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Are you ready for a frightfully fun Halloween weekend? With the spooky holiday just a few days away, we’ve rounded up our favorite events happening across New York City this weekend. From pumpkin catapults and spooky book crawls to a cemetery tour and pumpkin impalement, discover the best alternative Halloween events happening in NYC this year!
Kick-off Halloween weekend at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine’s annual Halloween Extravaganza! The festivities start with a screening of the classic silent horror film Nosferatu (1922). The film will be accompanied by a haunting performance from organist Timothy Brumfield. After the screening, goblins and ghosts will frolic down the aisle of the Cathedral for the Procession of the Ghouls.
These ghastly characters are performers from the Mettawee River Theatre Company dressed in costumes created by the company’s Artist-in-Residence Ralph Lee. For over forty years Lee has crafted masks, puppetry, music, and text for this production that are inspired by myths and folklore from around the world. There will be two seatings, one at 7 PM and another at 10 PM. You can reserve your spot on the Cathedral’s website, here.
Send your jack-o-lantern flying into the air at Socrates Sculpture Park’s Halloween Harvest Festival this Saturday, October 29th from 12 PM to 5 PM! This year marks the second anniversary of the park’s “Flight of the Gourds” pumpkin carving contest and compost catapult. The pumpkins take flight at 4:00 PM.
Flying pumpkins not your thing? There are tons of other activities at the festival including New York City’s second-largest dog costume contest, creative costume-making workshops, harvest-themed dance performances from cultures around the world, and international food vendors. While you’re there, don’t forget to check out all of the art too!
Travel below the streets of New York City for an eye-opening exploration of the subway system! On Saturday, October 29th, follow one of Untapped New York’s expert guides underground to uncover secret stories of the subway’s past. As you snake your way through the system, you’ll learn of Alfred Ely Beach’s mythical Pneumatic Transit System, discover an art installation hidden in plain sight at the Union Square station, and travel through subway stops both past and present to see how the subway has evolved over the past 100+ years.
NYC Underground Subway Tour
Finally, you’ll use the 6 train as your own time machine. Riding past the end of the line, you’ll find yourself passing through City Hall Park station, the birthplace of the subway system and a stop that has been abandoned for more than 75 years.
Find your next spooky read at a local Lower East Side bookstore during the annual Halloween Book Crawl on October 30th from 12 PM to 7 PM. Participating shops will be giving away free merchandise, hosting Halloween activities, and offering discounts. It’s a great way to see the neighborhood and support local businesses!
Bookshops on the crawl route include Bluestockings Bookstore, McNally Jackson, Sweet Pickle Books, Pillow-Cat Books, Yu & Me Books, and Book Club Bar. You can find a map of all participating stores on the Bluestockings Bookstore Instagram.
A beloved local tradition continues this year with artist Jane Greengold’s pumpkin impalements! This temporary, site-specific public art can be seen on the corner of Kane Street and Strong Place in Cobble Hill. To create this work, Greengold, along with family and friends, will carve seventy pumpkins to be impaled on the fence spikes. The remaining 200+ spikes are open to all other pumpkin artists. The pumpkins will be left to naturally decompose for months after Halloween.
Be sure to follow the proper directions if you want your pumpkin impaled! Pumpkins should be 4 ¾” – 5” inches in diameter, taller than they are round, and soft enough to carve. You’ll need to cut a 3/4 inch square hole in the middle of the bottom (to put the spike through), and leave the top of the pumpkin on. Remove the innards, carve a face, and bring it to the corner of Kane and Strong between 3 PM and 7 PM on October 31st. Greengold and her team will impale it for you! The pumpkins will be specially lit just for Halloween night.
Rockefeller Center is an iconic and easily recognizable New York City locale, but what secrets does it hold? On Untapped New York’s Secrets of Rockefeller Center tour, you can discover hidden histories of this famous site with the guidance of an expert, licensed New York City tour guide.
Secrets of Rockefeller Center
On this walking tour, you’ll stroll through a room covered in gold, hear the story of Rockefeller Center’s only demolished building, decode the meaning behind the world-famous art and escape the tourist crowds in a little-known park with an urban waterfall. You’ll also hear a surprising story about Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Tickets are available for this tour on Sunday, October 30th at 2 PM!
Don’t miss the final performance of UNBOUND: a haus of haunts, happening Friday, October 28th inside the Jefferson Market Library. Presented in partnership with the New York Public Library, UNBOUND is an immersive dance experience inspired by the works of Emily Dickinson. Performed by the Thistle Dance Company, the experience takes over three floors of the library. Each floor is its own world, connected to the others by an interwoven story.
You can pick a specific character to follow or chart your own course through the library’s various rooms. As you wander, you may discover the catacombs of a daemon, encounter a witch’s coven, or party at the vampire banquet. Visitors can choose to stay in one place or explore all of the floors and rooms. Tickets are free and you can register here.
Join Mandy Edgecombe, licensed Untapped New York guide and trustee of Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, on a tour of this early American cemetery. Incorporated in 1831, the six-acre landscape is tucked into a canyon in the middle of the bustling city. As you wander the grounds, you’ll discover monuments to notable figures of Jersey City and American history, learn about railroad history as you hear the sounds of passing freight and passenger trains, and find out what cultural events happen at the cemetery today.
Insiders Cemetery Tour
As a special treat, you’ll get to peek inside the vaulted tomb, a feature that is older than the cemetery itself. The tomb still holds munitions from the War of 1812 and the skeleton of a Viennese count! The event is free for Untapped New York Insiders (get your first month free with code JOINUS).
You can watch teams of architects live-carve crazy pumpkin creations in pursuit of the coveted Pritzkerpumpkin prize! Pumpkitecture will take place on Friday, October 28 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. The carving will commence at 6:15 and will run through 7:30.
Contestants will briefly defend their designs, after which jurors will deliberate and pick the winning pumpkin. Spectators can vote for the People’s Pumpkin! Grab your tickets here!
Prepare for an overload of cuteness! On Sunday, October 30th the Elizabeth Street Garden will host its 3rd Annual Halloween Pet Parade. If you want your furry friend to be part of the “rigorously judged” runway competition, you must register in advance. Registration ends on October 28th, so secure your spot here! The best dressed pets will receive prizes!
This event is free for spectators, so head down to Elizabeth Street between Prince and Spring Streets from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Sunday, October 30th to see all of the costumed pets!
Next, check out 10 of NYC’s Creepiest Crypts and Catacombs
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