays before 11 a.m. Other times, the trip costs $5 for adults.

Dumboween
October 31

Dumbo will soon come alive with Halloween fanfare as the neighborhood’s cherished Dumboween event returns. The annual tradition brings hundreds of costumed Dumbo residents out for a day of trick-or-treating at more than 60 local businesses, photo booths, live performances, dog costume contests, Archway parties, spooky projections on the Manhattan Bridge, and the annual March to the Arch through Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Trick-or-Streets
Open streets across NYC
Through October 31

More than 160 streets and plazas across the city will go car-free this month as the Department of Transportation launches its annual “Trick-or-Streets” initiative. As part of the event, streets, plazas, and other commercial corridors will close to vehicles and be reserved as spaces for free programming, trick-or-treating, and other Halloween activities. With 160 participating locations, residents in all five boroughs can find a “Trick-or-Streets” location near them.

Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade
Tompkins Square Park, East Village
October 17 at 11 a.m.

One of the city’s cutest Halloween traditions returns for its 36th year. The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade puts New Yorkers’ furry companions in the spotlight, with thousands of owners and their dogs showing off outrageous and elaborate costumes. The event begins at 11 a.m., with the parade taking place along Avenue B between 7th and 11th Streets.

Washington Square Park’s Dog Halloween Costume Contest
Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village
October 17, from 10 a.m. to noon

Another paw-fect Halloween celebration takes place in Greenwich Village. The Washington Square Park Conservancy will host its annual Dog Halloween Costume Contest in the park’s Garibaldi Plaza. Fun for furry friends and humans alike, last year’s contest brought us adorable winners dressed as Bob Ross, two mops, sushi, Guns N’ Roses, and Taylor Swift’s engagement ring. No pre-registration is required for the October 17 event, but pups are encouraged to line up starting at 9:30 a.m.

BOOgie Down Bronx Halloween Bash
438 East 163rd Street, Morrisania
October 31 at 3 p.m.

Morrisania’s Bronx Music Hall is hosting a special Halloween bash that coincides with the 53rd anniversary of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. A free family event begins at 3 p.m., with indoor trick-or-treating, bilingual storytelling, and face painting presented by the Loisaida Center, as well as a children’s costume pageant, an open mic, and family portraits by Edwin Pagan.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the celebration will continue with a Day of the Dead altar ceremony, followed by a live performance that blends the works of legendary author Edgar Allan Poe with Latin jazz. Multi-Grammy-nominated percussionist and Bronx Music Heritage Center Co-Artistic Director Bobby Sanabria and Sexteto Ibiano, joined by La Bruja and Sandra García Rivera, will reinterpret Poe’s macabre works through Latin jazz.

Boo Bash in the Bronx
St. James Park, Fordham
October 10 from noon to 4 p.m.

Presented by the city’s Parks Department and Council Member Pierina Sanchez, the event invites revelers to enjoy a day of free Halloween fun, including carnival games, arts and crafts, face painting, and much more.

Boo on the Boardwalk
Coney Island Boardwalk, West 10th Street to Stillwell Avenue, Brooklyn
October 17 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Trick-or-treat your way down Coney Island’s famous Riegelmann Boardwalk, as a stretch of the iconic landmark gets spookified for Halloween. The free, family-friendly event will offer face painting, arts and crafts, caricature artists, live performances, and a costume contest with a chance to win prizes.

Hallowscream Fright Walk and Fall Festival
J. Hood Wright Recreation Center and Park, Washington Heights
October 16 and 17, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a series of five free Halloween events, one in each borough, expanding access to celebrations for all New Yorkers. In Washington Heights’ J. Hood Wright Recreation Center, the Hallowscream Fright Walk will beckon visitors down a haunted path filled with scary images, jump scares, and special effects, offering a thrilling experience. There will also be a fall festival, celebrating the vibrancy of autumn with a pumpkin patch, bounce houses, arts and crafts, jumbo games, and other seasonal activities.

Williamsbridge Fall Fiesta
Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, The Bronx
October 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Expected to welcome around 600 attendees, the Williamsbridge Fall Fiesta is another event announced by Mamdani. The family-friendly festival will offer pumpkin decorating, fall-themed arts and crafts, carnival games, face painting, a Mad Science demonstration, a pumpkin patch, a pumpkin weight guessing contest with prizes, and a dog costume parade.

Ocean Breeze Fall Festival
October 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, Staten Island

Staten Island families can enjoy a pumpkin patch, live DJ, food trucks, arts and crafts, inflatables, interactive games, rides, and other entertainment this Halloween season. Hosted at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, the event will also feature the Ocean Breeze Youth Cross Country Spooktacular, a fall competition for young athletes ages 7 to 17. The event is expected to attract more than 1,500 attendees.

Haunted House and Hallow Gala
Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center, East Flatbush
October 30 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

East Flatbush’s Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center is hosting a family-friendly Halloween bash, featuring a haunted house, a spooky carnival, and much more. Visitors can enjoy arts and crafts, games, music, pumpkin decorating, and costume and dance contests.

Mad Monster Lab Haunted House and Fall Festival
Bowne Park Field House, Queens
October 30 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

An afternoon of family-friendly fun will give way to a spooky experience after the sun goes down. After enjoying arts and crafts, inflatables, a pumpkin patch, and a dance party, the Bowne Park Field House will transform into the Mad Monster Lab, beckoning guests brave enough to face a frightening journey filled with jump scares and sound effects. The fall festival and haunted house experience are free and open to the public.

Chelsea Market
75 9th Avenue, Chelsea
October 31 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Head to Chelsea Market on Halloween for a fun day of movies, face painting, and trick-or-treating. Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, one of the vendors inside the famed food hall and marketplace, is screening a Halloween movie marathon featuring “Coco,” “Hocus Pocus,” “The Addams Family,” and “Ghostbusters.” Trick-or-treating will take place throughout the day, with vendors handing out treats to costumed visitors, while face painting will be offered from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Pier 57
Market 57, 25 11th Avenue, Chelsea
October 31 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

After visiting Chelsea Market, head over to Pier 57’s Market 57 to keep the Halloween celebrations going. Visitors can trick-or-treat at each of the market’s vendors while enjoying caricature artists and Halloween movies throughout the day.

Essex Market
88 Essex Street, Lower East Side
October 31 from noon to 4 p.m.

Essex Market and the Lower East Side are teaming up for a day of Halloween fun on Broome Street outside the market. The family-friendly event will feature trick-or-treating, face painting, a bounce house, a photo booth, live entertainment, and a costume contest. Free and open to the public, the celebration offers plenty of festive activities for families to enjoy.