By: Stefanie DiMartino
Boo! It is officially spooky season and Halloween is right around the corner! NYC has been in its reopening phase and things are *almost* back to normal. Below are my top picks for the best Halloween Activities in NYC this year.
To get into the spooky spirit, check out my video featuring NYC’s 7 Most Haunted Locations
Top 15 Best Things to Do in NYC for Halloween
THE MCKITTRICK: THE WITCHES’ BALL
October 31, 8-10pm | $125+
530 W 27th St, New York, NY 10001
The McKittrick Hotel,home of Sleep No More, will reopen its doors on Friday 10/29, Saturday 10/30, and Sunday 10/31 for its annual Halloween celebration, The Witches’ Ball.
Dress up to dazzle, bewitch, or betray, dress as the damned soul, that has wandered astray, the hellion, the heathen, or debaucherous drag, come sparkling, come broken, or come scantily clad.
Tickets for October 29th and 30th are already sold out, but you can still get your tickets for Halloween night! Standard Entry tickets start at $125 per person and include open bar. Pricing is subject to change.
Revelers can enhance the evening on Maximilian’s List for expedited entry at any time and access to Oz’s Boudoir bar for the evening.
Attendees are welcome to dine at the hotel’s rooftop garden bar and restaurant, Gallow Green, before the event. Visit www.mckittrickhotel.com/gallow-green for menus, reservations, or to customize a private gathering.
Note: The McKittrick Hotel is committed to providing healthy and safe facilities both for audiences and performers. Guests of The Witches’ Ball Halloween are required to show proof of vaccination and a negative Covid-19 test within 24-hours for entry to the event. Everyone must be at least 21 to attend.
COMPANY XIV
October 29, 8pm | October 30 & 31, 5pm & 10pm |
383 Troutman St, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Company XIV, one of the best entertainment venues in all of NYC, is finally back! “Behold a cavalcade of confections at one of five halloween blowout bashes coinciding with the opening weekend of Nutcracker Rouge. Treats abound to celebrate Company XIV’s triumphant return to the stage. Feeling especially decadent? Reserve a Champagne Couch for Two People and receive a half bottle of champagne brut plus additional treats throughout the performance.” – Company XIV
LIVE AXE
October 29-31 | $50+
96 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10013
If you’re looking for one of the best things to do in NYC for Halloween, then Live Axe is it! It’s Manhattan’s first (and only) elevated axe throwing experience in the heart of SoHo, and is the perfect spot for festivities!
All weekend long, Live Axe will be decked out with spooky decorations, while guests can hurl axes channeling their favorite horror movie villains like Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) or Jack Torrance (The Shining).
The weekend will include a DJ to spin those classic Halloween tunes and specialty cocktail creations, plus signature playful sips served in skull mugs like the Mez-Skull (mezcal, Ancho Reyes, mango juice, garnished with tamarind powder and a slice of orange) and the Ursula (Lillete blond, vodka, gin, charcoal, and lemon). Pair your Mez-Skull with tasty chicken skewers or flatbread pizzas!
Guests are encouraged to dress in their best Halloween best and enter the costume contest on Instagram for a chance to win a free Live Axe experience. Don’t leave without getting those perfect Instagram-worthy pics, posing on their wall of silver skulls with red roses or the multi-colored axe display. Celebrate Halloween in style and “Eat, Drink, Throw” at Live Axe!
VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARADE/PARTY
October 31 | 7pm | FREE!
Greenwich Village, 6th Avenue between Spring and 16th Streets
The Village Halloween Party is back! The Village Halloween parade is the nation’s largest public Halloween celebration. The NYC Village Halloween Parade is FREE for all to view from the sidelines or join in a costume. No ticket required. However, if you’d like to help the parade out, you can buy a ticket and help keep the Village Halloween Parade going!
Learn about different ticket options here.
SHAKE, RATTLE, & GHOUL PARTY: DUELING PIANOS AT BURGEROLOGY
October 30 | 10pm | $20-$180
320 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018 (inside Crowne Plaza Hotel)
“Celebrate Halloween with two of the top entertainers on the East Coast while they play all your favorite songs from Billy Joel to Bon Jovi to Britney Spears. There will be costume contests, drink giveaways, songs, roasts, toasts, shot giveaways, and high energy interaction! Singalong, drink-along, laugh along, and PARTY along! There’s no Halloween party in NYC like this one!” – Shake Rattle & Roll Pianos
I HAVE A SECRET TO SHARE WITH YOU
October 29 and October 31 | 7pm-1am | $250
Angel Orensanz Foundation, 172 Norfolk St, New York, NY 10002
“After more than a year of patient separation, it’s time to return to the night. We are preparing an elegant/inelegant masquerade adventure for Halloween weekend, a night of exploring the secrets between us. You are invited to:I have a secret to share with you.An all-inclusive evening with craft cocktails, an immersive feast-like experience (as much a feat of performance as it is a moment for dining), intimate dance floors, and a stunning cathedral-sized installation to frame it all. Attendance will be limited to allow room to breathe. The past eighteen months have been harrowing; this set of nights is offered as a celebration and a catharsis. Before we sell a single ticket, we want to make sure this is something you want. If this speaks to you, please <RSVP> here.” – I have a secret to share with you
HOUSE OF YES
2 Wyckoff Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Get your Halloween partying on all weekend long at House of Yes.
October 28, 10pm-4am – Dirty Thursday Zombie Prom | Free with RSVP, $10 without
October 29-30, 10pm-4am – Theater of the Dark Arts Halloween | $75-$150
*Off-site event at a secret Lower East Side Manhattan location
October 31, 2-7pm – Sunday Scaries | $10-$20
October 31, 8pm-4am – HEX | $45
*Off-site event at a secret Lower East Side Manhattan location
DUANE PARK HALLOWEEN BRUNCH/DINNER
October 31, 2pm or 6pm | Four-Course Meal + Show $145+
308 Bowery, New York, NY 10012
On Halloween, “join Duane Park for a ghoulishly glamorous evening of devilishly divine delights! Duane Park turns into a bevy of broken beauties as we salute all things macabre! Mistress Bridget Barkan leads the band into howling wails to salute all the spirits as our girls do their ghastly best to spook their clothes right off! We promise to make the scary just oh-so-attractive!” – Duane Park
HALLOWEEN AT THE SEAPORT
October 30 & October 31
Heineken Riverdeck at Pier 17, 89 South Street, New York NY 10038
The Pumpkin Arch is back! It’s the perfect location for Instagram-worthy fall/Halloween photos. “Pumpkins. Fall foliage. The Brooklyn Bridge. Fall is here and the pumpkin arch has reappeared for a limited time. Stroll down Fulton Street to Pier 17 to discover a bountiful seasonal frame to elevate your Halloween photos. The idyllic backdrop seals this as a not-to-be-missed New York moment.” – Pier 17
There are also many Halloween events happening all Halloween weekend long around the neighborhood, so be sure to check it out!
BLAZE: LONG ISLAND
Now – November 7 | $40+
Old Bethpage Village Restoration, 1303 Round Swamp Rd, Old Bethpage, NY 11804
Pumpkin Blaze Long Island is back. October tickets for the Hudson Valley are sold out, but there are still tickets available for Long Island, so be sure to get them while you can! The pumpkin blaze is like no other experience and you get to enjoy the outdoors while admiring 7,000+ illuminated pumpkins and pathways. The displays are beautiful and it’s a fun activity for all ages, which is why it is one of the best Halloween activities!
BOO AT THE ZOO
Saturdays & Sundays, Now – November 1 | $39.95+
Bronx Zoo, 2300 Southern Blvd, The Bronx, NY 10460
Head north of NYC to the Bronx Zoo for Boo at the Zoo, which is sure to be tons of Halloween fun! “Our annual family friendly Halloween tradition is back at the Bronx Zoo. Come dressed in your Halloween best and enjoy!” – Bronx Zoo
HALLOWEEN ON THE FARM
October 31 | 11am-5pm | $20+
Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, NY 11004
“It’s a monster mash! Wear your costume to the farm for this Halloween spooktacular for kids and their grown-ups. Halloween on the Farm Tickets include: The Amazing Maize Maze, spooky hayrides, trick-or-treating with the farm animals (find eight stations located throughout the farm’s 47 acres to safely experience Halloween), a haunted farmhouse, an Adopt-a-Worm composting program, ghastly crafts and recycling tips at the Con Edison Ecology Booth, and a DJ dance party!” – Queens County Farm Museum
BLOOD MANOR
Now – November 6 | $40+
Blood Manor, 359 Broadway, New York, NY 10013
For Halloween scares and screams, Blood Manor is the place for you. It is New York City’s Premier haunted attraction.
“It appears, ladies and gentleman, that our humble quarters are, in fact, a magnet for horror and tragedy. Some even believe that a portal exists here and continues to be an open pathway through which evil and misfortune can travel. No strangers to fear, we invite you to join us and our ghosts for what will most definitely be the scariest season we have ever had. Please rest assured, we will do whatever we can to keep you safe, whatever that may be.” – Blood Manor
Note: Not recommended for children under 14.
COLOR ME MINE UPPER WEST SIDE: HALLOWEEN
177 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10013
“Color Me Mine is the leader in the contemporary ceramics industry. The Upper West Side location in Manhattan is an upscale art-as-entertainment studio offering unfinished ceramics and other craft media. Customers enter a relaxing environment, choose one of 400 unfinished pieces, and paint in our studio to express their own vision!” – Color Me Mine
Check out some of their Halloween season offerings:
Spooktacular Candy Bowl Workshop
October 22 | 4-6pm | $45+
To prepare just in time for trick-or-treaters, create your own candy bowl in this Spooktacular Candy Bowl workshop! With the help of an instructor, you can create your own Haunted Candy Bowl! You get to choose your piece and then you will follow instructions on how to create the design in the below photo on your own piece! Each ceramic will be unique and you will be able to put your personality into your candy bowl!
Pumpkin Painting Party
October 23 | 11am-7pm | $10 (deposit & studio fee) + price of pottery ($20+)
Paint ceramic pumpkins for a pumpkin painting party! Be sure to grab your friends or family and paint some memories that are perfect for the fall and Halloween season.
Ghouls Night Out
October 28 | 4-8pm | $12 (90-minute reservation & studio fee) + price of pottery ($20+)
For a different kind of night out, enjoy a Ghouls Night Out. Costumes are encouraged! There will be a Halloween movie and prizes!
HEADLESS HORSEMAN
Now – November 1 | $47.95+
Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses, 778 Broadway, Route 9W, Ulster Park, NY 12487
For ultimate scares, head 2 hours north of NYC and visit Headless Horseman. Brand new for 2021, the hayride is replaced with The Haunting of Pumpkin Jack, a walking trail experience. “Local Folklore holds that Pumpkin Jack is summoned by the cave witches each fall to seek vengeance for the Headless Horseman. He ventures out of the cornfield to indulge in his unnatural thirst. In the dead of night Pumpkin Jack creeps unnoticed from house to house stealing Jack-O-Lanterns to camouflage his appearance. He patiently waits to decapitate his next victim. Then he surrenders his offering to the Horseman. Are you brave enough to walk into the darkness of the Horseman’s Trail to find Pumpkin Jack and come face to face with the Headless Horseman? HORROR LIVES HERE!” – Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses
Note: Not recommended for children under 13
In conclusion, these are the top 15 best things to do in NYC for Halloween. I hope this list helps to get you into the spooky season spirit! Have fun and stay safe!
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