Last week we profiled some of New York’s spookiest haunted houses to get in the Halloween spirit. This week we’re continuing our look into Halloween celebrations in New York City. There are loads of different activities leading up to October 31, as one might expect in a city as vibrant as New York. Take your pick from a selection that includes jack o’ lantern viewings, spooky gardens, cemetery story-telling, a show-stopping annual parade, and museum macabre. Happy Halloween!
New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden hosts an action-packed schedule of events for the whole family that transform the garden into a space of Halloween fun. Wander through the Spooky Pumpkin Garden, meet creepy creatures like bats and snakes, and learn how they play a vital role in our ecosystem. There are even spooky pumpkin garden nights with flashlight guided tours where children can discover skeletons and jack o’ lanterns, decorate gourds, and collect treats.
When: see website for dates and times of various events
Where: 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10458
Green-Wood Cemetery
The historic Green-Wood Cemetery is an ideal scary spot for Halloween fun. The sprawling Brooklyn cemetery is the final resting spot of nearly half a million New Yorkers, both famous and unknown. If all those bodies below ground aren’t spooky enough, Green-Wood is putting on a special Halloween event this year. After dark, guests pass under the beautiful Gothic arch to the sight of thousands of flickering candles that illuminate this story-telling event. While strolling through the cemetery guests encounter musicians, performers, moving images and more— all telling this year’s story: lovesick. The theme is a look at the heartbreak and pain, as well as the lightness and romance of love. Romantic trials and triumphs are set against a backdrop that reminds us of our impermanence on earth. This is a 21+ event. Tickets must be purchased in advance on the website.
When: Saturday, October 26, 8:00 pm – 11:30 pm
Where: Green-Wood Cemetery Fifth Avenue and 25th Street Brooklyn, NY
https://www.green-wood.com/event/nightfall-lovesick/2019-10-26/
Macabre at the Met
While the Met might not instantly come to mind as a Halloween destination, there’s plenty inside this historic building that might make even the most unflappable shudder with dread. On this special tour, professor Andrew Lear, who has taught history and Classics at Harvard, Columbia, and NYU, will guide guests to some of the museum’s “darker” treasures. See the jars the Egyptians used to preserve mummified organs; the powerful African figures plugged full of nails by witch doctors; the hook where headhunters hung the souls of enemies; and peruse the art of a vanished collector, who rumor has it, was eaten by cannibals. Lear has won numerous travel guide awards and promises to deliver a historical fright. NB: This is not an official Met tour and is put on by Out Professionals. Purchase tickets on the website below.
When: Saturday, October 26, 4pm
Where: The Metropolitan Museum, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028
https://outprofessionals.org/event/the-met-macabre-halloween-art-tour-of-the-hallowed-met/
Village Halloween Parade
Wear your costume and share in the Halloween spirit at the annual Village Halloween Parade. This is surely New York City’s spookiest parade: full of goblins, ghouls and imaginative creatures. The parade is a huge event with hundreds of puppets, 35 bands, dancers, and other artists showcasing their work. Participants can join the parade— in costume only— and can create a character around the parade’s theme if they wish: this year it’s “Wild Thing.” The parade is the creative event of the year with extravagant costumes, decadent floats, and loads of fun. Prepare to be amazed!
When: Thursday, October 31, 2019 from 7pm–10:30pm
Where: The Halloween Parade runs up Sixth Ave from Spring St to 16th St in Manhattan.
https://halloween-nyc.com/
Halloween Pumpkin Flotilla
Central Park’s Halloween Pumpkin Flotilla is fun for the entire family, and a major chance to show off your pumpkin carving skills. Here’s how the flotilla works: carve your pumpkin at home, bring it to the park between 4 and 5:45 pm, and drop it off at a designated site. (See website below for exact pumpkin specifications.) While you’re waiting for the sun to go down, there’s Halloween crafts, a pumpkin patch, spooky stories, a costume parade, and more. Then around 6:30, gather at the edge of the Harlem Meer to watch the illuminated jack o’ lanterns float gently by.
When: October 30, 2019, 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Where: Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (inside the Park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues)
http://www.centralparknyc.org/events/individual-events/halloween-pumpkin-flotilla-2019.html
Jack O’Lantern Event
New York Harbor gets a visit from some frightful jack o’lanterns each year for the Night of 1,000 Jack O’Lanterns. After a short ferry ride, guests arrive at Governors Island where the event takes place. Walk through a long promenade of illuminated trees, set off by historical architecture and hundreds of jack o’lanterns on the island. The event includes massive jack o’lanterns of over 100 pounds, music and live carving demonstrations. This is fun for the whole family. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
When: October 25-27, 2019
Where: Meet in lower Manhattan. More details on the site
https://therise.org/blogs/2019-New-York-City-Night-of-1000-jack-o-lanterns.html
Staying in New York City – About The Lombardy Hotel
The Lombardy Hotel is just as iconic to Midtown Manhattan as many of the other historic and cultural attractions in the area. Not only are our rooms comfortable and tasteful, we provide amenities such as a full salon, coffee shop, and exercise room. We also host the American Cut Midtown steakhouse, perfect for a business lunch or dinner on a special occasion. We look forward to hosting you.
