Free Halloween in NYC: Village parade, Bay Ridge block party and a dog costume contest
Dates, times and places for free Halloween parades and festivals in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, plus Pumpkin Point on Governors Island.
New Yorkers can celebrate Halloween without spending much this month. Free parades and festivals take place in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens on Oct. 24 and Oct. 31, and Governors Island holds its Pumpkin Point festival over the weekend of Oct. 24.
Village Halloween Parade 2026: Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.
The 53rd Village Halloween Parade starts at 7 p.m. on Oct. 31 in Greenwich Village. This year’s theme is “Body & Soul,” which asks marchers to put down their screens and express themselves through their bodies. Performance artist and drag performer Joey Arias is the grand marshal. “Firehorse!,” a new piece by master puppeteer and MacArthur fellow Basil Twist with choreography by Julie Atlas Muz, will lead the procession. The late puppeteer Ralph Lee started the parade in 1974, and each year the crowds watching from the sidewalks number in the hundreds of thousands.
Free Halloween events in Brooklyn and Queens
Bay Ridge Halloween Festival, Oct. 24, 4 to 7 p.m. The 5th Avenue BID and Brooklyn Bridge Parents organize this free block party, closing 5th Avenue to cars between 72nd and 85th streets. Expect a puppet show, a bounce house, pumpkin decorating, haunted trucks, games, crafts and giveaways, while local restaurants serve dishes from many different cuisines. Each child can take one pumpkin, while supplies last.
Park Slope Halloween Parade, Oct. 31, 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Park Slope Civic Council has organized this march every year since 1986. It ranks among the biggest Halloween parades for kids in New York City and is a more family-friendly option than the Village event. Marchers gather at 7th Avenue and 14th Street, head north on 7th Avenue, turn left onto 3rd Street and finish at the Old Stone House.
Halloween Harvest Festival, Oct. 31, noon to 5 p.m. Socrates Sculpture Park, at 32-01 Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, hosts family workshops, a community resource fair and the Planted Culture Vegan Food Market. It also holds New York’s second-largest dog costume contest, presented with Chateau le Woof.
Pumpkin Point on Governors Island
Governors Island brings back its annual Pumpkin Point festival for two days, Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, with hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can pick out their own pumpkin.
Quick answers
What time is the Village Halloween Parade 2026?
The parade starts at 7 p.m. on Oct. 31 in Greenwich Village. Joey Arias is the grand marshal.
Where does the Park Slope Halloween Parade start?
Marchers gather at 7th Avenue and 14th Street, head north on 7th Avenue, turn left onto 3rd Street and finish at the Old Stone House. The parade runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31.
When is the Bay Ridge Halloween Festival?
The free block party takes place on Oct. 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. on 5th Avenue, between 72nd and 85th streets.
