Get us in your inbox

Search
Yellow leaves Central Park during Autumn in midtown Manhattan New York City.
Photograph: Songquan Deng / Shutterstock

NYC events in October 2023

Plan your month with the best NYC events in October 2023 including Oktoberfest, freaky haunted houses and more autumnal adventures.

Rossilynne Skena Culgan
Written by
Rossilynne Skena Culgan
Advertising

'Tis the season to get spooky! But beyond the best Halloween events, there are also plenty of other awesome NYC events in October 2023. Use our events calendar to plan the quintessential month for fall foliage spotting, pumpkin picking,Oktoberfest beer drinking and more things to do in fall.

Kick off fall with some epic cultural events you don't want to miss like Open House New York, a show at the new Perelman Performing Arts Center and major exhibits at The Met.

And just in case you want to plan ahead, here's our November event list to start marking your calendar.

RECOMMENDED: Full NYC events calendar for 2023

Featured NYC events in October 2023

  • Things to do
  • Festivals

The Village Halloween Parade—NYC’s creative and spooky procession—is one of the best Halloween events in Greenwich Village and it's coming back this year on Halloween, Tuesday, October 31. Each year, more than 50,000 zombies, ghouls, witches, monsters, robots, Jedis, giant puppets and more things that go bump in the night take to the streets for a night of costumed revelry that you won't want to miss. 

Advertising
  • Art
  • Art

Following successful runs in Madrid, Milan, Paris and Rome, the Balloon Museum is officially set to take over Pier 36 in The Seaport this fall.

Set in and outside of the 80,000-square-foot space, the new cultural destination will make its debut on October 27 with a new exhibit titled “Let’s Fly,” scheduled to run through January 14, 2024. 

Visitors are encouraged to interact with the installation, touching and feeling the various pieces exhibited. In terms of actual pieces, you can expect a 4,000-square-foot ball pit, inflatable lava lamps and the sorts of infinity rooms that you'll itch to post about on Instagram.

Tickets for the show are available right here.

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is back in two New York locations.

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze will be back in the Hudson Valley at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson for the 19th year through November 19, as well as Old Bethpage Village Restoration in Old Bethpage, Long Island for the fourth year through November 5.

Both experiences will feature thousands of hand-carved jack o'lanterns set up in elaborate displays: along with annual favorites like the Statue of Liberty and the Pumpkin Planetarium, you'll find a circus sideshow, a jack o’lantern tribute to the Day of the Dead, and the country's first-ever pumpkin Ferris wheel in Hudson Valley, while Long Island attendees can be wowed by an under-the-sea installation, including a giant pumpkin octopus and a Montauk mermaid. 

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Autumn brings some of the beautiful colors in nature with its crispy red leaves and bright orange pumpkins, so it's no surprise that Color Factory is going all out for the season as well.

The Soho immersive art museum is now presenting Haunted Hues, a Halloween-themed takeover, running through November 1 with plenty of tricks and treats. Tickets start at $39 and are on sale here.

The experience will include a pumpkin patch with a Color Factory twist, fun giveaways and fresh seasonal treats. Plus, guests can add on a new scavenger hunt to search for hidden monsters throughout the venue.

Advertising
  • Restaurants
  • Eating

Magic Hour at the Moxy Times Square is now dubbed "Pink Pumpkin Patch" for fall.

Pink Pumpkin Patch on the hotel’s 18th floor incorporates gourds of unexpected hues—some o’-lanterned—into the grassy Stories/TikTok wall, bench setup and aforementioned steps. There are also the apparently nude, human-sized anthropomorphic bunnies with which Magic Hour has aligned itself, and some hay. 

The Moxy’s Magic Hour’s Pink Pumpkin Patch’s menu also includes on-theme treats like a flaming pink pumpkin dessert, “mummy” Krispies and caramel apples and cupcakes with spiders and skulls on top, respectively. In a zag from “I’m gonna do a cute costume this year” to the macabre, timely tipples include the doctor death, a bright red mix of rum and Vita Coco divided into a duo of IV-style bags for you and your boo, and the also moribund kiss of death, containing a way-less-threatening-than-it-sounds combination of rose petal gin, raspberry tea, lemon, and prosecco.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Thousands of stories lie beneath the grounds at the historic Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, and this season, those tales are coming back to life through a variety of tours. Tours highlight everything from the cemetery’s Egypt-inspired art to fall foliage to tales of murder, mayhem, spirits and the utterly bizarre. If you dare, there are also midnight and after-hours tours where you can explore the grounds after dark.

Other highlights include the Concerts in the Catacombs series on Wednesday, October 4 and Thursday, October 5; a large-scale altar installation honoring Dia de los Muertos from October 15 through November 5; and the return of Nightfall, a 21-and-over evening of music and moving image on October 20.

Check out the full lineup of fall programming, and register for events, at the Green-Wood Cemetery website

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

If you want your spooky celebrations to be more festive and less frightening, Halloween House is serving up a fear-free All Hallows Eve attraction at The Oculus this fall.

Kicking off on Friday, September 29, and running through Wednesday, November 1, Halloween House—which welcomed 100,000 visitors across its various locations last year—will take over the transportation and shopping hub at 185 Greenwich Street with an array of immersive, intricately designed themed rooms: a Glow in the Dark space, a mysterious Vampires' Lair, a Horror Movie Graveyard and an indoor pumpkin patch, among others. 

Unlike traditional haunted houses, the all-ages Halloween House "sets itself apart by delivering entertainment through meticulously detailed environments, devoid of actors, jump scares, and strobe lights," reads a press release. In terms of decorations, expect more ghouls and graveyards, not gross-out gore or ghastly characters.

You can get tickets at the Halloween House website; adult entry costs $40, while tickets for kids and under are set at $35. 

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

The fall festival at the Bronx Zoo will showcase more than 5,000 carved, animal-themed pumpkins in a jack-o’-lantern trail stretching over half a mile. Live pumpkin carving demonstrations, games, festive fall treats and food trucks will also take place at the all-ages Pumpkin Nights.

Pumpkin Nights are now on the schedule and run on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Sunday, October 29 from 6pm to 10pm.

Tickets for Pumpkin Nights range from $26.95-$36.95 for adults; kids' tickets range from $24.95-$26.95 for kids. 

In addition to the new Pumpkin Nights, the Bronx Zoo will continue the tradition of Boo at the Zoo, which will return on Saturdays and Sundays, September 30 through October 29, plus Monday, October 9. 

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Grab your garlic because a vampire masquerade is making its debut in NYC this fall, and it's going to be truly immersive. "Dreams of Dracula: An Immersive Masquerade Experience" will recreate the classic Dracula universe as a brand new vampire theatrical adventure.

The production opens on October 4 and runs through November 11 at Musica NYC in Hell's Kitchen; previews begin September 22. Gothic and Victorian costumes are "very much encouraged," event organizers say. Tickets start at $69 and are available for purchase here.

Putting a new spin on the Bram Stoker classic, this choose-your-own-adventure evening whisks visitors through two floors and six rooms across 25,000 square feet for a heady mix of immersive theater, dance and decadent masquerade.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Back for its annual celebration of all things pumpkin (and your best opportunity to take a selfie with a scarecrow in NYC), New York Botanical Garden's Fall-O-Ween officially opens on Saturday, September 16. 

The event includes hundreds of pumpkins and gourds on display, hands-on activities like mini pumpkin decorating, 3D pumpkin carving, food and beverage talks, tastings and more. Two family-friendly Spooky Garden Nights (Saturday, October 21 and Saturday, October 28) will also offer Halloween-themed entertainment including dancing skeletons, decorating trick-or-treat bags, live shadow puppets, plant potting ad more. 

Master pumpkin carver Adam Bierton will return to NYBG on select weekends to create his intricate and nature-inspired pumpkin carvings, and to host a master carver competition. At the “pumpkin patch” at NYBG Shop, guests can pick and purchase the perfect pumpkin.

Advertising
  • Restaurants
  • Drinking

Join an elite group this Halloween season: The League of Inebriation Technology (L.I.T.), a storied institution dedicated to studying the celebratory effects of alcohol. Get in on the fun at The Drunken Laboratory, a bar in Brooklyn where you’ll wear lab coats and goggles for a night of sipping drinks and doing science. 

The bar's Haunted Laboratory experience includes a ghostly drink menu, haunted decor and scare actors for a truly immersive experience. Tickets are on sale now starting at $45; the experience in Bed-Stuy has dates running through the finale on Halloween night. 

During the event, guests will try to free the laboratory from the clutches of the supernatural. Plus, you’ll get to compete against each other—from performing exothermic reaction experiments that send heat erupting into the air, to competing in ghoulish trivia quizzes—for the chance to win free themed shots, merch or hangover kits. 

  • Movies
  • Movies

Rooftop Cinema Club is screening rooftop movies this fall with a packed slate of films running all the way through October 31. 

Sip wine and eat vegan popcorn while watching classics like When Harry Met Sally, The Addams Family, Hocus Pocus and lots more this autumn. Tickets are on sale here.

October's lineup include scary screenings such as Rosemary’s Baby, Paranormal, The Exorcist, The Shining, American Psycho and other cult classics as well as family favorites like Coco and Monsters, Inc. That all leads up to All Hallow's Eve's screenings of Hocus Pocus and Halloween.

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Prepare to scream in horror. Blood Manor is confirmed to return to New York City this fall from September 29-November 4, marking the haunted house's 20th season in the city. 

To celebrate two decades of terrifying New Yorkers, Blood Manor will present yet another theater-quality production. The space in Soho at 359 Broadway will include three new rooms, and brand-new costumes by designers from Abracadabra, Manhattan's iconic Halloween store. The multiroom immersive experience employs professional actors, set designers and makeup artists, and promises to leave visitors more afraid than ever in 2023. 

Blood Manor’s most infamous attractions will return for repeat visitors looking to relive their self-induced terrors, and the space will be revamped, and amplified to intensify the fear factor. Visitors will journey through dark, sinister corridors filled with twisted characters and jumpscares at every turn.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Spine-chilling pop-up bar series Black Lagoon is coming back this month. 

The "adult Halloween celebration of your nightmares" from bar experts Kelsey Ramage and Erin Hayes will return with immersive Halloween pop-ups in cocktail bars across 19 cities this October, including here in New York at Pretty Ricky's (101 Rivington Street). The experience will feature a curated cocktail menu of eerie Halloween-themed drinks created by Ramage and Hayes, as well as transforming the hosting drinking dives into macabre dens festooned with frightfully fun decor. 

This spot really puts the BOO in booze.

Advertising
  • Art
  • Art

Long before Pablo Picasso's works made it to major American museums, an art collector in Brooklyn identified the artist's talents and believed his works should be displayed. In fact, he wanted to hang Picasso's works on his very own walls. 

In 1910, Hamilton Easter Field commissioned Picasso to adorn a room in his Brooklyn Heights home with murals, but Picasso didn't finish the works before Field died. Now, for the first time, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is bringing together six paintings linked to the commission. "Picasso: A Cubist Commission in Brooklyn" is now open and runs through January 14, 2024.

"It's an important aspect of Picasso's work that has been not researched on that level, has been not known before we embarked on this project," The Met's director Max Hollein said. "I hope the exhibition will be as revelatory to our audience as it has been to us."

  • Art
  • Art

When genius meets genius, there’s often an explosion of creativity and inspiration but sometimes it leaves relationships in shambles. Enter Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas—two of modern art’s biggest players—who were actual "frenemies" to the very end.

In fact, the relationship was so fraught that Manet once ripped a beautiful Degas painting in half!

Drama among artists is what we live for, so this fall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art's new exhibition, "Manet/Degas" will be the one to see. It is the first art show to put the French impressionists’ relationship on blast and expose the sort of dialogue they had together through their art. 

Across 160 paintings and works on paper, "Manet/Degas" unfolds a tale of two wealthy French artists who were undeniably inspired by each other but just couldn’t keep it together.

Advertising
  • Theater
  • Theater & Performance

The Perelman Performing Arts Center has officially opened to the public, marking the final piece in the puzzle of the World Trade Center site. Twenty-two years after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, officials say the site offers hope at the sacred ground.

The Perelman is the only major performing arts venue in Lower Manhattan. Its opening, former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, adds to the vibrancy and growth of Lower Manhattan.

Events this month include:

  • An intimate “Evening with Brian Stokes Mitchell” (October 5). 
  • 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition (October 14 and 15)
  • Actress and creator of the “Red Table Talk” series Jada Pinkett Smith (October 16).
  • Art
  • Art

He's one of our most famous New Yorkers—now legendary director Spike Lee (Do The Right Thing, Crooklyn, The 25th Hour) is getting his own immersive installation at the Brooklyn Museum this fall.

Running from Friday, October 6, 2023 through Sunday, February 4, 2024, at the museum's Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing and Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery, "Spike Lee: Creative Sources" will delve into the world, works and influences of the acclaimed director who, though born in Atlanta, Georgia, was raised and revered as one of New York's own, particularly in the borough of Brooklyn. 

The exhibit will feature more than 300 works from Lee's personal collection, "items that have been touchpoints for Lee and the topics he explores on-screen," the museum released.

Advertising
  • Restaurants
  • Drinking

Grab your blue suede shoes and and get ready for an Elvis-themed pop-up coming to NYC this fall. 

Adorably dubbed "Love Me (Bar)Tender," expect wildly retro decor, Elvis-themed cocktails, music from Memphis bands and a photobooth. It'll be free to visit on October 5 and 6 with advance registration (it's sold out, but sign up here to get alerts) on the Upper West Side.

The pop-up is inspired by The Jungle Room, the den at the Presleys Graceland mansion. The room harkens back to 1965 and was decorated in Hawaiian-style decor including green shag carpet on the floor (and ceiling!), a rock waterfall and a lacquered tiki bar.

  • Things to do
  • Festivals

Get your silicone ears and Infinity Gauntlets ready: The biggest pop culture event in North America is back—New York Comic Con 2022! It's back in person this year from October 6-9 and filled with can’t-miss panels, celebrities and all the cosplay you could ever fantasize about, this event is one of the best things to do in fall. Don't forget to binge the best superhero and action movies on Netflix before you tune in to get in the spirit!

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

In celebration of The Great Gatsby's century-long success, party organizers Rosé Lifestyle and experience creators Bucket Listers are bringing their iconic 2015 immersive event, The Great Gatsby, to six cities around the United States, including where the story is based—New York. 

On October 6 and 7, ticket holders will be directed to iconic downtown destination Capitale at 130 Bowery for an evening of live music, burlesque stars, theatrical acts, aerialists performances and much more. You can even reserve a “Jay Gatsby Table” for an exclusive, roped-off experience that will guarantee you better views of the stage to be enjoyed alongside table service. 

Tickets to The Great Gatsby Party are available right here.  

  • Art
  • Art

Of course, we all think our beloved pets are works of art, but now Fotografiska New York, the contemporary photography museum in Gramercy Park, is happily agreeing with us. 

This fall, the museum will stage “Best in Show: Pets in Contemporary Photography,” a sprawling art exhibition exploring “the role our furry (and feathered) friends have played in culture and how they stand in as representations of status, power, loyalty, compassion and companionship."

The exhibit, on view through January 2024, features more than 130 photographs—both artfully arranged portraits and amusing candid snaps—and video installations from 24 global artists across two museum floors.

Advertising
  • Restaurants
  • Drinking

The public's thirst for all things immersive continues strong.

Case in point: "Welcome to the Continental: The Hotel Bar Experience," a new pop-up at 82 Beaver Street in the Financial District inspired by the much-anticipated John Wick prequel, The Continental: From the World of John Wick.

According to an official press release, at the pop-up, guests will be able to "venture into the hotel's cryptic underworld for an unforgettable evening of decadent cocktails and live, interactive storylines with in-world characters and photo ops."

Reservations for the immersive experience are already open and you can make yours right here. The space will be open from September 27 through October 1 and then again from October 4 to the 8. 

  • Music
  • Music

“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” the titular performer's seminal solo debut album, turns 25 years old this year. The 1998 neo-soul record produced classic tracks like "Doo Wop (That Thing)", "Ex-Factor" and "Everything Is Everything" and earned Hill five Grammy awards, making the singer-rapper the first woman to receive that many awards in one night. 

After the anniversary tour plays Newark (Lauryn Hill is a Jersey girl, after all) on Tuesday, October 17 at Prudential Center, it will make its way to NYC with a Brooklyn show on Thursday, October 19 at Barclays Center.

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • City Life

Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace is back at Rockefeller Center through October. 

The rink offers smooth ride with plenty of space to get around other skaters. Being able to glide by Prometheus and in front of spectators visiting Rockefeller Center is quite a thrill. Before Flipper’s first opened last year, the last time anyone roller-skated here was in 1940!

Tickets start at just over $20 for a one-hour rink time.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Eighty years ago, as World War II raged on, Danish citizens worked together to ferry 7,000 Jewish people to safety, keeping them out of concentration camps. 

Now, New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will commemorate that anniversary, known as one of the most effective examples of mass resistance in modern history. "Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark" will debut on October 15, 2023; it’s the museum’s first exhibition developed for elementary-age students.

The exhibit focuses on themes of separation, bravery and resilience to help children ages 9+ reflect on the dangers of prejudice and on their own potential for courageous collective action.

Advertising
  • Music
  • Music

From The Marcy Houses to the biggest stages in the world, Jay-Z has always represented Brooklyn. Now Brooklyn is radiating that love back to him with a major, free exhibition called The Book of HOV on view at Brooklyn Public Library.

The exhibit chronicles the journey and impact of Shawn Carter through thousands of archived objects, including original recording masters, never-before-seen photos, iconic stage wear, prestigious awards and videos. Roc Nation created the exhibit as a surprise to the renowned hip-hop star as the city celebrates 50 years of the genre that started right here in New York City. See it at Brooklyn's Central Library along Grand Army Plaza during regular library hours through this fall (an exact closure date hasn't been set).

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

The phrase “women’s work” is often used derisively to indicate labor that’s seen as “less than,” but a new exhibit at New-York Historical Society reclaims that phrase. Aptly titled "Women's Work," the show chronicles the history of women's contributions to labor and how those efforts are both inherently political and essential to American society. 

The exhibit features dozens of objects in the museum's collection from indenture documents to medical kits to military uniforms. With items ranging from the 1740s to today, the show celebrates the strides society has made in equality while not shying away from highlighting the gender-based inequalities that persist today.

"Women's Work" is on view through August 18, 2024 in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery at New-York Historical Society on the Upper West Side.

  • Restaurants
  • Eating

The former Astor Place Kmart, which shuttered in 2021, will soon become an 82,000-square-foot Wegmans—and there’s finally an official opening date!

The Wegmans at 770 Broadway between Lafayette Street and Broadway will be the beloved grocery chain’s first Manhattan location and will include a 94-seat seafood restaurant with a Champagne-Oyster Bar and a 10-seat sushi bar with omakase, which will open in the first half of 2024.

The bi-level store is slated to open at 9am on Wednesday, October 18, and has a 30-year lease anticipates the longevity of the supermarket, meaning it’s not going anywhere (knock on wood)!  

Advertising
  • Restaurants
  • Eating

Pepsi's 125th birthday will be one for the books. Pepsi will celebrate the historic anniversary with a fittingly long campaign—125 days, to be exact, stretching through New York's Eve—that includes a fresh logo, new packaging and even an immersive dining experience in New York City. 

From Thursday, October 19 through Wednesday, October 25, the soft-drink brand will host the Pepsi 125 Diner in midtown Manhattan. Inspired by the "timeless American diner," the immersive pop-up will honor some of the most memorable moments in the company's history, including “Is Pepsi OK,” “The Pepsi Girl,” “Pepsi-Cola Soda Shop” and more. 

Seatings will be available at the diner in two-hour increments, with tickets starting at $50 per person. The experience includes a three-course meal, as well as complimentary Pepsi beverages and 21-and-over cocktails. Fans can sign up for priority pre-sale access at The Pepsi 125 Diner website.

  • Things to do

Autumn is the time to pick two of the season’s most emblematic fruits: apples and pumpkins. Fortunately there are some fantastic farms where you can go apple and pumpkin picking near NYC. These farms and orchards will get you into that fuzzy fall feeling in no time.

There’s nothing quite like taking a bite out of a crisp apple straight from the tree (even better, taking home a basketful for making pie), and your Halloween pumpkin will be that much more special when you pick it right off the vine. You’ll find a wide variety of apples and pumpkins at these farms, plus fun activities like hayrides, corn mazes and petting zoos. Don’t miss hot apple cider and other fresh-made treats at the farmstand. Apple picking and pumpkin picking have never been better at these NYC-area farms.

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • Walks and tours

You might think leaf-peeping is primarily for New Englanders, but New Yorkers have plenty of options for viewing the foliage in and around the city. From a stroll through a park to a train ride through the Adirondacks, natural beauty is definitely within reach, and we've tips on exactly where to go to admire it. And if New York City fall foliage is not enough, check out our guide to all the other great spots where you can see fall foliage in the US.

Recommended
    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising