Sunny Friday and Saturday, partly sunny Sunday. Costumes outdoors.
Friday is sunny with a high near 70 and northwest gusts up to 22 mph. Saturday, Halloween, is sunny with a high near 62, then partly cloudy overnight with a low around 46, so trick-or-treaters will want a layer under the costume. Sunday is partly sunny with a high near 65. No watches, warnings or advisories were listed when the National Weather Service forecast was issued on Wednesday evening, so check it again before you go. Daylight saving time ends at 2am on Sunday, Nov 1: clocks go back an hour, and Sunday's sunset is about 4:51pm.
Sunset 5:52pm. Full forecast (National Weather Service)
Halloween lands on a sunny Saturday, the marathon takes over the streets on Sunday, and the clocks go back in between. You get an extra hour on Sunday morning, which the children will spend waking you up an hour early.
Out at the eastern edge of Queens. Take the E or F to Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike, then the Q46 bus east along Union Turnpike toward Little Neck Parkway (the farm lists the Q46 among its buses). Plan the trip in the MTA trip planner, and check elevator status before relying on one.
Saturday, Oct 31, 10am to 5pm. Allow most of the day with a five-year-old, plus the bus.
Where: Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, Queens
A 47-acre working farm doing Halloween properly: trick-or-treating at nine candy stations across the fields, ghost stories in the historic Adriance Farmhouse, the three-acre Amazing Maize Maze, hayrides, farm animals, a pumpkin patch, and cider, donuts and pies. The maze and hayrides are included with a ticket. Saturday is sunny and around 62, which is ideal weather for getting lost in a corn maze on purpose. Costumes are encouraged, and a cow does not judge a homemade one.
Tickets are adults (18 and up) $15, children 2 to 17 $25, under 2 free, bought online, and they are non-refundable (the event runs rain or shine). Yes, the children cost more than you, which feels about right. There is no cafe, only snacks in the Farm Store, so pack a picnic, and there is no storage for strollers, bags or coats. The grounds and restrooms are accessible; ask at the Farm Store and Welcome Center where the nearest restrooms are before anyone needs them. Stay outside the fenced animal areas and don't feed the animals.
North Lawn, Morningside Park, Morningside Heights, Manhattan Free, Families
NYC Parks, the Friends of Morningside Park and the Columbia University Space Initiative team up for an after-school Halloween on the North Lawn. Space people plus Halloween suggests at least one alien costume per square yard. Details are short on the listing, so check it before you go. Details and booking
Bowne Park Field House, Bowne Park, Flushing, Queens Free, Families (listed as best for kids)
A free neighborhood haunted house and fall festival with a pumpkin patch, run by NYC Parks in Bowne Park. Family-friendly frights, which means the scariest thing is usually a teenager in a lab coat saying "boo" with enormous commitment. Details and booking
Sat, Oct 31, 10am to 2pm; parade steps off 12:15pm
Starts outside St. John's Lutheran Church, 155 Milton Street near Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn Parade free, Costumed kids of all ages
Town Square BK's 23rd annual kids' parade loops from the church down Manhattan Avenue to Driggs Avenue and back, with a party around it. A proper neighborhood parade where the costumes are mostly cardboard and the marching is mostly skipping. The listing links to a Zeffy page for the party, so check there for any cost. Details and booking
Sat, Oct 31, 11am to 5pm; costume parade 2pm; trick-or-treating 3 to 5pm
South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton Street and Pier 16, Financial District, Manhattan Free general admission, Families
A spooky scavenger hunt aboard the 1885 tall ship Wavertree (collect the sailors' superstitions for a treat), a Healthful Halloween Fair on Pier 16 from 11am to 4pm, a costume parade at 2pm and trick-or-treating around the Seaport afterward. Preregistration is encouraged and walk-ups are taken as space allows. A pirate costume finally has a real ship to stand on. Details and booking
The Green-House, Green-Wood Cemetery, 750 Fifth Avenue at 25th Street (Main Entrance), Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn Free, All ages, recommended 5 and up, with a caregiver
A drop-in art session making ink prints with plant material from Jean Shin's installation Offering. Green-Wood on Halloween sounds like a dare, but this is a calm, crafty couple of hours in a beautiful historic landscape. The page suggests registering for a headcount, though drop-ins are welcome while seats last. Details and booking
Greenbelt Nature Center, Blood Root Valley, Staten Island Greenbelt, Staten Island Free, Families; check the listing
An NYC Parks autumn hike through the central Greenbelt, the big wooded middle of Staten Island that a lot of New Yorkers have never set foot in. Fall color and sunshine, and the hill is the only thing that will make anyone out of breath. Wear proper shoes, not the costume ones. Details and booking
Basketball courts, St. Mary's Park, Mott Haven, The Bronx Free, Families (listed as best for kids)
A free, open-to-all Halloween afternoon from NYC Parks on the basketball courts of St. Mary's Park. Pumpkins on a basketball court is not regulation, but nobody is checking. Details and booking
Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main Street, Flushing, Queens $10, children $8, members free, Families
A trick-or-treat trail, Halloween crafts, a tour of spooky plants, a storytelling walk with griot Darlene Deloris, live performances, fall foliage and a vendor fair. Tickets through the garden's Fever link. A plant tour on Halloween is the one place you will hear "this one eats flies" said with real pride. Details and booking
Sun, Nov 1; wheelchair races from 8am, pro women 8:35am, pro men 9:05am, waves from 9:10am
All five boroughs, from Staten Island to the finish in Central Park Free to watch, All ages
Tens of thousands of runners going past while you hold a coffee and a cowbell is a fine way to spend a Sunday morning. Popular family spots include Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, Long Island City just past halfway, and First Avenue in Manhattan. Expect road closures, packed trains and crowds, keep children close, and check NYRR's spectator information before you set out. Remember the clocks go back overnight. Details and booking
Bronx Zoo, Bronx Park, The Bronx Included with Bronx Zoo admission, Toddlers to elementary age
The last day of the zoo's daytime Halloween: a hay maze and challenge trail, a costume parade and dance party at Astor Court, a candy trail from 11am to 2pm (one turn per family, while supplies last), face painting for 3 and up, pumpkin carving demos and animal chats. Some activities depend on the weather. Buy tickets on the zoo's site, where the prices are. Details and booking
Sun, Nov 1; free lesson 11 to 11:30am; public skating noon to 5pm
Davis Center, 106-51 East Drive, between 106th and 108th Streets, Central Park, Manhattan Free lesson (register); public skating needs a session booking, All ages
Central Park's new rink at the Harlem Meer opens for the season with a free 30-minute Learn to Skate group lesson (skates included, register online), a surprise on-ice performance at 11:50am, then three 80-minute public sessions with a DJ. Helmets are recommended but can't be rented, so bring one. Marathon runners pass along Fifth Avenue nearby, so plan your route. Details and booking
Oct 30 to Nov 9, 10am to 7pm daily (6pm on the last night)
Brookfield Place, 230 Vesey Street, Battery Park City, Manhattan Free, All ages
Teams of architects and engineers build giant sculptures out of unopened food cans, which are then donated to City Harvest. Bring a can or two for the donation table in the Winter Garden. Free guided tours need preregistration on Eventbrite. Explaining that nobody gets to eat the sculpture will take longer than the visit. Details and booking
Oct 31 to Nov 15, 10am to 4pm; Highlight Weekend Nov 7 and 8 with taiko drumming at 12:30 and 2:30pm
Nolen Greenhouses, New York Botanical Garden, The Bronx Ticketed; included in the All-Garden Pass, All ages
Japanese chrysanthemums trained for 11 months into shapes, including the ozukuri "thousand bloom" style, where hundreds of flowers grow from a single stem. Go for the taiko weekend if your children prefer their flowers with drums. Details and booking
Rain-proof
Book ahead
Tip. Halloween night sunset is about 5:52pm and it drops to the mid 40s, so do the daytime parades and trails first and save the trick-or-treating for straight after. The big Village Halloween Parade starts at 7pm on Sixth Avenue and gets very crowded, so keep small children close if you go. And next week's school reminder: Election Day, Tuesday Nov 3, is a remote learning day, not a day off.
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