What is better than Halloween? Free candy, pumpkin-carving contests, elaborate and downright horrifying Halloween costumes and best of all… haunted houses! All of these great attractions can be found throughout New York City. Some of the Nation’s largest Halloween celebrations take place in New York City, which is fitting as the city has a reputation for grandiosity.
Whether you are traveling with your children, or with a group of friends you will be able to find entertainment nearly everywhere you turn. Costume parties and galas are held at every conceivable venue, and you could even enter contests to compete with others to see who has the most unique Halloween costume!
So what is the largest even in New York City during Halloween? By far the largest public Halloween celebration across the Nation is New York Village’s Halloween Day Parade. This event was started by a Greenwich Village puppeteer and mask-maker and has been taking place every year since 1973. It has won the honor of the “Best Event in the World” for October 31st by Festivals Internationals over 100,000 people watch the parade in person every year, and over 60,000 participants dress up in lavish and creative costumes. This year the anticipated crowd will be around 2 million people! That is quite big deal! This is definitely an event that you won’t want to miss if you are in New York City during Halloween.
In addition to many different parades, there are also numerous haunted houses that you can visit. One of the most popular is the Blood Manor Haunted House. It is scheduled to open on October 1st this year and is comprised of over 5,000 square feet of sheer terror and excitement! Tickets are $30 when purchased in advance, and $35 at the door. Want to skip the line? (A great idea if you have extra cash on hand, and well worth the investment) If you pay an extra $15 ($45) you will be allowed to enter without even having to wait on line! If you aren’t into the whole haunted house, or parade side of things… the least you should do is trick-or-treat! Many businesses across the city participate and you can walk around with your children and trick or treat on nearly every street in the city.
There is an overwhelming police presence during this time of year so you can rest assured that there will not be many illicit characters (other than make-believe masked ones) on the streets. This is an excellent time of year to explore the city with your family, but don’t forget your camera… There are way too many things to snap photos of which would make a perfect Halloween photo album to immortalize your vacation for your family’s enjoyment.
