Image courtesy of Trust for Governors Island

New York has always been great for Fall and Halloween-related activities, but this year, Governors Island had something special. This past weekend at ‘Pumpkin Point,’ the temporary renaming on Governors Island’s Picnic Point, a pumpkin-themed bash was underway, with a variety of activities and local food, all hosted by the Trust for Governors Island. The perfect celebration for lovers of all things pumpkin-and-fall-related, the area was transformed into an autumn paradise.

For the first ever organized event on the island, more than 2,000 pumpkins were in the pumpkin patch, available for picking and purchase, and the Children’s Museum of the Arts provided free arts and crafts activities, including pumpkin painting. There were live musical acts, ranging from jazz and blues, to folk and ragtime. There was even a hayride to carry you from the event to the ferry point.

Little Eva’s Beer Garden and Grill provided the Halloween-themed food, featuring food locally grown and harvested by GrowNYC, who run a garden program, in addition to other environmentally friendly resources and programs. There was ‘ghoulash’, as well as donuts, apple and pumpkin pie, and even hard cider. The lower New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty provided the perfect backdrop for the event.

While Governors Island is known for the events like the Jazz Age Lawn Party, this is the first time a fall event like this has been done, which is something that New Yorkers typically have to leave the city to see. About ‘Pumpkin Point,’ in an interview with NY1, Michael Samuelian, the President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island, said, “we’re really trying to bring more family-friendly activities to people.” Here’s to hoping that this is the beginning of an annual tradition!

Governors Island is now closed for the season. For more information, please visit their website.

Next, check out Governors Island is One of National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Success Stories for 2017.