I absolutely love celebrating everything: birthdays, half-birthdays, non-holiday holidays. One of my mottos in life is that there's always a reason to celebrate. But Halloween is the one holiday I have a hard time getting excited about. Every year I feel a little guilty that I'm not more hyped about it, because as with most things, New Yorkers do it so well. I'm reminded of that every time we take our kids trick-or-treating on 92nd Street. It’s truly magical (until it gets overwhelming….). So this year, for my kids (and my kids only), I'm promising myself I'll try to be excited about it. Here's everything I have my eye on to make Halloween extra special this year:
The costume search is ongoing and always changing. Some more elevated options (less polyester) than Spirit:
Zara: an adorable classic ghost or pumpkin for kids under four
Pottery Barn Kids (I think their quality is great, and often my go-to for dress-up): a banana (parent to match), a gorgeous Glinda, lavender T-Rex! (more adult options here)
Trish Scully: Belle and a royal prince
Band of the Wild: Excellent for babies and younger kids: Harlequin Clown, pink bunny, black bat, Dalmatian puppy, and a mushroom hat
Etsy: a whale, Frappuccino, Super NeeDoh Box, baby caterpillar, unicorn, and the best clown I’ve ever seen
For trick-or-treating bags:
I love a classic small orange, open-top Lands’ End Boat and Tote for a personalized initials bag
Excellent options on Etsy: gingham, seersucker, ruffles, pumpkin, and super girly
Here’s how I’d decorate:
Meri Meri decorating: glitter skeletons, garland set, and honeycomb pumpkins
McGee & Co. has some great picks (wicker bats!, metal spiders and a black gingham tablecloth)
From West Elm, I LOVE this felt monster candy holder, hanging bats, rattan witch hats, and a mummy candy bowl
Ghost candles (pink ones are cute, too!)
Terrain has excellent things, too: this giant rattan garden snake (omg!), huge spider, and cauldron candles
Maybe a little bribe to throw out the candy and get these cute things instead:
Endless possibilities with this face-painting kit
For the rebel boy who doesn’t want to be in a costume but still loves dressing up
For the crafty kids who like to give their pumpkin a glow-up
And another excellent open-ended crafting kit my kids love
Paint by Sticker Kids Halloween: my kids also love these
For an extra spooky bedtime:
Here are some cute PJ options: Petite Plume is by far my favorite this year. Runners-up include Roller Rabbit, Hanna Andersson, Janie and Jack, and a girly pink set from Boden.
And some of our favorite books: Room on the Broom, The Gruffalo, It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse!, Clifford’s Halloween, and Grumpy Monkey Don’t Be Scared
A little safety tip: it doesn’t hurt to throw a little AirTag in the trick-or-treating bag.
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor (Croton-on-Hudson) runs September 18–November 8. Over 7,000 hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns illuminate an 18th-century landscape—a pumpkin dreamscape—with food and photo moments. Free for children 2 and under; tickets required in advance.
Tricks and Treats at Bryant Park: Friday, October 30, 4–6 p.m. Bryant Park's free annual Halloween party is back, with face painting, pumpkin decorating, a magic show, arts and crafts, and trick-or-treating at the Winter Village Holiday Shops. Come in costume.
Trick-or-Treating at Chelsea Market: Saturday, October 31. Chelsea Market goes all in on Halloween every year, with all-day trick-or-treating and festive treats throughout the market. Then head next door to Pier 57 to keep the spooky fun going.
Halloween Celebration at the AMNH: Saturday, October 31, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Trick-or-treat through museum halls, enjoy games, crafts, face painting, and live shows. Costume contest and costume parade on Floor 1. Costumes encouraged (no masks).
Boo at the Zoo: A daytime Halloween event at the Bronx Zoo, running September 26–November 1 on weekends, plus Monday, October 12, celebrating fall with animals and family fun. Highlights include costume parades, face painting, pumpkin displays, candy stations, animatronics, magic shows, storytelling, lawn games, and more. Included with zoo admission.
Asphalt Screams: A free, family-friendly Halloween event hosted by Asphalt Green on Friday, October 23, from 2:30–6:30 p.m. Activities include a street fair, haunted maze, and games like spooky soccer darts and ghoulish gaga. Advance registration is required.
ABT Halloween Program: Saturday, October 31, 7:30 p.m., David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. If you'd like to skip trick-or-treating but still enjoy a Halloween-themed night out, consider an evening at the ballet — the program is Frederick Ashton's The Dream, with a costume contest at intermission (wear one, prizes awarded, no separate ticket needed).
Halloween on the Farm at Queens County Farm Museum: Saturday, October 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come in costume and trick-or-treat at nine candy stations across 47 acres, hear ghost stories in the historic Adriance Farmhouse, wind through the three-acre Amazing Maize Maze, hop a Halloween hayride, and pick your pumpkin.
Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Harvest Festival: Saturday, October 17, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. at Pier 6. Live music, arts and crafts, storytelling, lawn games, face painting, and their signature pumpkin patch — a free, family-friendly send-off to the season.
CMOM’s Happy Halloween Festival: The Children’s Museum of Manhattan typically runs Halloween programming the final week of October, building up to their big Halloween Day celebration on Saturday, October 31, with a Monster Costume Quest, trick-or-treat tote bag making, and a LOL-o-Ween Dance Party. 2026 schedule not yet posted, but expect the same last-week-of-October timing.
Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade: The 36th annual parade returns Saturday, October 17. Not kid-specific, but one of the city’s most beloved (and photogenic) Halloween traditions — costumed dogs march through Tompkins Square Park in the East Village.
…..but wait, there’s a lot more. :) Paid subscribers get the full guide below:
additional events
the best blocks for trick-or-treating
and where to find the most spectacular decorations in the city.
