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Celebrate Halloween on the UWS With Activities for Every Age Group

By Emily Frost | October 21, 2015 9:57am
 We've found activities for every age range throughout the neighborhood so you can have an extra fun and festive Halloween. 
Halloween Activities on the Upper West Side
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UPPER WEST SIDE — In a dense residential neighborhood like the Upper West Side, Halloween can be a blast for young trick-or-treaters and those who enjoy the decorations dotting the area's brownstones.

But the good fortune of local Halloween revelers doesn't stop there, as the neighborhood's institutions and parks also offer up ghoulish, creepy and fun activities. 

We've selected the best activities for this Halloween for every age group. 

Trick or Treat at the American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West at West 79th Street
Oct. 31 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Explore the museum in your costume, fill up your bag with candy and meet characters like Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Wild Thing, Peter Rabbit and Llama Llama, who will be roving the halls. There will also be musical guests and performers from the Big Apple Circus at this celebration, which is perfect for little kids and bigger ones, too.

Tickets are  $14 ($12 for members) and you can call or visit the website to purchase them.

Central Park Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Flotilla

Charles A. Dana Discovery Center near the Harlem Meer,
Mid-park in Central Park, just south of West 110th Street
Oct. 25 from 3:30 to 7 p.m.

Families can bring a carved jack-o’-lantern to the Harlem Meer, place a light in it and set it with a flotilla of pumpkins. There’s also a chance for kids to dance in a costume parade.

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine’s Crypt Crawl

1047 Amsterdam Ave at West 114th Street
Oct. 30 from 4 to 5 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m.
Oct. 31 from 1 to 2 p.m., 2 to 3 p.m., 3 to 4 p.m. and 4 to 5 p.m.

This activity is perfect for kids who are just verging on being too old to trick-or-treat but still want a fun way to mark the holiday. Join a guided tour of the cathedral’s crypt lit only by a flashlight and learn about the people entombed there, as well as the origins of Halloween.

Participants must be 12 years of age. Tickets are $25 each, and $20 for students and seniors.

Hansel and Gretel's Halloween Adventure

The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, Central Park
West 79th Street and West Drive
Oct. 1-31, Tuesday through Friday at 10:30 a.m. and noon; additional show on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Marionettes Hansel and Gretel go on a magical Halloween adventure in which they encounter all kinds of characters, including mermaids, pirates, monsters and vampires. Tickets are $7 for children and $10 for adults.

Halloween Spooktacular

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan
212 W. 83rd St.
Oct. 26 from 4 to 6 p.m.

This event is perfect for little ones who want to show off their costumes a little early or more than once. Guests are invited to dress up in costumes and experience an afternoon full of Halloween-themed activities at the museum, as well as live performances. Children will receive a goodie bag to take home.

Tickets are $30 each for children and adults or $110 for a family of four. 

"Nothing to Be Afraid Of": Music from the Pit Stop Players

Christ & Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church at 120 West 69th St.
Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m.

The chamber ensemble Pit Stop Players will perform music from “Psycho” and “Vertigo,” as well as Bartok’s “Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta,” used in  “The Shining,” among other creepy musical selections.

Tickets are $25 and $15 for students.

Superhero Celebration

New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
Oct. 31 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The annual Halloween party celebrates the new exhibit "Superheroes in Gotham." Kids and adults can test their strength against a real-life strongman, make trick-or-treat bags, and create a tasty "graveyard goop" dessert. Guests can also make their own superhero, get their superpower fortune told, and test their knowledge in a super-villain trivia contest.

$12 per person ($10 for members). Online tickets: $10 per person through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, October 29.

Treats Along Columbus Avenue on Halloween

Magnolia Bakery at 200 Columbus Ave. is selling cupcakes adorned with haunted creatures or the word "Boo!" for $3.50 each to celebrate the holiday. 

Corks on Columbus at 313 Columbus Ave. will be handing out lots of candy (whether their parents buy wine or not), said owners Raul Nunez and Brad Segal. 

Yogurt & Candy World at 442 Columbus Ave. will hand out candy to kids starting in the afternoon. 

Bistro Cassis at 225 Columbus Ave. will hand out treats to all kids in costume. 

Ocean Grill at 384 Columbus Ave. will give out treats to kids in costumes and is also participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project by giving out allergy-free treat bags to kids who suffer from allergies. 

Cafe Frida at 368 Columbus Ave. will have a Day of the Dead altar for kids to check out and candy for trick-or-treaters.

Eileen Fisher at 341 Columbus Ave. is handing out candy and will host a jack-o'-lantern drawing contest. The artist behind the winning picture will receive a $25 gift certificate to Book Culture.

Find dozens more Halloween activities taking place across the city here.

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