Fall Activities in NYC
The days are getting shorter. The Spooky nights longer. It’s time for a Procession of Ghosts and Goblins …. It’s Octoboooberr
The Village Halloween Parade
Don your costume and head out to New York’s biggest free Halloween tradition. The 46th annual Village Halloween Parade will feature countless floats, wild costumes, dancers and more. There is a VIP Robot Section in keeping with this year’s theme, “Wild Thing!” To guarantee a spot at this popular event, plan to get there early. Even better, walk in the parade yourself. (The route is Sixth Avenue between Spring Street and 16th Street, Manhattan, Oct. 31, 7 to 10:30 p.m., Halloween-nyc.com)
“Frankenstein” the musical
See the horrifying classic “Frankenstein” done as a two-act musical by composer and physicist Eric B. Sirota and director Clint Hromsco. ($39.50-$59.50; Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and at 11 a.m. on Nov. 20 and Dec. 18; St. Luke’s Theatre, 308 W. 46th St., thefrankensteinmusical.com)
“A Cynic’s Guide to Ghosts” tour
This Halloween tour takes you through the city to see the sites of some of the grisliest murders, where the CIA used prostitutes to dose unsuspecting men with LSD and where a hippie got cut in half and stuffed in a boiler, according to Hidden New York Tours. ($35; Oct. 12, 19, 26, 29, 30, Nov. 1-3, from 6 to 8 p.m., hiddennewyorktours.com)
“Killing an Evening with Edgar Allan Poe: Murder at the Merchant’s House”
John Kevin Jones, a Poe impersonator, will perform Poe’s tales “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Raven,” “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Cask of Amontillado” in the parlor, which will be made up with a coffin and mirrors in black crepe. ($40-$55, Sept. 24- Oct. 13 and Oct. 31-Nov. 3; 29 E. Fourth St., merchantshouse.org)
“Death, Mourning, and the Hereafter in Mid-19th Century New York”
As it does each October, the Merchant’s House Museum in the East Village is transforming into a house of mourning, with a mock funeral service set up in its parlor, coffin plates and postmortem photographs in the hallways, and even funeral biscuits in the servants’ kitchen. The exhibition explains what it was like when the Tredwell family mourned the death of its patriarch and six other family members. New this year, a costumed interpreter will portray Eliza Tredwell, the patriarch Seabury’s widow, and will greet guests and answer questions about life and death in the 19th century. ($15; Sept. 26-Nov. 4, Friday to Monday, 12 to 5 p.m.; guided tours, Friday to Monday at 2 p.m. and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.; 29 E. Fourth St.; merchantshouse.org)
Candlelight Ghost Tours … “Manhattan’s Most Haunted House”
Eight family members died in the Merchant House and their funerals were held in the parlor room. Venture through the three-story home by candlelight – of course – to hear about the ghostly happenings in the home. The museum is said to be the most haunted place in the city. ($45; Oct. 17-19, 23-26 and 28-30; 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.; 29 E. Fourth St.; merchantshouse.org)
“Chant Macabre: Songs from the Crypt”
Rarely performed, creepy songs by Schubert, Liszt, Debussy, Duparc, Loewe, Mussorgsky, Humperdinck and others from the 19th century will be sung by the Bond Street Euterpean Singing Society. ($30; Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.; the Merchant’s House Museum 29 E. Fourth St.; merchantshouse.org)
“At the Stroke of Midnight”
Join Dan Sturges the master of Sturges Paranormal, who has been documenting spooooky activity at the Merchant’s House Museum for more than a decade, for a late-night candlelight tour of the house. He’ll discuss his most chilling findings and stories from those who have seen, heard and felt things. ($100; Oct. 19 and 26 at 11:50 p.m.; 29 E. Fourth St.; merchantshouse.org)
“Halloween Extravaganza & Procession of the Ghouls”
A “Grand Procession” will saunter down the aisle at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York as part of this year’s Halloween Extravaganza and Procession of Ghouls. The annual event features characters by puppet and mask maker and theater director Ralph Lee, who created New York City’s Halloween Parade. There will also be a silent screening of the 1922 “Nosferatu” set to live organ music. ($27.50; Oct. 25 at 7 and 10 p.m.; 1047 Amsterdam Ave., Harlem; web.ovationtix.com)
“Crypt Crawls: Spotlight on Halloween”
Booo … listen to the stories of the crypt at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine this Halloween and see where the boooodies are buried. The guide will also discuss the origin of Halloween as a Celtic new year celebration. ($25; Oct. 25-26; at various times; meet at the church’s visitor’s center; 1047 Amsterdam Ave., Harlem; stjohndivine.org)
Children’s Halloween Parade March
Little ghouls & goblins are invited to gather at Washington Square Park’s fountain for free trick-or-treat bags, performances, games and rides, which will follow the parade on West Third Street, between LaGuardia Place and Mercer Street. (Free; Oct. 31 from 3 to 6 p.m.; Greenwich Village; washingtonsquareparkconservancy.org)
Bane Haunted House
Pack your cape and fangs … one of New Jersey’s top-rated haunted houses has moved to Manhattan and will open Sept 20. The five-floor building has more than 30 rooms, each one with different fears represented and actors who kidnap and touch guests. The story? Dr. Michael Bane experimented on animals in the family barn. One day, his daughter got bit by one of the experiments and the next morning, most of the family was found dead, except for Jennifer, Dr. Bane’s daughter. All of the props are realistic, including a real metal mortuary cooler. ($35; 7 to 11 p.m.; 618 W. 46th St., Hell’s Kitchen; banehauntedhouse.com)
Blood Manor
Get ready to be spooked at NYC’s premier haunted attraction. Ghosts, ghouls and goblins unite in their tattered best to scare the life out of anyone and everyone who dares to enter this haunted mansion. Join us … you have been warned. Blood Manor 359 Broadway; Bloodmanor.com
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