Halloween in New York City for Free And Cheap Fun

Starting in early September, carved pumpkins, spooky ghosts and candy treats mark Halloween in New York City. Best yet, ghostly elves spread the spirit of autumn across the five boroughs through All Hallows’ Eve on October 31… and maybe the following weekend!

Saving money? Watch and participate in the world-famous Village Halloween Parade. Take the family to discounted Broadway shows; there is no shortage of budget events during Halloween in New York City. Getting there cheaply with cool new flight booking apps like JustFly makes this a bargain getaway for the whole family.

It’s easy to enjoy decorated store windows — they go all out! — in a city with 32,600 retail busineses. Places like historic Chelsea Market, open daily till 11pm most nights, are packed with fun Halloween scares. Go for Oktoberfest the last weekend in September. Don’t avoid the aching, screaming and groaning tableaux of your favorite creepy characters. Instead, kill hours street-walking or be killed of course, by the more mature frights. Like nearby Hudson Yards, most retail events are free, some are cheap and all are guaranteed fun.

The Very Famous Village Halloween Parade

Parades are the perfect opportunity for revelers to strut their stuff and Halloween costumes. Go and you’ll see there’s no bigger Halloween in New York City event than the Village Halloween Parade, now in its 51st year. Watching is free!

This year’s parade theme is MEOW! Parade marchers are welcome to don kitty costumes and join a special line celebrating Cat Ladies. Just register online. Expect to see at least 50,000 costumed guests (only those in costume can march.) Experience 53 live bands, puppets, dancing and revelers strutting north on 6th Avenue from Spring Street to 16th Street. Join the fun between 7pm-10:30pm on October 31.

This spectacular event attracts more than 2 million visitors each year. Arrive early as locals camp out on the sidewalks, bring their own ladders, and even sleep on public benches for hours beforehand!

Get a discount New York City hotel room for your Halloween fun.

All neighboring streets are closed to traffic. To get there, pick a subway stop along the route. We’ve found that from the West 8th Street-New York University stop on the Red or #1 Broadway subway, you can usually find a bit of sidewalk to watch from. Alternatively, families who don’t like crowds can roost at 16th Street, where the parade ends, and watch as it winds down.

Free Halloween in New York City Street Frights

Try one of our favorite trick or treat outings — the side streets in Manhattan’s more residential neighborhoods. Here, residents decorate the outside of their buildings and take turns serving candy treats on the stoops of each building. (That’s so kids and parents are not nervous about going inside a stranger’s apartment.) It’s great fun and free. The pedestrian-only blocks are ideal for little ones to parade around in their Halloween costume and meet others.

Ask any locals you meet about their neighborhood’s Halloween in New York City event. We’ve seen some streets in the East 70s go all out with stoop-side candy baskets and great decorations. This year, look for a “haunted house” made of cardboard and flapping black garbage bags terrifying West 90th Street at Columbus. Use Google for suggestions on safe trick or treating in several neighborhoods.

Hudson River Park, which runs from the city’s southern tip along the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge, boasts many scheduled activities. Check out their toddler-friendly autumn weekend events. Bring your pumpkins to Pier 84 the Saturday after Halloween when volunteers smash them into compost for city gardens.

Free festivities take place October weekends at the Plaza at Lincoln Center, near Broadway at 64th Street.

Alternative Halloween in New York City Family Fun

If you and the kids are terrified of T. Rex and friends, there’s no better fright than trick or treating at the American Museum of Natural History. Visit the museum the last weekend in October to unearth halls full of trick-or-treating, crafts, cartoon characters and live performances.

Since the Oculus transportation hub looks like a skeleton, it’s the perfect season to visit! From Oct. 25-31, the adjoining Brookfield Place Mall hosts a complimentary Halloween Hunt among the shops. The mall’s Info Concierge will give your family a map (any maybe clues). Complete four tasks to win a coloring bag and goodies. Or, go for the gold and see what they have in store.

Stroll around Times Square from late September on and pause for selfies with some frightening characters. Listen well: Pausing is free but characters expect a tip. Last year, we loved the pop-up Times Square haunted house, Horrorwood Studios, but it seems to have expired from fright. Keep your eyes shut and more should appear next month.

When it comes to haunted houses, as in many other things, New York does have a long-running classic. Blood Manor is a terrifying haunt that’s been jam-packed into 359 Broadway downtown for two decades. It’s Tribeca’s favorite, recommended for ages 14+. For 2024, it’s open Sept. 28 through Nov. 9 and gives group rates of $10 off admission.

Halloween Costumes are a New York City Way of Life

What to wear to a Halloween in New York City event? If you’re shopping for Halloween costumes, count on Star Wars aliens, Marvel superheroes, sports celebrities, pets and bunnies to be among the city’s favorites.

Costumes are widely sold. The Party Store branches sell inexpensive ones and many neighborhoods boast pop-up stores if you didn’t make your own.

If you’re really serious, check out Abracadabra, a huge funky shop in Chelsea that will kit out ghouls, firefighters, call girls, everything from King Ramses to Batman’s sidekick Robin. Beware, this place is for an investment in an adult costume!

Kids and their grownups will find that exploring the city’s streets in a Halloween costume is an event all its own, as residents dress up and express themselves as only New Yorkers can.

Halloween in New York? The Boroughs are Terrifying, Too

Of course, beyond Manhattan there are dozens of great pre- and during-Halloween weekend programs for families. Watch or participate in smaller Halloween parades throughout the city. Search the web or ask neighbors about children’s parades in Jackson Heights, Queens; Williamsburg, Brooklyn; and New South Bronx. Small neighborhood parades are much easier to handle with young children than the ginormous Village Parade.

Attending one will give you a chance to see more of Halloween in New York City, and come into contact with locals who won’t be so overwhelmed by the crowds that flock to Manhattan events. Getting around by public transportation is easy via the MTA.

The Bronx Horrifies Halloweeners all October!

The New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx specializes in Fall-o-Ween. Late September to late October weekends, plan on guided kids activities, carving techniques for pumpkins and gourds, beer sampling and more. Stroll the eerie “Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail,” listen to the score and watch projections around the garden grounds between Sept 27-Nov. 30 for another treat. Evening events give all ages the chance to collect treats and show off their Halloween costumes. Sample the flavors of the season with food and drink while admiring the changing fall foliage.

Weekends from late September to late October, check out the Bronx Zoo Boo at the Zoo. Tire everyone out with a full day of Halloween delight: hay mazes, pumpkin carving, magic shows, an animal show, live music and more. Costumes and all ages are welcome. Go late and stay for “Pumpkin Nights” to catch their carved and illuminated pumpkins (more than 5,000!) Thursday through Sunday from 6pm-10pm. Please use the discount code: MYFAMTRAVELS for a 20% off family zoo plus membership.

Brooklyn Parading around Halloween in New York

Pack up the kids and head for Prospect Park in Brooklyn. At present, the Prospect Park Zoo is recovering from flooding and has cancelled Boo at the Zoo. For the last week in October, however, the park’s friendly merry-go-round becomes a Haunted Carousel. While there over a weekend, drop into the restored Lefferts Historic House for their “J’ouvert Genesis Immersive Experience.” The exhibit highlights costumes and customs from the colorful Carnival celebrated in Trindidad and Tobago.

The New York Aquarium in Brooklyn hosts “Halloween at the Ascarium” the last two weekends in October. All the fun and special animal shows are included in admission. Be sure to visit the famous Coney Island amusement park and see what’s up at its delightfully refreshed amusement park.

Speaking of Coney island, the charming Luna Park midway, now more than 130 years old, hosts Halloween Harvest each fall. On select dates from Sept. 20-Oct. 27, your wristband tickets cover Halloween themed activities such as pumpkin decorating, tractor racing and trick-or-treating. Beware: Their pumpkin spiced latte costs extra.

Ferry Over to Spooky Staten Island

Visit Staten Island for Fall in Historic Richmond Town on the weekends before Halloween. The young at heart will love the pumpkin picking at Decker Farm, running through October. Pick your perfect pumpkin, enjoy a hayride with family and friends and indulge in delicious fall foods.

The whole family can go back in time Sept. 20-Oct. 25, 2024 to experience a candle-lit Village Ghost Tour. How scary is it? Well, it’s recommended for ages 8+ and the hour-long walk runs rain or shine. Discover more fall activities and harvest events during October weekends.

If you’re touring New York City during autumn, the Staten Island Ferry still offers the best views of the Statue of Liberty and it’s free. Dress the kids up and let them trick or treat aboard and you can save visiting Liberty Island for another trip.

Queens Residents Pick out Pumpkins

In Queens, Pick Your Own Pumpkin returns to the 47-acre Queens County Farm Museum on Oct. 1-31. We find it a favorite fruitful Halloween in New York City event. The little ones will love searching the pumpkin field and choosing the best gourd (for a fee) to carve and decorate. With your free admission, count on a scavenger hunt around the farm and, with a ticket, a hayride for all ages. Visit the farmstand to find mulled cider, pumpkins and apples for sale. Their Amazing Maize Maze is open weeekends and holidays Sept. 7-Oct. 26 this year with a few moonlit nights as well.

You can also head way out of the city and go upstate for a Halloween in New York. Go here to see what all of the frights are all about.

And if this isn’t enough, there’s the Big Apple….

For more information, the last-minute special events, and up to date schedules of Halloween events in and around New York City, log on to the NYC tourism site or follow #falltrips on Facebook — we guarantee live updates of cool places to be seen.. and see for yourself!

Looking for more fun haunted houses for kids, spooky thrills, and frights? See what’s going on this Halloween across the country. 

This blog post is sponsored by JustFly.com which helps travelers find cheap flights and save. The opinions are those of the author.