Not sure what to do for Halloween this year? Take your pick, Brooklyn neighborhoods each do the holiday their own way. Here are some best bets for family friendly, safe Halloween fun.
1. A-Scarium at the Aquarium
Take the kids to the New York Aquarium for a fabulous, safe, indoor-outdoor Halloween party. It's on weekends, and little kids in costume get in free. Combine a little bit of education about mother nature with haunted ships, pirates, free trick or treating and fun.In Coney Island. Indoors and outdoors.
2. Bay Ridge Harvest Fest & Haunted House
This vibrant, family-friendly Brooklyn neighborhood goes all out for Halloween, and you have your pick of events, from an old fashioned Harvest Festival to an all day Halloween bash with different levels of "scary-ness" for different aged children. Outdoors.In Bay Ridge. Outdoors.
3. Brooklyn Children's Museum Monster Mash
Bring the little ones to this great children's museum for the annual monster mash. Kids can make crafts, participate in a costume parade, hear an age-appropriately spooky story, and have fun.In Crown Heights. Indoors.
4. BAMboo: Afternoon Fun at Brooklyn Academy of Music
Conveniently located to the Atlantic Terminal and Atlantic Center Malls, the Brooklyn Academy of Music puts on a street fair of sorts for Halloween. It's free, a family friendly event, and designed to delight the community.In Fort Greene. Outdoors.
5. Dog Costume Parades and Contests
Photo Courtesy of Leo Moreton
There's just something hilarious about a dressed up doggie. Head to various dog parades in Brooklyn, whether or not you own your own canine.
In Williamsburg, Bay Ridge, Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn Heights. On various dates. Outdoors.
6. Fort Greene and Clinton Hill Halloween Happenings
There's tons to do here, from hay rides to dog costume contests to a unique Halloween walk with very special, free, "live" mini Halloween performances from some spookily creative local residents.In Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. Outdoors.
7. Ghouls & Gourds at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Photo courtesy of Jason Gardner
One of Brooklyn's premier cultural institutions, the BBG (Brooklyn Botanic Garden) knows how to stage an event. Bring the family for a lively, music, craft and event-filled Halloween celebration. Kids can watch or walk in a costume parade, see huge puppets, and meet some favorite children's book authors at a Halloween Literary Fest for Children.
In Prospect Heights, near the Brooklyn Museum and Grand Army Plaza. Mostly outdoors, some indoor tent areas.
8. Harvest Festivals
If you think of Brooklyn as the quintessential urban environment, come to one of these homey, cute harvest festivals.Outdoors, different locations and dates.
9. Park Slope Children's Halloween Parade
Said to be the nation's largest Halloween parade for kids, the Park Slope Halloween Parade, always held on Halloween night, rain or shine, attracts families from all over Brooklyn. Shopkeepers are open for trick-or-treating before the parade, so there's always a rush of children darting in and out of stores or grabbing treats from shopkeepers standing in costume on the sidewalk. The parade features more than an average number of homemade costumes, cute babies in costume, and teenage kids looking for a little independence on Halloween. Attended by thousands.In Park Slope. Outdoors, rain or shine.
10. Prospect Park Haunted House (free)
Generations of Brooklyn kids have scared themselves silly at Prospect Park's Haunted House walk. It's fun, guided, and very crowded.In Prospect Park. Outdoors.
