Kenny Scharf’s 34-foot Halloween inflatable takes over Rockefeller Center through Nov. 1

Kenny Scharf has filled Rockefeller Center with a Halloween show called “Scary and the Dancers!” It runs from Oct. 9 through Nov. 1, 2026, and its centerpiece is a 34-foot inflatable creature on Center Plaza in Midtown.

The wide-eyed figure is hot orange and cobalt. It takes the familiar inflatable Halloween lawn decoration and turns it into public art. It is also the largest sculpture Scharf has ever been commissioned to make. Six wavy air-dancer sculptures surround it, based on the inflatables that flap outside car dealerships and gas stations. Hundreds of thousands of people pass through the complex every day, and the sculptures stand in one of its busiest spots.

Where to see the Kenny Scharf installation at Rockefeller Center

The show goes well beyond the plaza. You can see Scharf’s colorful art in the lobbies of 30, 10 and 50 Rockefeller Plaza. Inside 45 Rockefeller Plaza, three display windows hold his Cosmic Cavern installation. More than 100 flags designed by Scharf fly from the complex’s flagpoles.

Free Halloween activities for kids at Rockefeller Center

A month of free programs runs alongside the exhibition. Art Production Fund’s Art Sundae program for children takes place on Saturdays, Oct. 10, 17, 24 and 31, from 10 a.m. to noon. Kids paint planters with playful characters. Each finished planter gets a plant and goes on display inside a Sunshine Cavern designed by Scharf.

Scharf is also holding a live drawing session at Top of the Rock on Saturday, Oct. 10.

The exhibition closes Nov. 1, a few days before the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrives on Nov. 7.