Free Halloween Events for Kids in New York City in 2026
Boo Bash in St. James Park
Highbridge, the Bronx
Saturday, October 10, 2026
NYC Parks and Council Member Pierina Sanchez host the ultimate fall celebration! Test drive your Halloween costume and dive into carnival games, creative crafts, face painting, and more. Website
Halloween Paper Crafts and Letterpress Printing at Bowne & Co.
South Street Seaport
Sunday, October 11, 2026
Bowne & Co. hosts a free hands-on experience in crafting Halloween paper decorations, paper chains, and folded-paper bats. For an extra thrill, skilled Bowne designers are on hand to guide you through crafting your own letterpress-printed broadside posters using a 19th century printing press from the Seaport Museum’s working collection. Website
Halloween/Day of the Dead at BAM TeenSpace
Downtown Brooklyn
Thursday, October 15, 2026
BAM's free after-school program for teens invites high schoolers to grab a slice of pizza and participate in arty fun curated by teens, for teens. First-timers do need to complete an RSVP form online in advance. Website
Boo on the Boardwalk
Coney Island, Brooklyn
Saturday, October 17, 2026
A family-friendly Halloween celebration on the Coney Island boardwalk features activities, entertainment, and plenty of spooky Coney Island fun. Costumes are encouraged. Website
Halloween Howl & Healthy Hound Fair in Carl Schurz Park
Upper East Side
Sunday, October 18, 2026
The howl is Carl Schurz Park's annual dog costume event. More than 200 creatively costumed pups strut their stuff before a blue-chip fashion industry coven of judges. Website
Riverside Park Pup Halloween Parade
Upper West Side
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Pups are encouraged to don their most creative costumes and parade through the park, spreading Halloween cheer and cuteness overload! All breeds, sizes, and spooky styles are welcome. Website
High Line Halloween: Gnome-Topia
High Line
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Step into a magical world where the High Line’s plants are larger than life, and the whole family can channel their inner garden gnome through themed games and activities. Website
Halloween Boo Bash on Randall's Island
Randall's Island
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Visit Randall’s Island for a little pre-Halloween adventure. Do some crafts, play games, and enjoy some candy while supplies last. Website
Bronx Halloween Parade
South Bronx
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Celebrating its 41st year, this beloved community-based event continues to serve as a safe space for children and adults alike to enjoy the spirit of Halloween. Website
Halloween Spooktacular on the East River Esplanade
Upper East Side
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Celebrate Halloween on the Esplanade with live music, face painting, Halloween crafts, and free ice cream—costumes encouraged! Website
Fort Greene Park Halloween Festival
Fort Greene Park
Myrtle Ave., De Kalb Ave between Washington Park and St. Edward's Street, Brooklyn
Saturday, October 24, 2026
The Fort Greene Park Conservancy presents its annual Halloween Festival in Brooklyn's historic Fort Greene Park. Get in costume to enjoy spooky stories, face painting, haunting music, games, and more. Website
Sutton Spooktacular Celebration
Sutton Place Park
E. 57th Street cul de sac, New York, NY 10022
Saturday, October 24, 2026
The Sutton Place Parks Conservancy hosts a fun Halloween party, with games, crafts, sports, storytelling, and FDNY and NYPD vehicles to explore, plus a costume parade for pooches and kids. Website
Harbor Hounds Halloween Costume Contest & Parade
Snug Harbor, Staten Island
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Pups dress up for Halloween in their most creative, hilarious, adorable, or downright spooky costume and "march" in a festive parade. Don't miss the pre-parade costume contest! Website
Pumpkin Sing-Along in Sakura Park
West Harlem
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Every Voice Choirs hosts a pumpkin sing-along community concert in Sakura Park. Website
Halloween: Wags to Witches in Van Cortlandt Park
Van Cortlandt House Museum
246th Street and Broadway Bronx, NY 10471
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, Van Cortlandt House Museum, and the Urban Park Rangers host a free fang-tastic afternoon of family and doggy fun. Get ready for creepy crafts, face painting, spine-chilling stories, and more! Website
Halloween Costume Parade and Party in Washington Market Park
Tribeca
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Washington Market Park gathers the neighborhood ghouls and goblins together for a Halloween party and costume parade, led by the Queer Big Apple Corps Marching Band. Follow the band down Greenwich Street in your Halloween finest. After the parade there's a special treat: live music from the School of Rock House Band, jamming in the gazebo. Website
Legend of Sleepy Hollow at Lefferts Historic House
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Prospect Park Alliance hosts a community reading of Washington Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow on the porch of Lefferts Historic House. Website
Create Your Undead Monster Voice at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library
Midtown East
Thursday, October 29, 2026
In this spine-chilling workshop, teens learn to transform their voices into a ghastly, otherworldly sound using cutting-edge recording techniques and audio effects. Website
Wave Hill-O-Ween
Riverdale, the Bronx
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Venture through Wave Hill's iron gates (if you dare!) for an evening adventure with treats, tricks, and good old spooky fun. Discover spooky surprises with a garden scavenger hunt, monster mash to tunes on the lawn, snap a photo of the “gourdgeous” view, or unleash your creativity with a drop-in art activity inspired by the haunting season. Website
Asphalt Screams
Upper East Side
Friday, October 30, 2026
Get into the Halloween spirit at Asphalt Screams, where the community comes together for an afternoon of ghostly delights, family-friendly frights, and unforgettable memories. Website
Halloween in East Midtown
Midtown East
Friday, October 30, 2026
The East Midtown Partnership welcomes kids ages 12 and under to the free, annual Halloween in East Midtown spooktacular. The fun includes pumpkin painting, fun photo-ops, and trick-or-treating. Website
Halloween Harvest Festival 2026 in Socrates Sculpture Park
Long Island City, Queens
Saturday, October 31, 2026
The Halloween Harvest Festival returns to Socrates Sculpture Park, bringing with it family-friendly workshops, a community resource fair, and New York’s second-largest dog costume contest, co-presented with Chateau le Woof. Celebrate the autumn season with pumpkin decorating and creative workshops. Website
NYSoM Halloween Havoc 2026 at East Harlem Tutorial
East Harlem
Saturday, October 31, 2026
NYSoM presents its 14th annual Halloween Havoc, a ghoultastic, spooktacular event featuring appearances from Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and The Wolfman. Enjoy pumpkin painting, slime-making, and spooky storytelling. Website
Creepy Crawly Halloween at the Prospect Park Boathouse
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Saturday, October 31, 2026
The Prospect Park Alliance hosts a special Halloween celebration where kids can take a look at some creepy creatures. Interactive activities and experiments may just let kids learn these critters aren't so creepy after all. Website
Halloween with Boo!KCM
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Saturday, October 31, 2026
The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music hosts an outdoor Halloween Party. Talented musical spirits give a spine-chilling performance in a haunted musical garden, and the candy is frightfully delicious. Website
Recreating Radio: Sleepy Halloween at the Paley Center
Midtown West
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Re-creating Radio is a two-hour workshop where children ages 9 and older produce an old-time radio drama using scripts, sound effects, and music. The workshop takes participants through the many stages of radio production, including casting, microphone and sound effects training, and a cue rehearsal, before they put on a "live" broadcast. Website
Halloween Celebration at Alley Pond
Bayside, Queens
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Visit Alley Pond's lil' pumpkin patch (free while supplies last), and enjoy games, crafts, and not-too-spooky storytimes. Take a photo at the Hissing booth, featuring your choice of a snake of Madagascar Hissing Cockroach! Website
Hippo Playground Halloween Parade
Upper West Side
Saturday, October 31, 2026
The annual Hippo Playground Halloween Parade invites costumed kids to gather at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at 89th Street and Riverside Drive and parade to Hippo Playground. Website
Dumboween: Halloween March to the Arch
Dumbo, Brooklyn
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Put on your most creative costume, and head to Dumbo for a Halloween March to the Arch. Beginning at Washington Street, between Front and Water Streets, costumed participants parade to the Dumbo Archway, led by a brass band and puppets. Website
Jackson Heights Halloween Parade
Jackson Heights, Queens
Saturday, October 31, 2026
The Jackson Heights Halloween Parade—NYC’s largest children’s Halloween parade—lines up once again at 89th Street and 37th Avenue and marches down 37th Avenue to PS 69. Website
Park Slope Halloween Parade
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Saturday, October 31, 2026
The Park Slope Civic Council hosts the spookiest parade in Park Slope. Marchers line up at 7th Avenue and 14th Street and wind their way to the Old Stone House. Come early to trick-or-treat. Website
BAMboo!
Downtown Brooklyn
Saturday, October 31, 2026
BAM’s annual free community Halloween celebration happily haunts the neighborhood with family-friendly music, carnival games, arts and crafts, candy giveaways, trick-or-treat popcorn, and more. Costumes are encouraged. Website
Halloween Teen Takeover at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library
Midtown East
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Teens take over the library after hours for a night of "scary" karaoke, a costume contest, oversized games, arts and crafts, and dancing on the rooftop. Enjoy DJ-spun tunes, a haunted photobook, book giveaways, and more. Website
The Village Halloween Parade
Greenwich Village
Saturday, October 31, 2026
The world's most famous Halloween parade weaves through the streets of Greenwich Village once again. Hundreds of puppets, musicians, dancers, artists, and thousands of other New Yorkers in creative costumes march in the nation’s most wildly creative public participatory event in the greatest city in the world. This year's theme is Body & Soul. Website
Inwood Pumpkin Pageant in Isham Park
Inwood
Sunday, November 1, 2026
The Inwood Pumpkin Pageant returns to Isham Park for another spooky display of Halloween artistry. Local residents bring their carved jack-o'-lanterns to the park the evening after Halloween for a grand community event. Website
Hudson River Park's Pumpkin Smash
Midtown West
Saturday, November 7, 2026
Bring your jack-o'-lantern or uncarved pumpkin to Hudson River Park's Pier 84 to squash, smash, and smush it into compost to help keep the park beautiful, green, and growing. The fun-packed afternoon includes free face painting from Silly Cheeks and circus entertainment by Bindlestiff performers. Website