Halloween is Almost Here: How to Stay Safe And Scared!

The countdown to Halloween in on. All throughout the city there will be numerous events leading up to the spooky day where there will be more fun activities. Here’s a sampler of things both scary and interestng

| 26 Oct 2023 | 04:39

Halloween is around the corner and Manhattan is ready with all the tricks and treats.

There were a few dog Halloween parades last weekend in Tompkins Square Park and on the new pickleball court in Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side. Starting this weekend, the Halloween festivities geared entirely for people starting getting seriously underway.

On Saturday, October 28th Sutton Place Parks will be hosting their annual Sutton Spooktacular Celebration from 2-5 p.m. at East 56th to 57th Street. There will be a Kids Costume Parade at 2 p.m., Pooches and Pups Costume Parade at 4 p.m., Sports, games, and crafts from 2:15 pm, and many more fun activities.

That same day, there will be a Sixth Avenue Autumnfest from 11am-6pm between West 34th Street and West 42nd Street.

On Sunday, Marble Collegiate Church will be hosting a free Fall Festival starting at 12 p.m. There will be a costume parade and food will be provided. They will also be allocating time to build 250 Thanksgiving bags for those in need. Donations are welcomed at Give at MarbleChurch.org by selecting “Thanksgiving Baskets.”

On Halloween day, New-York Historical Society Dimenna Children’s History Museum will be hosting a Historical Hallowe’en Party at 4 p.m. Tickets will be sold on their website. There will be spooky stories, historical costumes, and lots of candy. Families will have the opportunity to make their own mourning jewelry, learn about Día de Los Muertos–also known as Day of the Dead, and play Halloween bingo. All November long, the museum will be celebrating the heritage of Indigenous peoples on Tuesdays and Fridays at 3:30 p.m. and Sundays at 11:30 p.m. for stories and crafts for kids ages 3-6.

Moreover, well over 80 businesses in East Midtown will have their doors open for Trick-or-Treating from 3-7 p.m. Alongside the sweets, there will be activities like pumpkin painting in two locations: 919 Third Avenue; on the plaza at East 56th Street and Sunrise at East 56th and 139 East 56th Street at Lexington.

Earlier this month, Mayor Adams and Commissioner Rodriguez announced 15 “Trick-or-Streets” locations, but now there are well over 100 participating programs, plaza partners, and community-based organizations. Follow the link to check out the spooky events near you.

If you want to get scared year round, Capture The Atlas offers what it says are the seven best ghost tours in NYC in Greenwich Village, the East Village and elsewhere. Ranked at number one is the Greenwich Village Ghost Tour, showing your group some of the creepiest parts of Greenwich Village and sharing ghost stories and urban legends.

Don’t freight, the festivities don’t stop on October 31st. There will be events planned in early November to celebrate Día de Los Muertos–a traditional Mexican holiday known as ‘Day of the Dead.’ From October 27th- Nov 2nd, Rockefeller Center will be having an Ofrenda event open all day to the public. There will be activities include face painting, Mariachi band performance, timed altar participation including photo-taking opportunities and tributes, and more.

Thursday, November 2nd from 4-10 p.m. in Times Square Plaza between W. 45th and W. 47th St. there will be a Día de Los Muertos Event in partnership with NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.