October is one of the best months and it’s a great time of year – the weather gets cooler and the air has a nice crispness to it, the leaves change color, and most importantly, it’s Halloween, one of my favorite holidays! You get to dress up as whatever you’d like. You can dress up scary, silly, sexy, serious – anything! The options are limitless. You get to be something you’re not for a fun night or weekend (but please try to be mindful and respectful of others). Below are my top picks of countless parties, events, and things to do to make sure you have a “spooktacular” Halloween.
Looking for things to do in autumn? Then read my article here or watch the video.
SPECIAL LIMITED TIME ONLY TOUR!
HAUNTINGS OF NEW YORK TOUR
October 29 and October 30 | 7-9pm | $55
Join your favorite New York guide, Sarah, on her Hauntings of New York tour! She is the best person to guide you around NYC, and this tour is sure to be a spooky good time.
On the tour you will travel with candle-lit lanterns in hand through some of New York’s spookiest locations. During this tour, you’ll will visit several haunted places; a graveyard known to have a headless ghost, a mass-grave for revolutionary war soldiers, and the spirit of city’s most corrupt politician who died locked in a dirty jail cell. Next, you’ll will cross the Brooklyn Bridge and Sarah will share why it is nicknamed the “Bridge of Death”. Plus Sarah will talk about why it is the site of the best-documented case of alien abduction ever. The tour ends on a beach overlooking the Manhattan skyline that was once controlled by murderous river pirates and today is a site of a ghost ship. This tour is two-hours long and 1.5 miles of walking on mostly flat land.
PARTIES
HITCHCOCK HALLOWEEN PARTY
October 25, 26, and 31 | $135+ | Age 21+
The McKittrick Hotel, 530 West 27th Street, NY, NY 10001
“Come dressed inspired by the master of suspense, and step into the glamorous world of Hitchcock at The McKittrick Hotel. Select from: Hitchcock Blonde, The Victim, The Detective, The Leading Man, Melanie Daniels in The Birds, Mrs Danvers in Rebecca, Norman Bates in Psycho, Marian Crane in Psycho, Mother in Psycho, Roger Thornhill in North by Northwest, Jeff Jeffries in Rear Window or any other Hitchcock character of your choosing. You may also dress inspired by: Birds, Binoculars, Rope, Aeroplanes, Eyeballs or Black and White psychosis. Please note dress code will be strictly enforced. During your stay explore multiple floors of the Hotel in true Hitchcock fashion complete with live performances, special guest DJs, and free-flowing libations from our open bar all night long.”
MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH HALLOWEEN BALL
October 26 | 9:30pm-3am | $75+ | Age 21+
Capitale, 130 Bowery, NY, NY 10013
“Hale and hallowed friends, escape the pestilence that infects our city streets and join us in Prince Prospero’s abbey for a single night of exquisite phantasy. Furnished with all the appliances of pleasure, we have conjured a scarlet realm in which only the bold can partake. Flesh will be hooked, suspended, and tied into tangled webs for your delight. Spectral dancers will sway from the glittering chandeliers above our heads and beckon you beyond the veil. In a decadent dungeon reserved for our privileged guests, explore your limits in the pleasures of bondage, domination, submission, and masochism. Let your costumery reflect the crimson poetry that pumps within your veins. Even as the Red Death beats at our doors, let us shed our inhibitions and laugh in defiance of impending doom. Masks are mandatory until midnight, and crimson colored costumery is strongly encouraged. Dress for horror and opulence – our dress code is strictly enforced.” – Dances of Vice
THE HAUNTED DISCO AT VNYL
October 26 | 9pm-4am | $15+ | Age 21+
The Vnyl, 100 3rd Avenue, NY, NY 10013
A haunted disco? What better way to get your Halloween party on! Head to The Vnyl for
“a Haunted Disco themed party over its three stories in the Lower East Side. The VNYL is a multi-room, all in one super club – it has a bar on one floor, a lounge/restaurant area on the next and at the top, they have a nightclub.” – Night Out
Note: Fancy attire is required.
THE HAUNTED ALLEY – TERROR IN TIMES SQUARE
October 26 | 9pm-4am | $10+ | Age 21+
Printers Alley, 215 West 40th Street, NY, NY 10018
“This year we are taking over Printers Alley Times Square for their Annual Haunted Halloween Party. It’s going to be bigger and better than ever with performers from Burning Man – The Violin Girl taking the stage along with local NYC DJ Circlincione, & Love Islands Cormac Murphy – who will be making a special guest DJ appearance.
There is going to be a 4 hour open bar package available for $99 from 9pm – 1am and there will be normal general Admission available too.”
HALLOWEEN MASQUERADE PARTY
October 26 | 9pm-3am | $15+ | Age 21+
JIA Lounge, 107 Rivington Street, NY, NY 10003
“Trick or treat, pick your poison, as we host a special Halloween party. Masqueraders, carnivalers, come one, come all, as we are upping the antics for Downtowns Halloween party of the year at JIA on Rivington Located in the heart of east village. Come celebrate in style in your best attire for the ‘JIA Masquerade’! The night offers Masquerade mask give-a-ways, live DJ’s mixing today’s best hip-hop, house, and dance music, delicious cocktails. JIA, a hidden gem of NYC’s nightlife scene, is where you can chill in elegance, enjoy crafted cocktails or VIP bottle service and ride with a mix of hip-hop, house, Top 40 and mash-ups all night.
SPECIAL EVENTS/THINGS TO DO
VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARADE
October 31 | 7-11pm | $25+ if participating
The Village, 6th Avenue between Canal Street and 19th Street
The Village Halloween Parade is SO New York! Watch the parade or be a part of the celebration! “The Parade runs straight up 6th Avenue from Spring Street to 16th Street, beginning at 7pm. The streets are most crowded between Bleecker and 14th Street, so you might consider getting there early or try another place along the route…(or better yet, put on a costume and join the parade!) Join 100’s of puppets, 35 bands, dancers, artists, and thousands of other New Yorkers in costumes of their own creation in the nation’s most wildly creative public participatory event in the greatest city in the world!”
BOO AT THE ZOO
Weekends, Now – November 3 | $35.95
Bronx Zoo, 2300 Southern Blvd, The Bronx, NY 10460
Head north to the Bronx Zoo for tons of Halloween fun! “Our annual Halloween tradition is back at the Bronx Zoo. We’ve added more spooky fun that’s ideal for all ages. Take a look at the activities, come dressed in your Halloween best, and enjoy!” Some of the activities include “Bootoberfest,” a bird meet and greet, magic shows, an extinct animal graveyard, corn maze, pumpkin carving demos, and lots more!
BEETLE HOUSE
308 East 6th Street New York, NY 10003
A restaurant inspired by Beetlejuice and all things spooky, where it’s always Halloween? YES please! Celebrate October and Halloween by dining and/or drinking at Beetle House. Reservations are required for dining only (not drinks) and the cost is $40 which includes a prix fixe menu. “Beetle House is a year round celebration of Halloween with an artistic and thematic atmosphere inspired by horror culture, magic, and the artistic, literary and cinematic works of Tim Burton, Alfred Hitchcock, Bram Stoker, Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe and many more. In short, we are kind of like an adult Halloween party with a Burtonesque feel, curated by Alfred Hitchcock, with a 90s goth band on stage and everyone is wearing Weird costumes. We are a safe place where every goth, punk, freak, weirdo, artist, and visitor is welcomed and celebrated.” – Beetle House
BEETLEJUICE BROADWAY
Winter Garden Theatre, 1634 Broadway, NY, NY
Get into the festive Halloween spirit by seeing Beetlejuice on Broadway! The classic and much-loved film by Tim Burton has been transformed into a Broadway show that you won’t want to miss. “It’s official! “The whole world loves Beetlejuice” (New York Post). Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious new musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. With an irreverent book, an astonishing set, and a score that’s out of this Netherworld, Beetlejuice is “screamingly good fun!” (Variety). And under its uproarious surface (six feet under, to be exact), it’s a remarkably touching show about family, love, and making the most of every Day-O! Get tickets now to Broadway’s “jaw-dropping funhouse!” (The New York Times).”
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