Free Halloween Kids' Events in Queens (2010)050

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

Friday, October 29:
4pm-7pm:
Crafts, games, face painting, a haunted walk, pumpkin patch, and more, are all free at the annual Shocktoberfest at Flushing Meadows Corona Park's Al Oerter Recreation Center.

7:30pm-9:30pm:
The Flushing YMCA 's Annual Halloween Fright Night features a Haunted House, carnival games, ghost stories, arts & crafts, face painting, and more. ($3-$5 entry fee)

Friday, October 29 & Saturday, October 30
6:30pm-8:30pm:
Every Halloween, during Fort Totten Park's Thriller at the Battery, a haunted shipwreck brings ghosts and ghouls to the historic Battery. Bring a flashlight, but leave your fear at home...

Saturday, October 30 & Sunday October 31
11am-4pm:
The Queens Zoo gets into the holiday "spirit" with its annual Boo at the Zoo, featuring face painting, crafts, the Farm's Haunted Habitat, candy-stocked trick-or-treat stations, and more. The first 200 zoo-goers each day can pick and decorate a Halloween pumpkin of their own. Children (12 & under)in costume are admitted free! (All others free with zoo admission.)

4pm-7pm:
The Queens County Farm Museum's not-too-scary Halloween Haunted House is filled with thrills and chills just right for kids ages four to 12. Hayrides, Halloween treats, mulled cider, pumpkins, and apples are available for purchase.

Sunday, October 31
11:30am:
Jackson Heights lays claim to one of the largest kids' Halloween Parades in NYC!

11am-4pm:
Kids are invited to wear costumes and enjoy traditional games (including sack races and trinkets-in-the-haystack), pony rides, and a petting zoo at the Queens County Farm Museum's Children's Fall Festival. Professional character look-a-likes roam the grounds, and craft vendors display and sell fall items. Food, country western music, and dancing are on the schedule, too.($5) The Haunted House, recommended for kids ages four to 12, is open from 1pm to 7pm; admission is $4 per person.

1pm-3pm:
The Children's Garden at the Queens Botanical Garden is transformed into a spooky Pumpkin Patch where Count Dracula and other whimsical characters entertain while kids paint pumpkins and create a Green-Haired Plant Monster to take home. ($10 per pumpkin; includes admission).

2pm-5pm:
Before trick or treating, stop by Flushing Town Hall in costume to celebrate the community traditions of Day of the Dead, Halloween, and All Saints Day at Halloween-Remixed, an afternoon of hands-on festive fun for the whole family.

6pm-7:30pm:
Families are invited to embark - if they dare - on a haunted hike through Forest Park that's full of things that go bump in the night!

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