Halloween is the one holiday that unites us and for a few brief moments (okay in our case, weeks) we are all after the same fleeting moment of mad-cap mayhem and pure enjoyment. Adults and kids alike dress up in costumes, stuff our faces with sweets, feast on Halloween-themed movies and TV shows, and devour all the fabulous products that are just out there ripe for the taking. And in New York City almost every institution and store front pulls out all the stops to make sure that families have a howling good time.
Here are some of my favorite picks:
The Sony Wonder Technology Lab 13th Annual Wonderween
All ghouls, witches and goblins are invited to this “spooktacular” Halloween celebration and children of all ages are encouraged to come in costume for some hauntingly good fun. Children will participate in various Halloween-themed activities such as face painting, batty bingo, spooky storytelling and more. Guests will also have a chance to win raffle prizes and have their picture taken in costume at the “Freaky Photo Station.” During the event, guests can also enjoy free movie screenings in the Lab’s High Definition Theater, including “Elmo Says Boo,” “Sesame Street: A Magical Halloween Adventure” and “Dora’s Boo.” Tickets will be distributed to guests 30 minutes prior to each screening, and space is limited. Visitors will also be encouraged to explore the Lab’s four floors of interactive hands-on exhibits, including Dance Motion Capture, Virtual Surgery and the latest Music Mixer experience, which enables visitors to put their own spin on a classic song by Grammy Award-winning Sony Music artist, Alicia Keys, using a variety of instrument tracks in genres ranging from Hip Hop to World.
• When: October 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets for Wonderween will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the main entrance to the Lab beginning at 9:30 a.m. At the end of the day, children will receive gift bags filled with treats to take home
• Where: Sony Plaza at 56th Street and Madison Avenue
Hudson Terrace Children’s Halloween Pirate Party
For a wicked good time this Halloween, guests can enjoy candy, food and thrills such as walking the plank, pin the parrot on the pirate, peg leg races and face painting. Kids can get crafty by coloring a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and decorating their own trick or treat bag and filling it with goodies and hidden treasures! Guests are encouraged to arrive decked out in a Halloween costume and join in the Costume Parade. Please note: This event is geared towards children ages 2 to 6.
• Where: Hudson Terrace 621 West 46th Street
• When: Sunday, October 30, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.
• Cost: $20 per person includes entry and two tickets, $40 per person includes entry and six tickets. Tickets can be redeemed for games, crafts, prizes, etc. Children under 2 are free.
Halloween Fun at South Street Seaport
The Fulton Stall Market at the South Street Seaport will host a day of Halloween-themed family fun for kids of all ages. Activities, including a special reading of the Halloween classic, “Spooky Old Tree” by the Berenstain Bears, are free and open to the public and costumes are encouraged. The Stall Markets will also be open for seasonal shopping, holiday treats, and last minute costume ideas. Kids will be treated to storybook readings including a special reading of the Halloween classic, “Spooky Old Tree” by the Berenstain Bears. Maisy and Curious George will also be on hand with spooky stories read from each character’s repertoire. The afternoon will feature a dance contest hosted by DJ Boo Daddy, a build your own scarecrow station, pumpkin painting and many more activities for ghosts and goblins of all ages. Children are invited to come in costume. The Fulton Stall Market will feature special Halloween-themed fare in addition to the market’s usual offerings. Locally sourced vendors like Pie Country, Poffertjes Man and NYFarm2Door will offer seasonal treats and the occasional trick. Pumpkin painting will be available with the purchase of every pumpkin.
• Where: The Old Fulton Fish Market, South Street between Fulton and Beekman
• When: October 30, market hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., halloween activities: noon to 4 p.m.
Screamin’ Green Halloween at the World Financial Center
The WFC Winter Garden (featured in the photo above) will be adorned with giant, 30-foot high figures of a scarecrow, witch, and skeleton, the spectacular Winter Garden will be transformed into a giant Halloween family festival. With the help of artist-educators, kids will create costumes out of recycled and repurposed household materials, while a costume swap will enable families to exchange last year’s costumes for gently used and ready-to-wear ones for the next day’s trick-or-treating. Costume parades will take place throughout the World Financial Center including the waterfront (weather permitting) at 1, 2 and 3 p.m., led by the new Outer Borough Brass Band. The Screamin’ Green Halloween will also feature a variety of fun games where players will be rewarded with fair trade and organic treats, as well as temporary tattoos of pumpkins and ghosts
• Where: World Financial Center, 220 Vesey Street
• When: October 30, noon to 3 p.m.
- Melissa Chapman
Melissa Chapman blogs about her marriage and everything in between at MarriedMySugarDaddy.com and spotlights Staten Island Family Fun. Her work has appeared in The Staten Island Advance, Care.com, ABC News, BlogHer, Baby Center, Momtourage, Lifetime Moms, Babble,The Washington Post, Time Out NY Kids and iVillage.
