Free Halloween Kids' Events in Manhattan (2010)050

Manhattan gets into the Halloween spirit in a big way, and we've got a massive (and growing - check back often!) list of free and inexpensive Halloween kids' events and activities!

Saturday, October 23:
1pm-4pm:
Families can enjoy a Celtic-style Halloween party at the Irish Arts Center's celebration - Oiche Shamhna, an afternoon of tales about pucas and fairies, crafts (including turnip carving), and traditional Irish Halloween games.($5)[Clinton]

12n-4pm:
The PS 158 Octoberfest features ghoulish carnival games, a haunted house, pumpkin patch, rides, inflatables, arts & crafts, and delicious food. Kick off is at the Costume Parade, starting outside John Jay Park at noon.[Upper East Side]

Sunday, October 24:
4pm-7pm:
Families can congregate, in costume, at the Dana Discovery Center for the Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Sail, featuring spooky stories, pumpkin crafts, a pumpkin carving demo, a parade led by Frankenstein, and New York City's largest pumpkin flotilla on the Meer at twilight. [Central Park]

Monday, October 25:
6:45pm:
Catch a free outdoor double feature of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Young Frankenstein at May Matthews Playground. [Midtown West]

Thursday, October 28:
2pm-4pm:
Learn about Central Park's spiders and make an arachnid-themed Halloween Craft at the Chess and Checkers House. [Central Park]

3pm-6pm:
Kids can create spooky Halloween-themed arts and crafts using finger paint, crayons, tissue paper, markers, glitter, papers, and other materials at MacArthur Park's Halloween Craft Jubilee. [Midtown East]

3:30pm-4:30pm:
The Strand hosts a Spooky Strand Family Hour! that features illustrator George Bates who reads from On a Windy Night, a perfect, not-too-scary read-aloud with an enjoyable surprise ending. A coloring project and costume contest (with tons of prizes) are also in store.

4:30pm-8pm:
Hamilton Fish Rec Center hosts its annual Halloween Party, complete with Halloween-themed arts & crafts, games, prizes, treats and more. [East Village]

Friday, October 29:
3pm-6pm:
John Jay Park hosts a Halloween Party with games, crafts, and face painting. [Upper East Side]

4pm-6pm:
Halloween treats for the entire family lurk in Trinity Church's North Yard: tricks, treats, games, a photo booth, and stories from some of the churchyard's most famous inhabitants. [Financial District]

Saturday, October 30:
11am-3pm:
Sutton Place Park's Halloween Party preps kids for the big event with games, crafts, and face painting. [Midtown East]

12n-2pm:
Flaubert Frog hosts a Halloween celebration at Bryant Park's Le Carrousel that includes scary stories, games, rousing songs, a magician, and pumpkin painting (weather permitting). [Midtown West]]

12n, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm:
A young boy fights to save Halloween with help from some friendly monsters in a 45-minute Monster Musical performance on Belvedere Castle's plaza. [Central Park]

12n-5pm:
Central Park's annual Pumpkin Festival is packed with free activities - a scarecrow design competition, the spooktacular Circus Berzerkus Haunted House, free pumpkin picking at the Pumpkin Patch, arts & crafts, pumpkin decorating, hay rides, walkabout characters, face painting, marionette performances, and live entertainment at the Bandshell with Kidrockers, Laughing Pizza, and more! [Central Park]

12n-4pm:
The World Financial Center beckons trick-or-treaters to its Screamin' Green Halloween celebration that winds up with a Ghosts & Goblins Parade to Poets House for a reading of spooky poems and seasonal snacks.[Financial District/Battery Park City]

1pm-4pm:
Washington Market Park's Halloween Parade an annual Tribeca tradition, is led by Princess Katie & Racer Steve, and winds up with a fun-filled party in the park that includes a performance by the popular kiddie rockers, pony rides, and plenty of special activities and treats for kids.[Tribeca]

12n-5pm:
Children's Museum of the Arts Halloween celebration includes spooky surprises, Halloween art projects, and the annual Trick or Treat Parade at 3pm.[SoHo]

12n-2pm:
Kids attending McNally Jackson's Magical Mystery Halloween Party can wear costumes, play Halloween games, string beaded skull jewelry, create original puppets with acclaimed author/collage artist Wendy Wax, and enjoy an interactive puppet show performed by master puppeteers Musa Bacon and Stewart Dawes. The festivities are hosted by Mistress of Scarimonies Yvonne Brooks. [SoHo]

3pm:
Little ghosts and goblins are invited to show up in costume for The Scholastic Store's annual Halloween costume parade, which begins indoors and travels through Soho. Kids can also enjoy Halloween book readings and make Halloween masks to take home. [SoHo]

1pm-3pm:
Jack & Jill School's annual Halloween Party features a haunted hallway, kid-friendly entertainment, games, craft activities, food, raffles, and more ($10 admission fee; Children under 2, free). [Stuyvesant Town]

2pm-4pm:
Kids can get their Halloween game on at the North Meadow Recreation Center's Spooktacular Halloween Sports session, practicing Soccer "Ghoul" Kicking, participating in "Freak" Throw Contests, and more. [Central Park]

Saturday, October 30 & Sunday, October 31:
12n-4pm:
Sony Wonder's annual Wonderween Fest invites families to experiment with some spooky fun, catch a monstrous movie, and go home with gobs of ghoulish goodies. [Midtown East]

Sat 1pm-5pm; Sun 1pm-6pm:
Little goblins and ghouls are invited to Limelight Marketplace for a free Halloween weekend full of tricks and treats for the whole family. Visitors can meet some favorite storybook characters, indulge in ghoulish Halloween sweets, and enjoy spooky storytelling, balloon animals, crafts, and more, and then show off their costumes in a Conga Line Parade![Chelsea]

Sunday, October 31:
12n-6pm:
The Halloween Kidz Karnival at Hudson River Park's Pier 46 (at Charles Street) has it all: face painting, mask decorating, wax hands, cotton candy, rides and Halloween-themed improv shows by the Story Pirates. [West Village]

1pm-4pm:
Puppet master Ralph Lee hosts Halloween Hi-Jinks on the High Line, a celebration that incorporates spooky head dress-making, devil-may-care dancing, and trick-or-treat bag decorating. [West Village]

6pm-10pm:
Inwood Park's nature center hosts Haunted House on the Hill, where haunted creatures and surprises await around each corner. [Inwood Hill]

Check our calendar for more Halloween events and activities for kids around NYC!