Guide to Annual Halloween Activities in New York City
New York City is full of Halloween madness. With so many people, from so many places, New York City is a melting pot of Halloween traditions and festivities. There are a numerous amount of ways to enjoy the Halloween season; from walking tours, to parties, to outdoor movies. New York prides itself on its Halloween celebrations, and so when you come to NYC for Halloween, you are sure to have a lot of unbridled Halloween entertainment. Hence, if you are looking for something to do for Halloween, and you live in New York City, you won’t be looking for long after you read this.
Midnight Madness: Greet Halloween at Midnight
The Eighth Annual Midnight Madness walking tour is one of the most thrilling events among New York’s Halloween madness. It is a fun tour led by Phil, a New York historian, who will lead a group of people through the Greenwich and East Village.
Phil tells tales of ghostly apparitions such as EdgarAllanPoe, PeterStuyvesant, HarryHoudini and Gerti. He even challenges (and scares, depending on how you look at it) his tour groups into pointing out these ghosts of New York City’s past. It is a ninety-minute tour, which covers about a mile of the village. Participants should meet at the Northwest corner of 2nd Avenue
and 10th street, in front of St.Mark’s in the Bowery Church. The fee is $15.
Ghost Stories for Children of All Ages
If you have children, want to be around children, or are just a child at heart, then this is the event for you. Some notable performers read and present haunting tales about all sorts of popular fiction and New York City ghosts. The presentations are done while walking around Washington Square Park for forty-five minutes. The presentations include boisterous readings, funny dialogues and scary one-acts. It is done several times in October during the Halloween season. Check your local newspaper in October for exact times.
New York‘s Village Halloween Parade
This year marks the 33rd Annual New York’s Village Halloween Parade, and on Tuesday, October 31, 2006 at 7 p.m., you must head down to Spring Street and 6th Avenue to join in all of the madness that is the Halloween parade. Everyone in costume is welcomed to line-up and march down the streets, while the rest of the audience members are welcome to lineup alongside the marching and enjoy the festivities. The parade is the biggest Halloween celebration in the world, and the only one in the country that is held a nighttime. It has even been deemed as the “The Best Event in the World” (on Halloween) by Festivals International. Last year there were 50,000 costumed participants and 2 million spectators. So if you are looking to get involved in the true Halloween spirit, this is the event for you. The parade runs from along 6th Avenue, from Spring Street to 21st Street.
Skate in the Parade with Empire Skate
This custom is in accordance with the parade. Many people get on their skates at the north side of Union Square Park
and skate down to Spring Street to join the parade. Wearing their costumes and skating with the Empire Skate team, makes the entire parade that much more fun. You can meet the skate team at 6:00 p.m., and only intermediate skaters are recommended to attend.
If you don’t like what you have read thus far, and are looking for something different to do on Halloween, don’t fret. If you don’t like what you have read thus far, and are looking for something different to do on Halloween, don’t fret.
Visit about.com at: http://manhattan.about.com/od/eventsandattractions/a/halloweenguide.htm and they can help anyone find the perfect event for every Halloween interest.
