For Halloween, New York decided to temporarily close traffic over 180 streets and public spaces to host parties, shows and free activities. The Department of Transportation (DOT) announced yesterday, Tuesday, October 27, an extension of Trick-or-Streets, the program that allows residents to organize events in the neighborhoods using roads and squares normally open to cars. The initiatives are distributed throughout the month, but many appointments are concentrated in the last days close to Halloween, Saturday 31 October.
It is the fifth edition of the program, started to make more safe the activities of trick-or-treating, the American tradition in which children in costume turn from home in asking for desserts. The program, announced in September and arrived at the fifth edition, includes over 180 appointments dedicated to Halloween and autumn traditions, distributed in the five districts during the month of October. The first initiatives began on October 3, but most of the holidays are concentrated this week, close to 31, when the largest number of road closures is expected. Compared to the 160 appointments announced in September, the Municipality added new initiatives organized by neighborhood associations, schools and traders. This is not about 180 roads closed at the same time, but a calendar of events with different dates and times.
The activities include musical shows, theatre, art workshops, games, small pumpkins markets and initiatives organized by schools. The DOT also envisaged the distribution of 75 thousand sweets through organizations participating in the program. The events are mainly aimed at families, but some include concerts, guided tours and cultural activities open to all.
One of the main events is scheduled for today, Wednesday 28 October in Manhattan, along Canal Street, between Orchard Street and Essex Street, from 15 to 19. The road will be reserved for pedestrians for an afternoon of activity organized by the Canal Street Merchants Association along with other local realities. The event will be preceded by a guided walk on the Lower East Side, entitled Tales from the Urban Forest: At Halloween Tree Walk, organized by the Municipal Art Society. The visit is free, but requires registration.
In the Bronx, the main event will be held on Saturday 31 October at James Baldwin Plaza, at the crossroads between Goulden Avenue and Mosholu Parkway, from 10 to 15. The event is organized by the James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center and Orisha Wholeness and includes activities dedicated to children and families. In previous days, other initiatives were planned near some public schools in the district.
Several major events took place in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island: October 22 at Hillel Plaza, Flatbush district; October 24 on Water Street, Staten Island; and October 25 on Austin Street, Forest Hills. However, there are many district festivals, organized directly by associations of residents, schools and traders. To know the ones still available, the Municipality has published an interactive map on the official site of Trick-or-Streets, with addresses, dates and times.
In Manhattan, the West 69th Street festival, between Broadway and Central Park West, from 16 to 18, and West 78th Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and Columbus Avenue, from 16 to 21. Another neighborhood party is on West 87th Street, between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, from 16 to 21. In Harlem, West 120th Street will be closed between Mount Morris Park West and Malcolm X Boulevard from 16 to 20. In Queens, a party is scheduled on 116th Avenue, between 146th Street and Inwood Street, always from 16 to 20.
This year the program also includes nine events organised near public schools, in collaboration with Street Lab and The Horticultural Society of New York. The goal is to offer spaces to play and participate in workshops directly in the neighborhoods, without requiring families to reach the most crowded Manhattan events. The schools involved are located in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.
On October 31, the Village Halloween Parade will be back, the great costume parade in Greenwich Village, which will be at the 53rd edition. The parade will begin at 7 pm and will run Sixth Avenue from Canal Street to 15th Street. The theme chosen for 2026 is Body & Soul, dedicated to the relationship between body and spirit. To open the parade will be Firehorse!, a new creation of the puppeteer Basil Twist, with a choreography of Julie Atlas Muz.
The parade is free for both spectators and those who want to participate in the costume. In order to enter the parade you have to visit the collection area between Canal Street and Sixth Avenue, with access from the streets indicated by the organizers. Those who just want to assist can settle down on Sixth Avenue, where tens of thousands of people are expected. The event will be broadcast live from NY1 from 20.
The road closures linked to Trick-or-Streets and the parade will bring temporary changes to circulation, especially in Manhattan. To reach the events the most practical means remains generally the metro, although there are variations to the service of some lines. Before leaving it is advisable to consult the MTA alerts and check on the DOT calendar that the appointment chosen is confirmed: outdoor activities can be postponed or cancelled in case of bad weather.
L’articolo Halloween has already begun in New York: all events until the grand finale on Saturday 31 October proviene da IlNewyorkese.
