Hi everyone,
Halloween weekend is almost here and it will be an exciting and busy weekend!
There are so many fun Halloween events so take the kids and check out the 3rd Annual Family Halloween Day at Albee Square, Halloween Harvest at Luna Park, Rolie Polie Guacamole Halloween Show at the Jalopy Theatre, New-York Haunted Society’s Superheroes/Supernatural Halloween Bash, Halloween Extravaganza at the Old Stone House & Halloween Parade, BAMboo!, Monster Mash at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brookfield Place Halloween Party in the Winter Garden, the 15th Annual Fort Greene Park Halloween Festival, Monster Skate Halloween Party at Lakeside in Prospect Park and Halloween 313: Malice in Underland.
Also happening this weekend is A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The New Victory Theater, Mexican Cultural Festival: Día de los Muertos at the Children’s Museum of the Arts, Goodnight Moon & The Runaway Bunny at NYU Skirball Center, BAMkids Movie Matinees: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights Family Concert at The JCC Manhattan, Shadow Puppet Subway Stage at the New York Transit Museum and The Velveteen Rabbit: A New Family Musical at the Linda Gross Theater.
There are even more events so check the calendar and see everything happening this weekend! Also remember to like us on Facebook for last minute events and news!
Happy Halloween! Have fun and be safe!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday October 30th
Halloween Playspace at BAXBrooklyn Arts Exchange (Park Slope)
Friday October 30th 930a-1130a fges 1 to 4y, with a caregiver. Admission: $10 per family at the door. Calling all monsters, ghosts and goblins! Join us as we celebrate a spooky start to the Playspace season! We’re kicking off the 2015-2016 Playspace season with all of the usual Playspace fun – from wiggly tunnels to colorful blocks – plus singing, dancing, and a special treat (but no tricks – we promise). All with a little Halloween twist! Kids (and adults!) are encouraged to come in costume. Playspace is a drop-in program facilitated by BAX faculty member Jessica Lee. The program is for children ages 1-4 and their caregiver and takes place every Monday and Friday from 9:30-11:30am, from October 30, 2015-May 6, 2016. Activities include hoops, tunnels, coloring, balls, books and are with the help of the Playspace facilitator. Children can bring special toys, books, or other childhood comfort items, but must bring their own diapers, wipes, snacks and drinks. Parents must remain on site. This is a wonderful activity to incorporate into your weekly routine and provides an opportunity to meet new friends, socialize and engage in a bright and open space. Price: $10 drop-in/$80 10 class card
3rd Annual Family Halloween Day at Albee Square (Downtown Brooklyn)
Friday October 30th 10a-12n. Free. Get spooky in Downtown Brooklyn this Halloween, with the 3rd annual Family Halloween Day, going down on Friday, October 30th at Albee Square. This all-ages celebration will be a fun-filled affair, kicking off at 10 am with the first of two planned performances of “Dr. Finklestein’s Zombie Show,” performed by the Big Apple Circus. Music will be provided by MC Alphabet + DJ Mikey Palms, an award-winning duo who have traveled the country and the world entertaining children and adults with their interactive, action-packed dance party for all ages. Other festivities include face painting and balloon art, from 10am-12pm. Duane Reade provided all the treats for party attendees in costume, giving you the perfect excuse to put on your Halloween outfit in the morning and wear it around all day.
Movies @ the Library: Monsters Inc. at the Brooklyn Public Library (Park Slope)
Friday October 30th 330-5p. Free. From IMDb: Monsters Incorporated is the largest scare factory in the monster world, and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) is one of its top scarers. Sullivan is a huge, intimidating monster with blue fur, large purple spots and horns. His scare assistant, best friend and roommate is Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), a green, opinionated, feisty little one-eyed monster. Visiting from the human world is Boo (Mary Gibbs), a tiny girl who goes where no human has ever gone before.”
New-York Haunted Society’s Superheroes/Supernatural Halloween Bash (UWS)
Friday October 30th 5-7p. Door tickets: $12 per person ($10 for Members). Purchase in advance and save! Online tickets: $10 per person through 11:59 pm on Thursday, 10/29. Purchase tickets here. Channel your superpowers at our annual family Halloween party, which celebrates our adventurous exhibition Superheroes in Gotham. Test your super strength against a real-life Strongman, make silhouette trick-or-treat bags, create a tasty “graveyard goop” dessert, make a spooky superhero of your own, get your superpower fortune told, and challenge others with your super-villain knowledge. And, of course, go home with plenty of candy!
For more Friday events please click here!
Saturday October 31st
Monster Mash at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Saturday October 31st 10a-5p. Admission: $11/per person (members free). Visit Brooklyn Children’s Museum for a fun-filled Halloween before you go trick-or-treating! Enjoy live music by Mariachi Tapatio de Alvaro Paulino, and show off your costume at a DJ’d dance party. Touch a creepy crawler, explore skeleton science, make your own trick or treat tote bag, and more. The day will be filled with special programs like Hands-On Station: Creepy Crawlers, X-Ray Drawing, A Slithering Tale, Little Monsters Jam, Touch Tank and Hands-On Skulls Station!
Halloween Extravaganza at the Old Stone House & Halloween Parade (Park Slope)
Saturday, October 31st an all day Halloween Extravaganza! Sponsored by the Park Slope Civic Council and Park Slope Parents. Music from Treblemakers 11a-12n. 12n: Pet Costume Contest & Parade at the Friends of the Washington Park Dog Run. 2p: Park Slope Parents Costume Contest. 4p: Mini Parade around JJ Byrne Playground. 630p: Park Slope Civic Council Halloween Parade. Kick-off @ 14th Street & 7th Avenue, ending at Washington Park with an outdoor dance party with Ethan Schlesser until 9 pm
Monster Skate Halloween Party at Lakeside in Prospect Park
Saturday October 31st 12n-6p. Admission: $8, skate rental $8. Your Halloween costume looks better on skates. Join us for a Halloween bash. Halloween music & decorations! Games & prizes! Costume Contest at 1:30PM – the winner will receive a FREE Skate School semester (valued at $165) FREE 15-minute group lessons (1:00PM and 1:15PM). Information about Winter Programming. Lakeside’s Halloween Party should be a scream! We’ll see you on the rink.
Brookfield Place Halloween Party in the Winter Garden (Battery Park City)
Saturday October 31st 12n-3p. Free. Celebrate All Hallows’ Eve in style as our family-friendly Halloween Party returns to Brookfield Place! This year’s event will feature: Live music by the Deedle Deedle Dees, Storyteller Luann Adams, Spooky Science Lab with Carmelo The Science Fellow, Magic by The Great Charlini, Pumpkin Carving with Hugh Mcmahon with pumpkins provided by French marketplace Le District, A SPOOKtacular costume catwalk with fashion emcees Tracy and Mason, Face painting and temporary tattoos, A freaky photo op mosaic wall, Trick-or-Treat at Hudson Eats, Babesta and Le District, Magic Mirror by Interaction Designer at IPG Media Lab Michelle Cortese and Imagination In Space and to cap it off, our parade finale! Bring your costume-clad kiddos to our FANGtastic for an afternoon full of fun!
15th Annual Fort Greene Park Halloween Festival
Saturday 12n-3p. Free. Consistently our biggest event of the year, come join FGPC, NYC Parks, the Urban Park Rangers, and a horde of other friends in the community for one of Brooklyn’s most well-known Halloween Festivals! Attractions include a horse-drawn hay ride, pumpkin patch, our costume parade, and the ever-popular Fort Greene PUPs Costume Contest, The 17th Annual Great PUPkin Festival will be happening starting at 12n.
BAMboo! (Fort Greene)
Saturday October 31st 2-5p. Free. Calling all ghouls and goblins: it’s time to get down at the BAMboo! Monster Mash! Put on your devilish dancing shoes and kick off trick-or-treating right at this free outdoor Halloween block party featuring family-friendly music and mischief. Featuring Abby the DJ! Plus: Candy giveaways, Bounce house, Carnival games, Costume contest, Arts & crafts!
Halloween 313: Malice in Underland (Clinton Hill)
Saturday October 31st 5-9p. Free. 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. In tribute to that classic children’s fantasy, we’ve created our own diabolical version that sends Alice into a fantastic new world, populated with a new cast of magical characters, who sing, dance, and fight off all manner of nasty beasts. It was 1994 when 313 Clinton Avenue kicked off the celebrations that would evolve into the theatrical extravaganza we now call Halloween 313. It began as a partnership with the Society for Clinton Hill to make a safe trick-or-treat event for neighborhood kids—complete with a 16-foot Jack Skellington atop the stoop, ghosts in the windows, a yard full of tombstones, and a walk-through haunted house in the parlor. Today, it has grown into an elaborate live show for thousands of visitors, performed on the front lawn of 313 Clinton Avenue every Halloween night.
For more Saturday events please click here!
Sunday November 1st
Mexican Cultural Festival: Día de los Muertos at the Children’s Museum of the Arts (SOHO)
Sunday November 1st 10a-5p. Free with Museum admission. Join CMA for our Mexican Cultural Festival featuring Día de los Muertos! Help us celebrate with performances and workshops throughout the museum inspired by Mexican culture and the many traditions of Día de los Muertos! Join us for a performance by Kalpulli Huehuetlahtolli, a Mexica Danza Group. Grounded in commitment to cultural pride, and time-honored traditions, the mission of Kalpulli Huehuetlahtolli is to preserve indigenous ways of life, as it has been passed down from ancient Mexico. Help us celebrate, Día de los Muertos with performances and workshops throughout the museum that fuse Aztec, Spanish and Latin American traditions of Mexico. See the website for more information on the workshops.
Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights Family Concert at JCC Manhattan (UWS)
Sunday November 1st 10-11a. Tickets: $18/$16 members. Free for children under 12 months. One of the top nationally touring kindie rock bands, Brooklyn-based Joanie Leeds & the Nightlights return for their annual JCC concert. Favorite songs from previous albums will be featured, along with music from “Meshugana,” a brand new CD inspired by a decade of Joanie’s teaching and making music in Jewish settings. Join us for the fun!
Goodnight Moon & The Runaway Bunny at NYU Skirball Center (Greenwich Village)
Sunday November 1st at 10a & 2p. Tickets $25-$32. Duration: 1 hr. For ages 2-5y. Adapted from Margaret Wise Brown’s classics, Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia adds to its acclaimed repertory of outstanding children’s productions. Featuring large-scale puppets, stunning scenic effects, and evocative music, Goodnight Moon is the quintessential celebration of nighttime rituals, while The Runaway Bunny tells the tale of a little bunny who can’t seem to escape his mother’s love, no matter how far he travels.
BAMkids Movie Matinees: The Nightmare Before Christmas (Fort Greene)
Sunday November 1st at 2p at BAM Rose Cinemas. For ages 7+. Tickets: $7 for children 12 and under, $10 for adults. The Nightmare Before Christmas: Wondrous stop-motion animation conjures the whimsically macabre world of Halloween Town in this modern day fairy tale, a dazzling feat of imagination from producer Tim Burton. Residents spend all year preparing for October 31, but when Pumpkin King Jack Skellington stumbles upon the jolly alternate reality of Christmas Town, Halloween mischief and Yuletide cheer collide—and neither will ever be the same. Run time 76 minutes. Rated G.
Rolie Polie Guacamole Halloween Show at the Jalopy Theatre (Carroll Gardens/Red Hook)
Sunday November 1st. Show 3p. Tickets: $10 kids & adults, $35 Family of Four. Rolie Polie Guacamole is a Brooklyn-based jam band playing original songs. Frank Gallo and Andrew Tuzhilin created Rolie Polie Guacamole in late 2006, and have since released two albums. The boys teach singing and dancing classes in numerous locations around Brooklyn. Their new video is in claymation, and they have created their first picture book.
For more Sunday events please click here!
All Weekend
Giant Pumpkin Display at the New York Botanical Garden
Ongoing until November 1st. See website for hours. Free with paid admission. Giant pumpkins from North America once again arrive at the Garden, arranged in collaboration with the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth. See how you measure up against these giants, some weighing more than a ton!
Celebrate Halloween at the Children’s Museum of the Arts (SOHO)
Friday October 30th 12n-6p & Saturday October 31st 10-5p. Free with paid admission. Help us celebrate Halloween and Día de Los Muertos at CMA! Visit CMA from October 26 through November 1 for Da de Los Muertos inspired workshops throughout the museum! Create sugar skull and altars at the Clay Bar, create your own Día de Los Muertos inspired self-portrait in the Fine Arts Studio, create your own skeleton drawing inspired by Mr. Bones the skeleton, and more! Also, join us for a special Halloween parades through the museum on Thursday, October 29 from 4-6 PM! Costumes are encouraged or create your own mask in Fine Arts to wear during the parade!
Shadow Puppet Subway Stage at the New York Transit Museum (Downtown Brooklyn)
Saturday October 31st-Sunday November 1st 130-215p. Free with Museum admission. For ages 5+. Our vintage subway cars become the stage when we design and animate a crowd of puppets that become subway riders!
Gravesend Inn Haunted Hotel (Downtown Brooklyn)
Friday October 30th 10a-3p & 6-9p, Saturday October 31st 1-5p & 6-9p. $5 for students (with ID) and group admission, $8 for general sales. Location: Voorhees Theatre, 186 Jay Street (north of Tillary), Brooklyn, NY. Theatreworks’ high-tech haunted hotel, the Gravesend Inn, returns again this year. Produced by Theatreworks, City Tech’s resident theatrical troupe with design, construction, and operating support provided by students and faculty of the College’s nationally unique Entertainment Technology Department, this theme-park-quality Halloween attraction has been thrilling children and adults alike since 1999. To reserve tickets click here.
Fall 2015 Ready, Set, Kindergarten! at various Brooklyn Public Library branches
Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays until November 22nd at various times. Free. See the flyer for more information on the 30 locations and times. In this special six session series, families will enjoy stories and activities designed to encourage the development of early learning skills. Exploring literacy, science, and math through music, stories, and play will help you and your child get ready for school!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The New Victory Theater
Friday October 30th 7p, Saturday October 31st 2p and Sunday November 1st 12n & 5p. See website for additional showtimes. For ages 9+. Tickets start at $15. Performance time: 2 hours including one intermission. A lovers’ quarrel, a host of fairies, unrequited affection and that pixie Puck—such stuff is the merrymaking of Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM! In this spellbinding staging of Benjamin Britten’s ethereal opera, exhilarating orchestrations of marimbas, djembes and ululation resound with South Africa’s rich choral traditions when the commanding cast of the Isango Ensemble lifts up their voices to weave African folklore into Shakespeare’s most celebrated comedy. Madness, magic and music collide to mesmerizing effect in this deliciously romantic and enchanting evening.
The Velveteen Rabbit: A New Family Musical at the Linda Gross Theater (Chelsea)
Saturday-Sunday 1030a until November 1st. Tickets $15/$20. Best suited for ages 3 to 9, while kids and adults of all ages are welcome! “What is Real?” asked the Velveteen Rabbit to the Skin Horse. “Real isn’t how you are made. It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.” So begins the story of a very shy toy Rabbit made of velveteen and sawdust who longs to be loved. Newly adapted from Margery Williams Bianco’s beloved children’s tale of nursery magic and the secret life of toys, The Velveteen Rabbit takes us on the Rabbit’s musical journey from loneliness to friendship, from loss to Love, from innocence to wisdom, and finally…to becoming Real.
Boo at the Zoo: Mystery & Mischief at the Bronx Zoo
Saturday-Sundays various times until November 1st. Free with Total Experience Ticket. The General Admission ticket does not include all attractions. Our favorite Halloween tradition, Boo at the Zoo, is back at the Bronx Zoo, weekends in October. Stop by for music, magic, and fun facts about our favorite animals that are surrounded by Mystery and Mischief. Enjoy a hay maze, costume parade, Mystery of Animals Station, 3-D Carved Pumpkins and more! Take a look at the schedule of events and plan a trip with the whole family.
Hansel and Gretel’s Halloween Adventure at The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre
Friday 1030a & 12n, Saturday-Sunday 1p until October 31st. See website for more information. Ticket prices are: $7/children under 12, $10/all others. Hansel and Gretel’s Halloween Adventure picks up where the original Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre production leaves off; with the pair’s pet swan Samantha flying the children back to their humble home after their wild escapade in the forest. 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.
Beauty & the Beast at PuppetWorks (Park Slope)
Saturday & Sundays ongoing until December 20th 1230p & 230p. For ages 4+. Admission for a Child is $9, an Adult $10. No credit cards accepted. Reservations are suggested: 718-965-3391 (current day or advance reservations) or e-mail us: puppetworks@twcmetrobiz.com (NO same day e-mail reservations). Madame Gabrielle de Villeneuve’s French Fantasy with a “live” Beast. Adapted for Marionettes by Nicolas Coppola.
Halloween Harvest at Luna Park (Coney Island)
Saturday-Sunday ongoing until November 1st. Free admission. Fees for rides and games. See website for hours. The colors are changing and it’s finally cooling down! Fall is definitely on the horizon, and that means Halloween Harvest at Luna Park in Coney Island! Join us every weekend from Sept 26 through Nov 1 for a family-friendly event filled with tons of activities, entertainment, and of course the Luna Park rides and games you know and love! Each weekend there will be FREE fun things to do such as Coney Carnival for airbrush tattoos, face painting and balloon animals, magicians strolling along the boardwalk, hair braiders, jugglers and Monster Mash Stage for dancing and contests, also Creepy Crawly Halloween themed Crafts and Camp Luna for stories and s’mores. See website for more details on the Halloween Harvest.
Family Discovery Weekends at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Crown Heights)
Saturdays & Sundays until November 1st 1030a-230p. No programs October 24th. Free with Garden admission. This is a drop-in program for families with children of all ages. Stop by the pavilion to create a nature-based craft, artwork, or invention. Experiment, learn, and play together in the Discovery Garden. Hands-on stations throughout the garden’s meadow, woodland, and marsh habitats, and in the vegetable garden encourage families to explore nature together. All programs are outdoors and canceled in inclement weather; for updates, call 718-623-7200, ext. 7801.
For a full calendar of events please click here!