Halloween in New York 2025
Halloween in New York is big! It falls annually on October 31st, and every year, people go all out for this spooky holiday. New Yorkers decorate their houses and put on their most outlandish costume while the kids go trick-or-treating, door to door through their neighbourhood or apartment building for sweets and treats. Read on for my fun tips for what you can do on Halloween in New York!
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What to do on Halloween in New York?
Halloween in New York is fun to experience, from ghost stories and haunted experiences to trick-or-treating and elaborately decorated houses. There are several things to do in New York during Halloween. For example, the Village Halloween Parade is the largest Halloween parade in the US, and a must Halloween activity for many.
Halloween Parties
Another great way to spend Halloween in New York is to attend a Halloween party in one of the fancy clubs or rooftop bars in the city. Join local New Yorkers dressed up in their best costumes and party all night long!
Click here for all Halloween Parties in New York
Halloween Tours
Join the Ghost Tour of Greenwich Village, a tour taking you through New York’s most haunted locations. Discover some of the spookiest spots in the city, like the Jefferson Market Library and the Hanging Tree in Washington Square Park.
A spooky thing you can do in New York is visit the catacombs of an old church in Manhattan. Walk through parts of the church that are otherwise off-limits to the public and see the graves of New Yorkers who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the Catacombs Tour, you will learn more about the city’s history.
Do you want to discover New York’s dark past? Go on the Gangsters and Ghosts Tour. Along the way, your guide will tell you everything about crimes, gangsters and haunted places. Hear the chilling stories while you stroll through Little Italy, Chinatown, and the West Village.
Blood Manor Haunted House in New York
Real horror fans should definitely head to Blood Manor, a huge haunted house in New York. This 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) place is full of terrifying surprises, with trained actors and chilling sets around every corner. Blood Manor is one of New York City’s premier Halloween experiences, and it’s not for the weak. Take the subway to TriBeCa to experience your scariest Halloween ever.
Buy your tickets for Blood Manor here
Halloween for Kids
If you are travelling to New York on Halloween with kids, there is plenty for them to do as well. For the American experience, visit a museum that organises trick or treating, see the Halloween dog costume contest in Washington Square Park, enjoy the Light Trail at the New York Botanical Garden or have fun at the Halloween Harvest Festival in Luna Park.
Village Halloween Parade in New York
In the evening of Halloween, on the 31st of October, at 19:00, the Village Halloween Parade takes place in Greenwich Village. Anyone (in costume) can participate in this parade, including tourists. Up to 50,000 people participate in the parade each year. There is live music, creepy decorations and people dressed up in their wildest Halloween costumes.
Village Halloween Parade route
This New York Halloween Parade follows 6th Avenue starting from Houston Street up until 15th Street. For spectators, I think the best place to watch the parade is on West 4th Street and 6th Avenue. This way, you are close to the subway station and get to see the parade in full swing. The parade lasts about 4 hours.
Participating in the Village Halloween Parade
If you want to make sure you get to walk in the parade, come dressed in your best costume and be prepared to stand and wait. You should arrive early to be at the front of the parade. You can join the parade line-up area at the corner of Canal Street and 6th Avenue. If you arrive too late after the parade has begun, you will probably not be able to walk in it at all.
Where to get your Halloween costume?
If you want to buy a costume for Halloween in New York, you can visit Abracadabra in the Flatiron District. Here you can find outfits, props, make-up and everything you can think of to create a memorable outfit.
What can you expect on Halloween?
During and in the weeks leading up to Halloween in New York, houses and shops are decorated with Halloween memorabilia. For example, with bats, spiders, witches, skeletons, blood, tombstones and, of course, ghosts and pumpkins that have been carved into ghoulish shapes. These symbols can also be seen in people’s Halloween costumes.
The shops in New York are open for business as usual during Halloween, as it is not a public holiday. You also won’t experience problems with traffic or irregular subway schedules.
Where to see Halloween decorations in New York?
If you want to enjoy Halloween-themed decorated houses, I recommend walking through Greenwich Village and Brooklyn Heights. If you don’t mind travelling a bit, Dyker Heights in Brooklyn is a great neighbourhood to visit. It’s known for its extravagant Christmas decorations, but they also know how to do Halloween. Nearby, you’ll also find the house known as one of the best-decorated houses in New York. It’s a Victorian Queen Anne-style house in Prospect Park South/Ditmas Park, on the corner of Albemarle Road and Argyle Road.
I often get the question of how long the Halloween decorations are up in New York. The decorations are on display for at least a few weeks. Halloween items start appearing a couple of weeks before Halloween itself, and will be removed soon after the holiday is over.
What is Halloween?
Originally, Halloween was a pagan festival. It was considered to be the day on which spirits could contact the physical world. These days, people celebrate by dressing up and going out in their creepy costumes.
Children go door to door, trick or treating in their local neighbourhoods to collect bags full of candy. Most households are well prepared with treats, but if no sweets are available, a trick may be played! All this is done in fun; it is not the intention to pull nasty pranks.
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