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October 23
60x60 Dance Brookfield Place Winter Garden; 12:30, 8pm; free
If you think you’ve had a productive week, just wait to see what 60 dance teams can do with one hour—more specifically, one minute each. This creative race against time will have you fully caught up on the world of modern dance after just 60 minutes.
Nerd Nite Nerdtacular Le Poisson Rouge; 7:30pm; $15
Forget the stuffiness of lecture series and participate in comprehensive (and hilarious) talks on Spider-Man, Sweet Valley High and your sick new guitar at this epic annual geek summit.
Visions of the Future with Hyphen Hub La MaMa Experimental Theater; 8pm; $15
The future of live concerts has arrived, and it apparently involves space transmissions, solar flares and 12-headed creatures. Check out this inventive, limitlessly surreal mixed media performance that looks way beyond our present day and into an epic new world of art.
Blur + Courtney Barnett Madison Square Garden; 8pm; $29.50–$85
After all these years, some of us still cleave to the battle lines drawn between Blur and Oasis fans in the ’90s. Prove your undying allegiance to the eternally rad British rockers when they bring their unexpected reunion tour to the Garden.
The Stepfathers Upright Citizens Brigade Theater; 9pm; $10
If you’re still improv-averse from seeing too many bad groups in college, you can get over your trauma and embrace NYC’s rich scene with this guaranteed hilarious show. Seven UCB pros go at it onstage, leaving you hunched over laughing—and totally addicted to solid improv.
Cole Escola is the First Gay President The Duplex; 9:30pm; $15 plus two-drink minimum
The Difficult People star goes bananas on stage with a collection of hysterically cracked characters, including no-nonsense Joyce and Extremely Frustrated Anchorwoman. Escola’s batty genius will have you up all night looking up his YouTube videos and recommending him to your friends.
Live Dubbed Sitcoms Videology, Brooklyn; 9:30pm; $5
Videology has gathered some quick-witted comedians to talk about spooky retro TV shows including The Munsters and The Addams Family at this hilarious viewing party where drinking is inevitable and paying attention to the plot is impossible.
Confetti Halloween Dance Party The Bell House, Brooklyn; 10pm; $10, before midnight $7
If your sexy Donald Trump or zombie Kim Davis costume is ready for action, why keep it in the closet for another week? Gather under the glitter and lose your mind (and your wig) at this epic dance night, featuring go-go dancers and DJs Average Jo, Battyjack and IZLA.
This Party is Killing You: Robyn-O-Ween Cameo Gallery, Brooklyn; 11pm; $10
Worship at the altar of pop’s platinum pixie goddess at this sweaty once-a-year dance celebration. Acolytes of some of the most devastating queens in pop will be packed in Cameo, belting out heartbreak ballads and dancing like Swedish superstars. Just make sure you know every word to Britney’s “Stronger,” Carly Rae’s “Your Type,” and pretty much every Robyn song ever before entering the diva arena.
October 24
Día de los Muertos at NYBG New York Botanical Garden; Oct 23, 24, 10am; $25
The NYBG’s stunning outdoor exhibit “Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life” closes on November 1, so take the chance to visit the phenomenal art-botany mash-up at these super-size Day of the Dead weekend editions, which feature stilt dancers, haunting skeletal marionettes, face-painting, candied-skull crafting and performances by lively violin acts the Villalobos Brothers.
Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Festival; 12pm; suggested $5 raffle ticket
The pièce de résistance of NYC’s doggy costume parades will offer $4,000 in prizes for the finest canine couture, so you and your dog better bring it. If you don’t yet have a companion to wear the canine Cinderella and Crimson Peak costumes you spent weeks sewing together, meet a new pet from Grateful Greyhounds, Bide-A-Wee, Friends of Animal Rescue and the Mayor’s Alliance for New York City Animals.
Thrill the World various venues; 2–11pm; $10–$40
Join a global reenactment of the greatest music video of all time, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” at this annual cult event. You can learn the moves, get your face zombified and party with other fabulous werewolves at a Masquerade ball from 2 to 6pm; then participate in the live dance. If the thrill of the night leaves you too wired to go home, head to a zombie crawl after-party and haunted tour of the East Village.
Age Gap Comedy Show The Experimental Comedy Gallery; 7:30pm; $10–$15
Watch veteran comics face off against the next generation of stand-ups in this epic comedy faceoff that hosts some of the best acts on either side of the millennial divide.
Disclosure Madison Square Garden; 8pm; $35–$85
Dauntless dance revelers will line up outside the garden for the chance to take off their jackets and dance themselves delirious to tracks from the radio-topping duo’s new album Caracal. Can we hope for a surprise appearance from the Weeknd?
Peaches + Deep Vally Irving Plaza; 8pm; $25
The gender-annihilator and synth-pop provocateur known for raging songs like “Fuck the Pain Away” and “Operate” brings her spectacularly obscene live antics to NYC for the tour of her new album, Rub. Expect dancers dressed as animals, gargantuan purple wigs and unstoppable sexual empowerment.
October 25
Tour De Bronx Bronx County Courthouse; 9am; free
Grab your wheels and tear through 25 or 40 miles before lunchtime at this free cycling event. After conquering all of the Bronx, rejoice with other energized athletes at a dance party at the New York Botanical Garden.
“Haunting Histories and Legends of Astoria: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino” Q.E.D., Queens; 1:30pm; $10
Rudolph Valentino, the angelically handsome “Latin Lover” of the silent film era died mysteriously in Manhattan…and has reportedly been seen since in Astoria. Learn one of cinema’s best-kept ghost stories at this fascinating lecture.
Halloween Costume Cruise Sunset Sail South Street Seaport, Pier 16; 2:30pm; $35–$55
Get a night away from the men of the city by quite literally escaping it for this all-ladies affair, which features costumes, cocktails and vittles on a three-story yacht.
Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Sail Central Park, Charles A. Dana Discovery Center; 3:30pm; free
Light up your perfect pumpkin and set it on the water at this annual Central Park ritual. By the time the sun sets, the park will be illuminated by scores of smiling jack-o’-lanterns.
NICE T!TS Peoples Improv Theater; 4pm; $15
Brazen comedian Amy Marcs journeys through the surreal world of doctors’ offices, support groups and more as she battles with a breast cancer diagnosis in this sharp one-woman show.
Moonlight Walking Tour Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn; 6pm; $20
The Green-Wood team has organized the eeriest walking tour this side of the Forbidden Forest, with historian Jeff Richman leading the way, a live accordionist providing creepy backup and plenty of haunting tombs to visit along the way.
American Beatbox Championship Finals Santos Party House; 7pm; $35
After several rounds of throat-wrenching battles, the world’s greatest beatbox artists will face off in their final gauntlet. Watch in awe as the masters drop impossibly fast beats, rhythms and sounds in a fierce battle for eternal beatbox glory.
The Séance Highlight Studios; 7, 9, 11pm; $60
Invest in the full Penny Dreadful experience at this intimate occult evening. Gather around the table with 12 strangers and participate in an 19-century-style séance with magician Jason Suran. What happens during the show may defy belief, but it’ll certainly be the most memorable night of your Halloween season.
Suicide Girls: Blackheart Burlesque Le Poisson Rouge; 9pm; $30–$90
The badass bombshells of the Suicide Girls community take to the stage with marvelously choreographed stripteases to some of your favorite genre obsessions and guilty pleasures, from Star Wars to The Fifth Element, scored to DJ sets of Muse, Disclosure and more.