October in New York City is packed with spooky, Halloween-themed events. Whether you’re into haunted walking tours, dogs dressed in costume or wandering through corn mazes, you’ll find something happening every day of the month. Our one regret is that there are only 31 days.
We’ve got all the must-sees covered: getting your costume for the Village Halloween Parade, visiting haunted houses, brewing up potions and lighting your own custom-carved candles—you’ll manifest having the best Halloween ever. Read on for all 31 suggestions.
Courtesy, NBC Universal
October 1
Enter Jimmy Fallon’s personal nightmares
Step into the twisted mind of the Tonight Show host in this new experience at Rockefeller Center called Jimmy Fallon’s Tonightmares. There are 10 rooms in the maze of horror; walk through if you dare (and are 13 or over). Fallon’s uncontrollable cackling is not included.
Courtesy, Madame Tussauds NYC
October 2
Look horror in the face at Madame Tussauds
Does a wax effigy contain the same aura as the monster it portrays? Find out at the Icons of Horror exhibition as you creep around wax figures of Pennywise (demonic clown from It) and The Nun and Annabelle from the Conjuring universe.
Courtesy, Haunting in Hollis
October 3
Wonder if the house is truly haunted at A Haunting in Hollis
It’s one thing to go to a haunted house attraction; it’s another to step into a real house that purports to be haunted. This horror show takes place in an actual home and includes two outdoor mazes and an interactive component where you can drop ghouls with laser tag guns.
October 4
Enjoy harvest season at Queens County Farm Museum
Take the tykes to the City’s oldest working farm and challenge them to lead the way through its famous corn maze. Complete your day by choosing a gourd from the pumpkin patch.
Courtesy, Green-Wood Cemetery
October 5
Tour Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery
Considering it’s a cemetery, there’s lots of lively action here—from film screenings to walking tours. Get into the spirit of the season on one of Green-Wood’s trolley tours and learn some of the lore behind the sprawling grounds and interesting denizens.
Smallpox Hospital ruins. Courtesy, Boroughs of the Dead
October 6
Explore the mysterious history of Roosevelt Island
We all know and love Roosevelt Island’s tram and unbeatable views, but the island’s history is a complicated (and spooky) one. “Undesirable” New Yorkers were sent to the island, which housed criminals, the poor and those with contagious diseases like smallpox. Today, you can peer at the ruins of the smallpox hospital and mental asylum.
Catacombs by Candlelight Tour at Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. Photo: Gina and Paul Brake from Street Photography
October 7
Walk the catacombs at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral
Not to be confused with St. Patrick’s on Fifth Avenue, the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Lower Manhattan offers a candlelit experience in usually off-limits areas, including its underground chamber.
October 8
Stock up on nostalgia at Economy Candy
This Lower East side institution, which has been around since 1937, offers throwback classics like Pixy Stix, Sugar Babies and even candy cigarettes. But don’t worry, you’re free to burn off your taste buds with some of today’s staples as well (hello, Warheads Extreme Sour).
Courtesy, Madame Morbid’s Trolley Tours
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.
Courtesy, Bronx Zoo
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.
Courtesy, Boroughs of the Dead
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.
Courtesy, Abracadabra NYC
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.
Courtesy, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival
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.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail. Photo: Let's Go Company
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.
Decker Farm. Courtesy, Staten Island Historical Society
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.
Courtesy, NYC Halloween Film Festival
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.
New York Aquarium. Photo: Wildlife Conservation Society
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.
Courtesy, Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
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).
Courtesy, The Seaport
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.
Courtesy, Merchant's House Museum
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.
Village Halloween Parade. Photo: Joe Buglewicz
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.
