Halloween

New Yorkers, it's spooky season. New York City is known to go all out for Halloween, with over-the-top parades, epic trick-or-treating, and spirited parties in every neighborhood. Ahead, find some of this year's best-haunted happenings for all ages, from kid-approved activities and dog costume contests to devilish dance parties and brews and booze.
HAUNTED HAPPENINGS, HERE

Events & Things To Do

Mayor Adams to host haunted Halloween party at Gracie Mansion

Halloween at Gracie Mansion 2021. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

October 20, 2023

Mayor Adams to host haunted Halloween party at Gracie Mansion

The grounds of Gracie Mansion are getting a haunted makeover this Halloween. Mayor Eric Adams will open the People's House to young New Yorkers for trick-or-treating, a corn maze, and a spooky graveyard. Adams, who previously said he thinks ghosts reside at the Yorkville mansion, has set aside tickets to the two-day event for about 300 families in the city's shelter system and those seeking asylum.
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Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade is back on and bigger than before

Photo by editrixie on Flickr

October 4, 2023

Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade is back on and bigger than before

Get back to designing those canine costumes, New Yorkers: this year's Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade is back on. After being canceled last week, the 33rd annual dog parade will proceed with support from Mayor Eric Adams and financial backing from dog wellness company Get Joy. Taking place on October 21, this year's event is set to be the largest ever and will feature a formal parade procession instead of just a gathering inside the East Village park, according to the New York Times.
paw-some parade news, this way

Events & Things To Do

This year’s Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade has been canceled

Jack Russel terrier, Roman, dressed as Ramen Noodles during the 2019 parade. Photo @ James and Karla Murray

September 28, 2023

This year’s Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade has been canceled

Dog lovers, we have some ruff news. The Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade has been canceled indefinitely. The event's website homepage reads, "Parade has been canceled for the foreseeable future" in bold. The dog parade, which would have been returning for its 33rd year, was canceled due to overwhelming complications with permits and logistics, parade organizers told Gothamist.
ruff news

Events & Things To Do

See NYC architects compete in annual pumpkin carving contest Pumpkitecture

Image courtesy of Sam Lahoz

October 27, 2022

See NYC architects compete in annual pumpkin carving contest Pumpkitecture

The annual competition that pits New York City-based architectural firms against each other to carve the best pumpkin is returning on Friday, just in time for Halloween. Known as Pumpkitecture, the event will give onlookers the opportunity to see architects hone their skills in real-time and compete for the big prize, the Pritzkerpumpkin. Pumpkitecture will take place at the Center for Architecture at 536 LaGuardia Place in Greenwich Village on October 28 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Get ready to go gourd to gourd

Nearly 100 NYC streets will go car-free for safe trick-or-treating this Halloween

Photo courtesy of Marco on Flickr

October 24, 2022

Nearly 100 NYC streets will go car-free for safe trick-or-treating this Halloween

For the first time, dozens of New York City's "Open Streets" will expand operating hours on Halloween to make trick-or-treating safer for young New Yorkers. As part of the Department of Transportation's "Trick-or-Streets," nearly 100 streets, plazas, and other commercial corridors across the city will be closed to cars on October 31 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
See more here

The top spooky and spirited NYC bars to visit this Halloween

Photo courtesy of The Cauldron NYC

October 14, 2022

The top spooky and spirited NYC bars to visit this Halloween

New York City's favorite holiday is back and better than ever, with Halloween traditions and events returning in full force after two years. In addition to the parades, pumpkins, costume contests, and fright fests, many of the city's bars and restaurants transform into spooky dens decked out in eerie decor and serving spirited drinks and ghostly bites. Make the most of Halloween by visiting one of these freakishly festive bars.
Where to sip on spooky spirits

The best ways to celebrate Halloween 2022 in NYC

Photo of 2019 Village Halloween Parade by Steven Pisano on Flickr

September 26, 2022

The best ways to celebrate Halloween 2022 in NYC

It's time to figure out your costume because Halloween is almost upon us. In New York City there is no shortage of fun events celebrating the spooky holiday, with plenty of opportunities to dress up, get candy, dine, and enjoy the season. Ahead, we found some of the city's best Halloween offerings this year, from the legendary Village Halloween Parade to more low-key pumpkin picking at Historic Richmond Town's Decker Farm on Staten Island.
See the full list ahead

Events & Things To Do

10 offbeat haunted spots in New York City

By Lucie Levine

'Tis the season to voluntarily spook yourself! But if haunted houses and tourist-friendly ghost tours are not for you, New York's bustling burrows are home to a slew of the more naturally born spirits. You’ll find Dracula’s extended family on 23rd Street, a host of oracles on Orchard Street, and the site of the cruel crime that led to the nation’s first recorded murder trial on Spring Street. If you’re searching for a necropolis in the metropolis, here are ten of the best sites in New York to spot specters.
See all the haunted haunts here!

History

The best 2021 Halloween happenings and spooky spectacles in NYC

Photo of 2015 Village Halloween Parade by Peter Burka on Flickr

October 18, 2021

The best 2021 Halloween happenings and spooky spectacles in NYC

New York City really shows its creative side for Halloween, and after a year of laying low, everyone's ready for some trick-or-treat action. The epic Village Halloween Parade is back on, parks and pumpkin patches are putting their fall bounty on display, and our favorite gathering, shopping, and dining spots are stocking up on candy and planning fun events. For the best ideas, browse our list of Halloween haunts and happenings from family-friendly to wicked and wild.
See the full list, this way

Events & Things To Do

Photo of 2019 Village Halloween Parade by Steven Pisano on Flickr

October 5, 2021

The 2021 Village Halloween Parade is officially back on

The Village Halloween Parade is officially back this year thanks to a major donation. The beloved event was scheduled to return after a pandemic-related hiatus, but a lack of funds threatened to cancel the 2021 parade, according to organizers. The parade set a fundraising goal of $150,000 by October 5, and with the help of 183 donors who contributed over $11,000 and Jason Feldman and his wife Missy who made up the difference, the spooky show will go on.
Details here

Events & Things To Do

Smash and smush your old pumpkins into compost at Hudson River Park

Credit: Max Guliani for Hudson River Park

October 28, 2020

Smash and smush your old pumpkins into compost at Hudson River Park

What better way to celebrate fall, relieve some 2020 related-stress, and benefit the environment than smashing old pumpkins into compost. Hudson River Park's third-annual "smash it, don't trash it" Pumpkin Smash event returns next month, which invites New Yorkers to take a bat to post-Halloween gourds to dispose of them in an eco-friendly way.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

Archtober’s annual gourd-carving Pumpkitecture event is virtual and open to everyone

BIG Architects designing their masterpiece; Photo by Daniel Cole for Center for Architecture

October 20, 2020

Archtober’s annual gourd-carving Pumpkitecture event is virtual and open to everyone

Every year, New York City-based architecture firms face off in a spirited pumpkin carving competition in quest of the PritzkerPumpkin prize. This year, because of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on gatherings, Pumpkitecture will take place virtually. And the contest won't be limited to just architects and designers, but anyone with an "eerie eye for design" can enter.
Get the details

The best ways to celebrate Halloween 2020 in NYC

Photo of pumpkin-headed scarecrows courtesy of NYBG

October 14, 2020

The best ways to celebrate Halloween 2020 in NYC

By 6sqft

Although it's already been a scary year, there are still ways to have some old-school spooky fun in New York City this Halloween. Sadly, popular events like the Village Halloween Parade and the Tompkins Square Dog Halloween Parade have been canceled and traditional trick-or-treating has been deemed a high-risk activity because of the coronavirus pandemic. But there are a number of fall-friendly, socially distanced events still taking place across the city, like a Día de Los Muertos celebration at Green-Wood Cemetery, virtual ghost story readings from the Merchant's House Museum (considered Manhattan's most haunted house), and eerie hayrides and pumpkin picking at the Queens County Farm Museum.
Get the spooky scoop

Events & Things To Do

Photo by Steven Pisano via Flickr cc

September 10, 2020

Village Halloween Parade cancelled for only the second time in 47 years

By Dana Schulz

Though the Village Halloween Parade was just a small neighborhood gathering in 1973, it has taken place and grown every year since then except after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. This year, however, the beloved event is being cancelled for the second time ever due to COVID-19. Jeanne Fleming, who has been the director of the parade since 1985, broke the news yesterday to the Post, but promised New Yorkers a special "trick" in its place, though she's remaining mum on those details for now.
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October 25, 2019

PHOTOS: See the best costumes from this year’s Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade

By James and Karla Murray

Some were spooky, others political, all were adorable. The 29th annual Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade took place last Sunday, bringing together hundreds of New Yorkers and their furry friends from all over. While the parade is no longer really a parade nor held at Tompkins Square Park, the event remains one of the year's best. Photographers James and Karla Murray witnessed first hand the canine costumes and shared with 6sqft photos of the cutest and most creative choices, including the ultimate winners: two Yorkshire terries as Snoopy and the Red Baron.
More dressed-up pups this way

October 23, 2019

This year’s best NYC neighborhoods for Halloween trick-or-treating

October 31 brings New Yorkers of all sizes out of their crypts and crannies in search of treats and fun. This year, long-running favorite neighborhoods rise to the occasion once again, with a few recent additions. Trick-or-treating in the big city has its advantages: Apartment buildings can be like hitting the jackpot and friendly neighbors, stores, businesses and neighborhood events keep the little tricksters busy. Technology helps keep things safe and fun: Local-social site Nextdoor's annual trick-or-treat map is back; neighbors can add themselves to if they're handing out candy. Like so many other topics, New Yorkers love to argue over which neighborhoods offer the best bounty. Below are a few picks for the best treats.
Score more treats this Halloween

October 21, 2019

Stay at the creepy and kooky ‘Addams Family Mansion’ in Clinton Hill this Halloween

A 19th-century townhouse in Brooklyn has undergone a creepy and kooky makeover just in time for Halloween. Travel company Booking.com transformed the Clinton Hill home at 272 Lafayette Avenue into a real-life replica of The Addams Family Mansion from the hit 1960s comedy sitcom. For just over $100 per night, guests can spend Halloween playing with Wednesday's beheaded dolls, calling Lurch on his "you rang" bell, and getting scared by Thing.
It's creepy and it's kooky

Events & Things To Do

All the cool and spooky Halloween happenings in NYC this year

Image courtesy of the Central Park Conservancy.

October 9, 2019

All the cool and spooky Halloween happenings in NYC this year

Some say Halloween is New York City’s favorite holiday. And while those who indulge in its fright-fraught fun may celebrate in different ways, there’s a scare out there for everyone. We’re all under the spell of the fabulous Village Halloween Parade, from its history to its most avid participants; if that doesn’t satisfy your craving for fright-week fun, peruse our list of Halloween happenings from family-friendly to extra freaky.
Find something to BOO

Events & Things To Do

October 31, 2018

Take a walk down West 69th Street, the most over-the-top Halloween block in NYC

By Dana Schulz

There are plenty of neighborhoods throughout the city that get in on the Halloween spirit and make for the best trick-or-treating, but arguably the biggest spectacle exists on the Upper West Side--probably not your first guess for spooky, kooky, and downright insane holiday decor. But thanks to the West 69th Street Block Association, the stretch of the street between Broadway and Central Park West turns into a wonderland of skulls, zombies, bloody scenes, and even a table setting complete with brains and rats. 6sqft took a walk down 69th Street and captured all its Halloween mayhem in the photos ahead.
See all the over-the-top decorations

Events & Things To Do

October 31, 2018

See how NYC’s top architecture firms carved their Halloween pumpkins

As one of the highlights of this year's Archtober celebration of the built environment, Pumpkitecture 2018 saw 20 of NYC's top architecture firms once again go gourd to gourd to compete for the Pritzkerpumpkin. Find out who squashed the competition, and see some of this year’s most creative entries, ahead.
And the winner is

Enjoy frightful films and a costume parade judged by Tim Gunn at the NYPL’s Halloween bash

Via NYPL

October 25, 2018

Enjoy frightful films and a costume parade judged by Tim Gunn at the NYPL’s Halloween bash

The New York Public Library is hosting the ultimate costume contest this Halloween, forcing participants to really "make it work." Not only must costumes be inspired by a book or author, but they will also be judged by Project Runway star and fashion consultant Tim Gunn. The Halloween Masquerade event takes place on Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
Get more details here

Events & Things To Do

To kick off Halloween weekend, watch NYC architects face off in a pumpkin-carving contest

Bjarke Ingels Group’s pumpkin tower from 2017; photo by Daniel Cole for Center for Architecture

October 19, 2018

To kick off Halloween weekend, watch NYC architects face off in a pumpkin-carving contest