Halloween Weekend 2013 Events in NYC & More!

Hi everyone!

It is finally here!  The last weekend in October before Halloween and it looks like the weather will be pretty good.  Crisp air  and hopefully some sun for a packed weekend.  We are going to need a weekend to recover from this one!

We have Halloween events all weekend all over Prospect Park,  and events in Fort Greene Park, Central Park, Battery Park City and a Haunted High Line!  We also have a Halloween Harvest Festival at the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum, Ghouls & Gourds at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden,  the Monster Mash at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum & Puppetry Arts Haunted Halloween!  Have a dog?  They can have fun too at the Go Fetch Run’s HOWLOWEEN Party in Prospect Park!

I couldn’t blog all the Halloween events so please check out the calendar for a full schedule of all the Halloween festivals, parades and parties around NYC this weekend and lots of non Halloween events also!

Have a great weekend!

~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)

Friday October 25th

Spectacular, Shimmering Pumpkins! at baby mama (Bay Ridge)
Friday October 25th 10-1050a
Ages 18m to 4y.  $35/per child.  Join us for a special Grown-up and Me Halloween workshop.
We will begin the workshop by reading a pumpkin-themed Halloween book and then go on to decorate pumpkins (6-8 inch sized, one per child) with paint, glitter and other magnificent materials, all while listening to some selectively spooktacular music.
Pumpkin books for perusing and special pumpkin pages for coloring will be available for those who finish decorating early!
Come join us for a shimmering, spectacular time!
Price includes all supplies and pumpkin.  No drop-ins or day-of-registrations permitted.  To register, click here!

MONSTER MASH 2013! at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Friday Oct 25th & Saturday Oct 26th 4p-8p
Calling all ghosts and goblins, come dressed to impress as the Museum celebrates Halloween! Join us for enchanting musical performances, epic dance parties, kooky crafts and exciting games! Face your fears and touch creepy crawlers from the land and sea, search for all things ghoulish and grim on a scavenger hunt around the Museum, curl up at story time for little monsters, then shake it up at our Thriller master class. At the end of the evening, show off your moves at a dance party with beats spun by DJ Kakez. All Ages.
Ticket prices are $8 for Brooklyn Children’s Museum Members and $12 for general visitors. The Museum closes at 3:00pm and reopens at 4:00pm on these days. For a more enjoyable Monster Mash leave your strollers and bulky items at home to avoid coat check.

Halloween Murder Mystery at Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden (UES)
Friday Oct 25th & Sat Oct 26th 630p & 730p
In this fictional mystery game, loosely based on an historic newspaper account, an unidentified skeleton has been discovered under the floorboards of the Mount Vernon Hotel. Who was killed? By whom? With what? Explore the Museum by candlelight, and collect clues to unravel the mystery and solve the case.  Appropriate for adults and families with children 8+.  $25 Adults, $10 Children under 12, $15 Museum Members.

For more events for Friday October 25th please click here!

Saturday October 26th

Puppetry Arts Haunted Halloween Carnival (Park Slope)
Saturday October 26th, 2013 11:00am-3:00p.
Located at the 1st Street Recreation Center of PS 372 on 1st Street and 4th Avenue Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Free admission and open to the public and great for kids of all ages -rain or shine!
The event will host crafts, games, and activities for kids of all ages as well as performances, free giveaways, and a costume contest.
The first 200 kids will receive Puppetry Arts Gift Bags filled with tons of goodies.
Special guests include Sandy the Seagull and cameos by Star Wars Characters from the 501st Empire City Garrison and the Echo Base Rebel Legion.
Activities include $2.00 Games, Crafts and Snacks, $4.00 Bouncy Moon Walk, $3.00 Haunted House. Wheelchair accessible.
For information or to contribute to the organization’s mission visit www.puppetryarts.org or call 718-768-3703

Pumpkin Fest at Central Park Bandshell (72nd St)
Saturday, October 26th 11a–3p. Free.  Rain or Shine.
Pumpkin Fest takes the very best traditions of the autumn season and offers them all for FREE! Activities will include:
NY”Z” Scream Haunted House – Our spooktacular haunted house at Bethesda Fountain is back again and this year it’s filled with zombies!  Pumpkin Patch and kids take home a free sugar pumpkin!
Also the Care.com Pumpkin Decorating Zone, Live Quidditch Matches, Marionette Performances by CityParksPuppetMobile, pumpkin carving,  Make your own ghost, ghoul or pumpkin puppet with The New Victory Theater! Have fun making pumpkin puppets, tissue paper pumpkins, and even pumpkins with accordion legs!

Haunted High Line Halloween (Chelsea)
Saturday, October 26, 2013 – 11:00am to 3:00pm.  Free.
Come in costume to trick-or-treat with characters from the High Line’s industrial past. Sneak through a haunted train tunnel (if you dare!), get lost in a hay-bale maze, dance to a ditty, decorate a pumpkin from our pumpkin patch, and construct your own train car from recycled materials.
Pose for pictures in a dress-up photo booth, complete with a view of the High Line’s historic past and the 18-foot High Line Ghost Train made by local children and puppet master Ralph Lee.  See website for full location information.

Fort Greene Park Halloween Festival
Saturday October 26th 12n-3p.  Free.
Hayrides, pumpkin patch, face painting, creepy critters, games, costume parade.
Plus, the Great “Pupkin” Dog Costume Contest – 12 noon on the steps..

Ghouls & Gourds at Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Crown Heights, Prospect Heights)
Saturday, October 26, 2013 | Noon–5:30 pm.
Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors over 65. Admission for children under 12 and BBG members is always free.  Spectacular stilt dancers! Heavy metal middle schoolers!  Victorian toy parlor!  Shake a tail feather, show off your costume, and carouse with colossal puppets at Brooklyn’s wackiest costume parade! Chat with local children’s book creators, craft a potato pal, make your own monocle and moustache, or just flop down on the grass and enjoy the Garden’s gorgeous fall colors.  See website for full schedule of events.

Halloween Haunted Walk & Houlihan Lokey Halloween Carnival in Prospect Park
Saturday, October 26, 2013 12 – 3 p.m. (Rain or shine) Nethermead & Lookout Hill
The beloved Halloween Haunted Walk is back and scarier than ever! Lurking high on Lookout Hill are zombies, wolf men, headless horsemen, good and bad witches, and other creepy characters. Visitors brave enough to experience this harrowing hike should head to Lookout Hill. The Halloween Haunted Walk is suitable for children accompanied by parents/guardians or older siblings (though it may be frightening for very young children).
There’s also the Houlihan Lokey Halloween Carnival on the Nethermead featuring all kinds of fun, games and seasonal treats. Begin at Prospect Park Southwest and 16th St.
The Haunted Walk and Houlihan Lokey Carnival is open to all and free ($1 suggested donation).joy the Park’s beautiful terrain and the Lake’s varied shoreline. A trail leads you to the tip of the Peninsula, revealing a vista of the Lake’s far shore and Duck Island, which you can observe from a rustic pavilion practically enclosed by water.

Halloween Harvest Festival at the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum (East Flatbush)
Saturday. OCTOBER 26th, 2013 from 1-5PM.  Adults $5, children $3.

Discover the magic of Halloween at New York City’s oldest house with crafts, food, games, colonial superstitions, and haunted history.
Celebrate the spirit of Halloween on a haunted tour of New York’s oldest house with the Wyckoff House Museum and NYC Council Member Jumaane D. Williams. You’ll be amazed by the tricks of magician Didi Maxx and wowed by the old timey toys and antique games of Denny Daniels’ Museum of Interesting Things. Get crafty for halloween and decorate a scary pumpkin. Celebrate the harvest season by pressing apple cider and feasting on homemade treats. Play spooky games, take a photo in our Wizard’s Workshop Photobooth, have your face painted, or try your luck in the pumpkin broom races. Don’t forget to come dressed up in your Halloween costume. Just a preview of the many sweet treats awaiting you at the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum’s annual Halloween Harvest.

For more events for Saturday October 26th please click here!

Sunday October 27th

Oíche Shamhna at the Irish Arts Center (Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown West)
Sunday, October 27 at 11a-2p.  For all ages! $5/per person.
It’s all about treats, not tricks at this spooky and fun Halloween celebration for all ages. Join us in the IAC Gallery for a full day of creative games and tasks for kids and parents alike, including mask-making, fun with púcas and fairies, turnip carving, storytelling, a monstrously marvelous costume parade and traditional Irish tea-time treats.

Screaming Green Halloween at Winter Garden & Waterfront Plaza (Battery Park City)
Sunday, October 27, 2013 12 – 3pm at Brookfield Place.  Free.
Don your Halloween finest for this year’s eco-friendly celebration! Play old favorites like “Bobbin’ for Apples” and “Pin a Face on the Pumpkin,” create earth-friendly art projects, and join large-scale wandering puppets, in an experience designed and constructed by local artists and craftsmen. As always, enjoy organic and fair-trade sweets, and don’t forget to bring last year’s costume to exchange for a new one at the Costume Swap. The day culminates in a Ghost and Goblins Parade throughout Battery Park City, led by a rousing marching band, starting at 3pm.

Halloween at Children’s Museum of the Arts (South Village)
October 27 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Free with admission ($11)
Activities include:  Costume making, Blacklight animation, Creepy Clay Bar creatures and a candy-filled parade around the museum! (various times throughout the day) Costumes are highly encouraged!

BAMkids: Tiger Tales – Chinese Shadow Puppet Show at BAM Fisher (Fort Greene)
Sunday October 27th 11a & 2pm.  For ages 5+.  RUN TIME: 1hr 30min.  Tickets $12 each.
This original production artfully fuses traditional Chinese and contemporary Western shadow puppet theater techniques. Drawing from China’s 2,000-year-old history and based in Chinese folktales and literature, Tiger Tales is narrated by a wise old rabbit, telling stories to her young granddaughter. Humorously exploring issues of power and survival, and with puppets based on antique leather shadow figures from CTW’s extensive collection, this performance is a feast for the eye as well as the mind.

Go Fetch Run’s HOWLOWEEN Party in Prospect Park
Sunday, October 27 2-4 pm
Join Go Fetch Run for a howling good time at our first annual HOWLOWEEN party! Dress your dog in their favorite costume and join us in Prospect Park for treats, games, and a turn on our Down & Dirty Obstacle Course! Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes and there will be tricks and treats for all.
This is the first annual Howloween event, hosted by Go Fetch Run. Go Fetch Run provides opportunities for people to exercise alongside their dogs, improving the physical and mental well-being of both. It saves time for busy owners and helps strengthen the bond between dogs and their owners.
Sponsored by Calm Energy Dog Training.  Details:   South Long Meadow above the dog pond

City Stomp “The Blue Line” Record Release Show at Littlefield (Gowanus)
Sunday October 27.  Doors: 230P/Show: 3P.  Advance tickets are recommended.  Tickets are $12 for individuals aged 2 and older, or $15 at the door.  Family tickets are $50 for a family of four (maximum of two adults) and are sold in advance only.
City Stomp, the Brooklyn-based kindie rockers known for playing fun, city-themed tunes, rock versions of children’s classics and music that crosses cultural borders, will celebrate their first CD in three years when they perform never-before heard songs at “The Blue Line” Record Release Concert.
Doors and cash bar open at 2:30 p.m. for activities, snacks and giveaways for the kids.

Annual Halloween Party at Scholastic Store (SoHo)
Sunday Oct 27th 3-5p
Jump on your brooms and fly on over for a SPOOK-tacular Sunday afternoon shindig, held high above the city in Scholastic’s Haunted Headquarters! Stretch out your skeletons and feel the music in your bones while you dance to live music, brew bubbling potions, bowl for mummies, decorate monster cupcakes, gorge on snacks and treats, and haunt up a storm with our costume conga! Plus — a bonus character appearance from Clifford and his friends! $20 per child (plus one accompanying adult) / Additional adults: $10 each.  Make your reservations today by calling 212-343-6187.

For more events for Sunday October 27th please click here!

ALL WEEKEND

Ascarium Weekend at NY Aquarium (Coney Island)
Sat & Sun 10/26 & 10/27 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., (last entry at 3:30pm)
Our admission fee has been reduced while we rebuild.
Ages 3 & up $9.95 (car parking $13)
On the weekend leading up to Halloween, enjoy pumpkin painting, musical and theater performances, and other kid-friendly activities at the aquarium.  See website for full schedule.

Amazing Maize Maze at Queens County Farm Museum
Saturdays & Sundays now until October 27th 11 am – 4:30 pm (last ticket is sold at 4:30 pm)
Amazing Maize Maze: $9 adults, $5 kids age 4 to 11, free for kids age 3 and under. Hayride: $2.
Enjoy getting lost in our 3 acre interactive corn maze. The adventure begins with a Stalk Talk to prepare you for the challenge of finding clues, solving puzzles and making your way out of the maze.

Legend of Sleepy Hollow at Brooklyn Lyceum (Park Slope)
Saturdays & Sunday 12n & 130p  weekends until October 27th.  $15 for one & $50 for 4 – for ages 7-10
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (and Ichabod Crane) visit the the Brooklyn Lyceum and shake things up with a classic tale for three weekends this fall.

While you may have heard of Ichabod Crane, Katrina Von Tassel, and The Headless Horseman you’ve never seen them quite like this.  From the imagination from those in the bowels of the Brooklyn Lyceum(aka Public Bath #7) comes an interactive reading of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  Projections, actors, sound effects, and a deliciously malevolent set will accompany the reading, along with festive food and drink.
So, dress in your spookiest, and come down to enjoy what will be undoubtedly the scariest rendition of one of the greatest ghost stories ever told.

* Be forewarned: The text has been slightly condensed for maximum fright!  Tickets at brooklynlyceum.wazala.com

Brick-or-Treat at LEGOLAND® Discovery Center, Westchester
Now until Thursday October 31st     Mon-Sat 10a-930p & Sun 10a-7p
A ghoulishly good time is brewing at LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Westchester during Brick-or-Treat! Little ghosts and mummies can experience Halloween October 12 thru 31 with spook-tacular activities sure to please the whole family! Wear your Halloween costume and receive $3 off Admission.

Activities include*:

Brick-or-treat for LEGO® bricks around the Center to create a special jack-o-lantern model and take it home with you
Search for hidden monsters in MINILAND and enter to win a family four-pack of Annual Passes
Help us build our Monster Town by creating your own monster out of LEGO bricks
Learn how to build a scarecrow in the Master Builder Academy

*While supplies last
See website for ticket prices.

Halloween Harvest at Luna Park (Coney Island)
Luna Park is open from 12pm – 8pm Saturdays & Sundays in October

Join us every weekend in October for pumpkin painting and FREE activities like trick or treating, scavenger hunts, daily entertainment, one of NYC’s largest pumpkins (guess the weight and win!) and more starting on October 5th!

– Pumpkin picking and painting is all day long!
– Guess the weight of our giant pumpkin and WIN is all day long!
– Face painting is FREE and is all day long!
– Trick or Treating is FREE and is from 2pm – 6pm at the Witch’s House located between the Brooklyn Flyer and Electro-Spin
– “Spooky” Caricatures are FREE and will be available from 2pm – 6pm
– A balloon artist will be roaming the park giving away FREE creations from 2pm – 6pm
– We will be playing games at the Dreamland stage from 2pm – 6pm and everyone is invited to participate!

http://lunaparknyc.com/plan-a-visit/park-prices.html

Hansel and Gretel’s Halloween Adventure at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Starts Tuesday October 1st 1030a & 12n and various days & times until Saturday November 2nd (check website here).  Tickets: $7 children under 12y & $10 13y and up
Safely back at home during the Halloween season; Hansel and Gretel experience the most vivid dreams where Central Park and the Belvedere Castle serve as the backdrop for a magical explosion of music, dance and exciting encounters with a host of lovable characters. The brother and sister team once again embark on an adventure where beautiful mermaids, adorable monsters, swashbuckling pirates, charming vampires and a fabulous witch all intertwine for one unforgettable Halloween night in New York City.

The Haunted Pumpkin Garden at The New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Now until October 31st The Garden is open year-round, Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
The Haunted Pumpkin Garden is Back and Spookier than Ever!

Experience the thrills and chills of the season with a garden full of intricately carved pumpkin sculptures, bugs, bats, parades, and more. New this year, the Haunted Pumpkin Garden features creepy creature encounters every weekend and the largest Spooky Nighttime Adventures trail ever! On October 19–20, watch master carver Ray Villafane of Food Network fame transform humongous pumpkins into unearthly creatures. It’s so much fun, it’s scary!

Pumpkin sculptures of spooky scarecrows, frightening spiders, sneaky snakes, and more await discovery at every turn in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. The display includes more than 500 intricately carved pumpkins that are sure to capture your youngster’s imagination. Every day kids can play inside a “gourd-geous” Pumpkin House, put on a scary show at the Pumpkin Puppet Theater, look for wiggly worms under a rotting log, and join a Halloween Parade, while every weekend offers even more treats.

Admission to the NYBG varies on the day of the week so see website for ticket prices.

Boo at the Zoo: Dragons and Dinosaurs at the Bronx Zoo
Weekends now until Sunday November 3rd 10a-5p.  Boo at the Zoo is free with zoo admission; Dinosaur Safari (10am–5pm) and the Museum of UnNatural Mysteries (11am–5pm) require the purchase of a Total Experience ticket.
The kids can venture through the Museum of UnNatural Mysteries; catch a magic show or Beasts of the Magical World, a musical theater performance; take in live music from Gigi and the Lend Me a Hand Band; explore a hay maze; learn about all kinds of no-longer-extant creatures at the extinct-animal graveyard; check out demonstrations by professional pumpkin carvers; and, of course, rock their outfits in a Halloween procession (12n, 2pm) and then embark on a trip back in time as you ride our Dinosaur Safari!
Details:  General Admission Tickets:  adult $16.95, child (Ages 3-12) $12.95, senior (65+) $14.95.  Total experience adult $33.95, total experience child (3y-12y) $23.95, total experience senior $28.95 (discounts on ticket prices bought online.  See website for details.

For a full calendar of events please click here!

ONGOING

Dinosaur Safari at The Bronx Zoo (Bronx)
Now through Sunday November 3rd from M-Su.  10:30am — 4:30p.  All ages welcomed.  It’s a guided wagon tour past life-like, animatronic dinosaur species! Ride through a land of life-like massive dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures that roar, snarl, hiss and move.
Details:  Tickets for Bronx Zoo Dinosaur Safari: Total experience adult $33.95, total experience child (3y-12y) $23.95, total experience senior $28.95 (discounts on ticket prices bought online & Wednesdays is pay as you wish).  See website for details.

Gazillion Bubble Show at New World Stages Theater (MIDTOWN)
Wednesday, Fri-Sun (various times) now through February 23, 2014
You’ve seen how your kids react to bubbles. Now, imagine how they would react to seeing people inside bubbles, or lasers shooting through bubbles, or bubbles within bubbles?!  They will be enthralled…and so will you. I’m been to this twice because we love it so much. Awesome show and well worth the price and trip. The Gazillion Bubble Show in Manhattan, is all about bubble magic and everyone from David Letterman to Oprah thinks the show is pretty fantastic.
Details: 340 West 50th Street, NYC. All ages welcomed. Cost: $44.50 -$89.50 (VIP package). Purchase tickets: Telecharge at 212.239.6200 or at www.telecharge.com. Visit the website for more information.

Whales: Giants of the Deep at The American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Through January 5, 2014 from 10am — 6pm
Get a load of this! Whales: Giants of the Deep brings you close to some of the most massive mammals on Earth. Featuring life-size models, interactive exhibits, films, as well as over 20 whale skulls and skeletons.
Details: Central Park West at 79th Street, NYC. All ages welcomed. Cost: $25 adults; $14.50 kids age 2-12; $19 seniors/students (General admission plus 1 ticket includes admission to the museum and Rose Center plus 1 special exhibition). Contact: 212-769-5100. Visit the website for more information.

For a full calendar of events please click here!