10 Halloween Themed Things To Do For Local New Yorkers

By Yelena Mandenberg Yelena Mandenberg has been verified by Muck Rack's editorial team
Published on October 19, 2018

Halloween is a special time for New Yorkers. With an endless amount of things to do, it’s hard to get sick of this holiday. Whether you’re one of the Halloween is Life crowd, or a parent trying to keep their kid entertained, here’s at least 10 Halloween themed things to do for local New Yorkers.

Halloween Movie Screenings

Fans of classic horror and gore love Halloween season in New York because the city’s independent theaters ALWAYS screen something for the specialty crowd. This yearThe Brooklyn Horror Film Festival has a variety of screenings in different theaters and is showing newer movies like Blood Harvest and Drinking With The Dead, as well as premiering a bunch of Horror movies for the first time. You can check out the schedule here.

Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn is showing everything from Dracula to The Cloverhitch Killer, so be sure to check them out for a spooky but chill night.

For kids and adults alike, NYC Park’s Movies Under the Stars program continues throughout October, so bundle up the kids (or bring wine for the adults), and check out a beautiful autumn night with favorites like Ghostbusters, Coco, and Hocus Pocus. For those of you who’d like to be creeped out on your way home – Shocktoberfest screenings include Night of the Living Dead, Cabin in the Woods, The Babadook and more.

NYC Halloween Parties

If you’re a party person, NYC parties have to be on the list of top 10 Halloween Themed Things to do for local New Yorkers as well as tourists.

On Ave A, Drexler’s Halloween is a Drag party takes place on Saturday, October 27th, and is always a popular haunt for locals. The crowd is always a lot of fun if you’re willing to have fun with them. The costumes will be out-of-this-world, so if you’re hanging out downtown that weekend, stop and check it out.

The Halloween Masquerade Ball is bound to be another beautiful sight. Taking place at the Refinery Rooftop, it’s a $100 event but promises costumes in their full glory, a premium open bar, live music, and food.

Party with your kids at Brookfield Place, which has a day of children’s activities planned for October 28th. Bring your kids in costume with characters, photo-ops, book reading, a costume parade, trick-or-treat booths, pumpkin carving, and an interactive all-ages display.

Halloween might be a Wednesday, but the truly dedicated will be out en masse, despite a headache the next day, and for those people, there’s Bar Hugo, hosting a Dia de los Muertos party with no cover charge, happy hour specials, and a gorgeous view.

Weird and Interesting NYC Halloween Events

Celebrate 200 years of Frankenstein with a Mary Shelley exhibit at the Morgan Library and New York Public library. For a lovely afternoon, they’ll be showing original memorabilia, manuscripts for the movie, and even medical tools from the era to give you a good idea of what Dr. Frank’s lab may have looked like.

The Museum of the City of New York is throwing a Stanely-Kubrick style party ($25 cover charge) for those ready to show up in period costumes. This retro event will have a costume contest, period cocktails, and a DJ.

The Merchant’s House Museum is known for there macabre events around Halloween, and this year they’ve got 18th-century funeral recreations, complete with servants to talk about the philosophy of death during their era. You can mourn in the parlor with the coffin and even stage your own deathly photos.

For an even longer list, check out AM NY’s breakdown of what’s going on. Happy Halloween folks!

By Yelena Mandenberg Yelena Mandenberg has been verified by Muck Rack's editorial team

Journalist verified by Muck Rack verified

Yelena Mandenberg is the Ideas Editor at Grit Daily with a passion for news of all sorts. Finishing Brooklyn College with a degree in Print Media Journalism as the industry died out, she began working as a freelancer.After spending some time working in the retail industry, Yelena started BK Riot Writing, a marketing company that caters to small and local businesses, creating content that helps them compete. From her South Brooklyn apartment where she lives with her cat & tortoise, Yelena is always seeking something new and interesting to cover.

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