Best Halloween events for kids in New York City

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Friday October 30 | Saturday October 31

October 31

Halloween Kidz Karnival
Sat Oct 31 noon–6pm. Hudson River at Charles St (212-627-2020, hudsonriverpark.org). Subway: A, C, E to 14th St; L to Eighth Ave; 1 to Christopher St–Sheridan Sq. Free admission; select rides and activities $2.
Hudson River Park unveils its first family-friendly Halloween party at Pier 46, featuring such kid crafts as mask decorating and wax hands, plus rides and plenty of cotton candy. All ages. ••

FREE World Financial Center Haunted House
Sat Oct 31 noon–3pm. World Financial Center, West St at Vesey St (artsworldfinancialcenter.com). Subway: E to World Trade Ctr; N, R to Cortlandt St; 1, 2, 3 to Chambers St.
Costumed tots can get an early start on the trick-or-treating at the various Spooky Stations set up around the World Financial Center and its Winter Garden, Plaza and Courtyard Gallery. All ages. ••

FREE Jackson Heights Halloween Parade
Sat Oct 31 at noon. 37th Ave from 89th to 76th Sts, Jackson Heights, Queens (718-565-5344, jhbg.org). Subway: 7 to 82nd St–Jackson Hts or 90th St–Elmhurst Ave.
This annual Queens procession is the city’s second-largest Halloween parade—and it’s geared especially for costumed kids, with more than 3,000 bags of treats handed out along the route down a section of 37th Avenue. All ages. •

FREE Monster Mayhem
Sat Oct 31 noon–2pm. McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince St between Lafayette and Mulberry Sts (212-274-1160, mcnallyjackson.com). Subway: N, R to Prince St; 6 to Spring St.
Nolita’s classy McNally Jackson bookstore hosts this annual kids’ Halloween party with Mistress of Scarimonies Yvonne Brooks and guest appearances by Frankenstein’s monster and Count Dracula. Young goblins can play games like Ticking Telltale Heart and Wrap the Mummy; create masks, bats and puppets; perform in an original puppet show; and imbibe bloody vampire punch and treats that promise to be “terrifying” (to sugar-averse parents?). Ages 3 to 10.••

FREE Prospect Park Haunted Walk and Carnival
Sat Oct 31 noon–3pm. Enter park from Prospect Park Southwest at 16th St, Brooklyn (718-965-8960, prospectpark.org). Subway: F to 15th St–Prospect Park. Suggested donation $1.
In normally idyllic Park Slope, a swarm of zombies, headless horsemen, witches, wolf-men and their freaky friends descend on Lookout Hill to startle hikers in the park’s annual Haunted Walk. The nearby carnival at the park’s Nethermead features tamer games and treats. The day caps off a week of creepy activities in Prospect Park. All ages.•••

Children’s Museum of the Arts
Trick-or-treat Parade
Sat Oct 31 noon–5pm. $10, seniors and children under 12 months free.
CMA members enjoy free admission all day on Halloween, including a party from 10am to noon. For the regular admission fee, visitors can take in a 3pm Halloween parade winding through Soho, as well as costume workshops, Claymation projects, face painting and trick-or-treating. All ages. ••

Gravesend Inn
Sat Oct 31 1-5pm, 6-9pm. Voorhees Theatre, 186 Jay St near Tillary St, Downtown Brooklyn (718-260-5588, gravesendinn.com). Subway: A, C to High St; 2, 3 to Clark St. $6, students $4.
Featuring the theatrical and construction skills of City Tech’s Theatreworks group plus high-tech wizardry, this haunted hotel in Downtown Brooklyn brings skeletons, talking paintings and gruesome body parts to life for visitors over three weekends. Ages 6 and up.••••

American Museum of Natural History
14th Annual Halloween Celebration
Sat Oct 31 2–5pm. $10.
With all those old bones lying around, the museum lets the spirits loose for an afternoon of trick-or-treating, hobnobbing with characters, goodies and live entertainment. All ages. ••

Queens County Farm Museum
Haunted House
Sat Oct 31 4–7pm. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy near Hillside Ave, Floral Park, Queens (718-347-3276, queensfarm.org). Travel: E, F to Kew Gardens–Union Tpke; then take the Q46 bus to Little Neck Pkwy. $4, hayride $2.
On a site that dates back to 1697, plenty of restless spirits descend upon the haunted house for two weekends. Visitors can also enjoy hayrides, treats, mulled cider and farm-grown pumpkins. All ages.••

FREE BAMboo!-BAM Under the Sea
Sat Oct 31 4–7pm. BAM, Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave between Ashland Pl and Fulton St, Fort Greene, Brooklyn (718-636-4100, bam.org). Subway: C to Lafayette Ave; D, N, R to Pacific St; G to Fulton St; Q, 2, 3, 4, 5 to Atlantic Ave.
The hippest Halloween hang in the whole of Brooklyn is this annual street party. Expect candy giveaways, costume contests, and games and activities geared to this year’s underwater theme (though cross your fingers for clear skies). All ages. •

Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Sat Oct 31 5-8pm. $10.
Monster Mash Parties
The tot hot spot expands its annual bash to two nights of fearsome fun beginning on Friday, including spooky stories and a huge slithering snake for petting. All ages. •••

FREE 36th Annual Village Parade
Sat Oct 31 7–11pm. Sixth Ave between Spring and 20th Sts (halloween-nyc.com). Subway: A, C, E, D, F to W 4th St; C, E to Spring St; F to 14th St, 23rd St; L to Sixth Ave.
If you’re not too jaded or too been-there, done-that about New York City’s grandest outdoor gathering—and you’re not frightened by the crowds surrounding more than 60,000 marchers—this procession will give you and your kids big eyefuls (if not bad dreams). To ghoul out and march, show up at Sixth Avenue from Spring to Canal Street between 6:30 and 8pm. All ages. ••••

Boo at the Zoo
Sat Oct 31-Sun Nov 1. 10am-5:30pm. Admission rates vary. Visit bronxzoo.org for additional info.
Throughout October, you can bone up on everything from pumpkin carving to tracking down rare animal species at the Bronx Zoo. Weekend events also include magic shows, haunted hayrides, a puppet theater and even free admission for kids in wildlife costumes when accompanied by a paying adult. All ages. ••

Halloween at the A-scarium
Sat Oct 31-Sun Nov 1 noon-4pm. $13, $9 kids 3-12, under 3 free.
Those sharks, whales, jellyfish and stingrays aren’t really that scary until you see them in a certain light—like at the New York Aquarium’s Halloween sea monster showcase. On dry land, find games, prizes, arts and crafts. Kids in wildlife costumes get in free with a paying adult. All ages. •••

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