October 9
Ride a Victorian-style trolley to Brooklyn’s past
Madame Morbid’s Trolley Tours come with a blend of vintage charm and modern convenience. Think leather seats, chandeliers and working AC, along with a screen projecting historical documentary footage. Discover which of your favorite Brooklyn haunts are built on burial grounds and hear tales of alien abductions on the Brooklyn Bridge.
October 10
Have a night that only gets weirder at Alamo Drafthouse
Sip on creepy cocktails surrounded by wax sculptures and death masks at the eerie House of Wax, a bar inside the Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn, before catching a film.
October 11
Get spooked at the Zoo
Head over to the Bronx Zoo for their special Halloween programming, which includes Pumpkin Nights, an illuminated jack-o’-lantern trail of pumpkins carved into animals, activities like face painting and the Creepy Crawly Mystery Wall that you can touch to learn about interesting creatures.
October 12
Scream bloody murder at Blood Manor
A Halloween staple, Tribeca’s Blood Manor has been scaring people for over 20 years. The Manor is known for its reality-bending special effects, three floors of rooms and custom rat-person costumes that are eerily convincing.
October 13
Learn the haunted history of Astoria
A two-hour walking tour takes you to the Victorian houses of Queens’ Old Astoria and historic sites you didn’t even know existed, ending at the aptly named Hell Gate Bridge in Astoria Park. The walk is led by Marie Carter, author of Mortimer and the Witches: A History of Nineteenth-Century Fortune Tellers.
October 14
Grab your costume at Abracadabra
Unless you want to wait on the longest line you’ve ever seen on Halloween Eve, head early to Abracadabra, which has been outfitting New Yorkers in creepy and cool costumes since 1981.
October 15
Become a potions master at the Cauldron NYC
Inspired by the story of a particular wizard boy, the Cauldron invites you to brew your own concoctions in cauldrons they provide. For the Halloween edition, you’ll get a complimentary cloak, witch’s hat, ectoplasm shot on arrival and a drink poured by magic wand.
October 16
Fortify your manifesting power with a custom spell candle
Light your special candles when the veil is thinnest. At Enchantments, an occult store in Alphabet City, you can work with the team to create your own intentional candle, carved with runes special to you, anointed with oil and cleansed with smoke before it is put in its holder.
October 17
View the dark side at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival
Genre-defying films and thought-provoking shorts take center stage at this festival, known for covering topical issues like environmental horror, Black Mirror–style commentary on surveillance and mental health. Tonight’s feature (opening night) is the noir thriller Dead Mail, at Nitehawk Cinema; the fright fest runs for another week.
October 18
Enter Jack Skellington’s Halloween Town at NYBG
In addition to the garden’s annual Fall-o-Ween activities, NYBG is hosting its first ever Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail. Encounter the art, music and characters of the film in a dreamy (or nightmarish?) garden experience.
October 19
Tour Historic Richmond Town and go pumpkin picking at Decker Farm
This open-air museum and village, which interpret 19th-century life in Staten Island, comes alive every autumn. Take a guided tour to learn about trades and traditions, and then head to Decker Farm (also part of Historic Richmond Town) to pick pumpkins, go on a hayride and see how far you can shoot your pumpkin in the air with their pumpkin slingshot.
October 20
Experience closing night of the NYC Halloween Film Festival
Don’t miss the final night of this film festival, which screens flicks ranging from the mildly creepy to the horrifying. Prizes include the Coven’s Choice Award for best of the festival and Miss Murder for best female performance.
October 21
Eat and drink at an elaborately decorated bar
Have a drink at Oscar Wilde, whose eponymous novelist is known for having a flair for the dramatic; enjoy the eerily decorated haunted beer garden at the Lower East Side’s Loreley; and revel in the over-the-top spookiness of Beetle House, where “every day is Halloween.” ’Tis the season.
October 22
Spend a day in Coney Island
A beach might not immediately spark notions of Halloween, but one look at the creepy Steeplechase Face, and you’ll understand the vibe of Coney Island. The boardwalk’s Luna Park hosts Halloween Harvest, which features tiny tractors that race through bales of hay and seasonal treats along with access to many of the usual rides. The nearby New York Aquarium puts on Ascarium, with “not-so-scary” stories about sea creatures, a spooky scavenger hunt and a menagerie of deep-sea oddities.
October 23
Do the Time Warp at Rocky Horror Picture Show Live!
A night out at House of Yes during spooky season should be mandatory, but if you’re planning on just going once, make sure it’s for Lips, a live and reimagined revival of this cult classic. Dressing up is highly encouraged.
October 24
Enjoy string renditions of Halloween classics
The Highline String Quartet performs some of your favorite Halloween tunes by candlelight: think “Thriller” and the themes from Stranger Things, Beetlejuice and Ghostbusters.
October 25
Have a Halloween extravaganza at Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
Head to the gothic church for its annual Halloween screening of the 1925 film The Phantom of the Opera, which features a live organ and a costumed procession by the Mettawee River Theater Company.
October 26
Head to Fort Greene for the Annual Pupkin Dog Costume Contest
Previous costumes include dogs paying homage to NYC icons like pizza rat, pilot dogs flying planes, conductor dogs riding on choo-choo trains and many pups in wigs.
October 27
Catch Hocus Pocus at the St. George Theater
You’re going to watch this Halloween classic anyway, so why not do it at Staten Island’s historic entertainment venue? A costume contest and brief concert precede the screening.
October 28
Impress your friends at The Office Trivia: Halloween Episodes
If you’re more of a pumpkins-and-candy lover of Halloween rather than horror and macabre, you’ll enjoy this Office-themed trivia night at Slattery’s Midtown Pub. Rewatch some of these classic episodes before dressing up as your favorite character (dressed as their favorite character; get that three-hole punch outfit ready).
October 29
Take the perfect photo at the Seaport’s Pumpkin Arch
With the backdrop of the skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge, a photo under Pier 17’s Pumpkin Arch is a great way to commemorate fall in the City. Grab a Halloween cookie from Funny Face Bakery while you’re in the neighborhood.
October 30
Go on the Candlelight Ghost Tour at the Merchant’s House Museum
The New York Times once called this “Manhattan’s most haunted house.” The 1832 historic house museum tells the story of the Tredwells, the wealthy merchant family who lived (and frequently died) here; it’s all eerier by candlelight.
October 31
March in the Village Halloween Parade
Have you ever been in a parade? Now is your chance. All you need is a costume to join the revelers all the way up until the iconic “Thriller” dance that closes out one of NYC’s most festive nights. Lining up on the sidewalks to watch the festivities is acceptable too.
