No Pumpkin Flotilla on the Harlem Meer this Halloween as Central Park rethinks it

The Central Park Conservancy will not hold its Halloween Pumpkin Flotilla on the Harlem Meer in 2026. The free event at the park’s northeast corner had run for more than 30 years.

The Conservancy said the event had grown too popular to handle safely with its current space and resources. A spokesperson said the flotilla now draws thousands of participants and its original format could no longer keep up with that demand.

Halloween at the Harlem Meer: what comes next

No replacement is planned for this fall. Instead, the Conservancy is spending 2026 rethinking Halloween in the north end of the park. Organizers said they are considering a different kind of celebration, one with room for bigger crowds and more ways for neighbors to join in. The flotilla could return in some form later, but it is off the calendar this year.

How the Central Park pumpkin flotilla worked

The Conservancy has run the event since the early 1990s. It began at the Pool and moved to the Harlem Meer in 1993, when the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center opened. In recent years it was held in late October.

Families brought their own carved pumpkins, which were accepted first come, first served. The Conservancy supplied waterproof LED lights and floats and linked the pumpkins into lines. At nightfall, a kayaker dressed as a pirate or witch towed them across the water. The evening also featured crafts, storytelling, music, carving demonstrations and a costume parade.

Entries had to be natural carved pumpkins about the size of a soccer ball. To keep the Meer and its wildlife safe, organizers ruled out anything artificial, from paint and glitter to plastic, paper and food coloring.