GREENWICH VILLAGE — From a costume consultant at a store for aspiring inventors to a special cotton candy cocktail at a Michelin-starred restaurant, the Village and SoHo has Halloween fun in store for New Yorkers of all ages.
The obvious neighborhood draw is the decades-old Village Halloween Parade, consistently drawing tens of thousands of New Yorkers to participate and watch yearly, and countless more following along on television. Costumed folks can gather at Sixth Avenue and Canal Street between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and everyone else can line up anywhere along the parade route.
►HERE'S THE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARADE ROUTE (AND HOW TO AVOID THE CROWDS)
While the parade is generally kid-friendly, this year's grand marshal is the Dos Equis mascot, "The Most Interesting Man in the World," which may indicate that the festivities will skew slightly older this year.
Not to worry — the Village still has plenty of fun for younger New Yorkers, as well as additional non-parade activities for grownups. Here's a quick guide to help you get ready for the big day.
COSTUMES
► Observant Sixth Avenue strollers may have noticed that a warehouse-sized store opened a few months ago, hawking cheap Ricky's-type goods for cash only. The store is in fact a Ricky's offshoot, selling extremely marked-down overstock from the cosmetics and costume chain. The place is currently overflowing with Halloween gear for all sizes and styles, from creepy to sexy to creepy-sexy. Romeo's Radical Steals & Deals, 307 Sixth Ave., Greenwich Village.
► Expert "invention advisors" at the littleBits store on West Broadway will help you "Hack Your Costume" on Oct. 24 or Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to noon or 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Each session costs $25 and interested tricksters and treat-seekers can register online for one-hour sessions. Don't forget to bring a costume! littleBits, 355 West Broadway, SoHo.
► Procrastinating teens can head to the Whitney Museum Halloween evening between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. for help making their last-minute costume, art materials and snacks provided. No RSVP required, open to all NYC high schoolers in grades nine throough 12. (More on the Whitney's Halloween teen event below.) The Whitney Museum, 99 Gansevoort St., Meatpacking District.
ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS AND TEENS
► Trick-or-treating can be a bummer for kids with food allergies, but or the second year in a row, a select group of NYC restaurants are helping make Halloween fun for those kids, in an initiative called the Teal Pumpkin Project led by the Food Allergy Research & Education Association. The restaurants will display a teal pumpkin in their windows as a sign that they have special non-food treats like toys, bookmarks and stickers. Local participants include Bill's Bar & Burger in the Meatpacking District at 22 Ninth Ave. at West 13th Street, Dos Caminos in the Meatpacking District at 675 Hudson St. at 14th Street, and Dos Caminos' SoHo location at 475 West Broadway at Houston Street.
► The Village Halloween Parade can be a little overwhelming and run a little too late for some kids, so New York University and Community Board 2 join forces every year for a special parade for little ones. Now in its 25th year, the Children's Halloween Parade is known as the city's largest free Halloween celebration for kids citywide. Parents and kids between the ages of three and 12 meet by the Washington Square Arch no later than 1 p.m. to kick off the parade, which ends with free trick-or-treat bags, games and rides waiting for kids at LaGuardia Place. The festivities end at 4 p.m. Washington Square Arch, Fifth Avenue and Waverly Place, Greenwich Village.
Check out this video for an idea of the fun in store:
► For Halloween, NYC teens in grades 9 through 12 can stop in to the Whitney Museum on Oct. 31 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to check out galleries with the guidance of Youth Insight Leaders, make art, get their tarot cards read, and show off their costumes or make their own right there at the museum. The Whitney is providing snacks and art materials, and encourages all attendees to bring friends. No RSVP required. The Whitney Museum, 99 Gansevoort St., Meatpacking District.
FUN FOR GROWNUPS
► Michelin-starred West Village joint Piora is offering a special Cotton Candy cocktail, on the menu only through Oct. 31. The restaurant promises The Cotton Candy Old-Fashioned, priced at $16, will "appeal to the mature, seasoned drinker." Created by their head bartender, the beverage is made by placing a ball of cotton candy, made in-house, in a rocks glasses, then pouring a traditional Old Fashioned over the mound so it melts into the drink. Piora, 430 Hudson St., West Village.
Check out Piora Head Bartender Shinya Yamao in action making his concoction:
► Greenwich Village music venue (le poisson rouge) is hosting a Halloween dance party on Oct. 30 for those who want a Friday night pre-game to the big day. Australian electro-pop foursome Strange Talk is headlining, with performances by fellow Aussies Intergalactix and New York City's own GERMANS, described by le poisson as moody disco pop about breaking up, making up and feeling good about feeling bad." Strange Talk's irresistible dance beats and bouncy vocals recall the new wave synthpop of the 80s and are reminiscent of bands like Phoenix and Cut Copy. Attendees must be 18 or older and the show starts at 8 p.m., with the doors opening at 6 p.m. General admission, standing (or dancing) room only. (le poisson rouge), 158 Bleecker St., Greenwich Village.
Here's a sampling of the bubbly space-pop sound of Intergalactix, and a Strange Talk video below:
► Not for the faint of heart, Blood Manor in Hudson Square is determined to be the scariest haunted house in New York City. They advise visitors not to wear white or expensive clothing and the experience is "not recommended" for children under 14, "and is certainly not appropriate for young children." Any who do show up must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. (Blood Manor warns, in the same breath, that no refunds are provided for those who can't stick it out.) It is also not recommended with people with heart or back problems, pregnant women, people prone to seizures or "anyone who has an affliction that is made worse by fear, anxiety or flashing lights." If that doesn't deter you, tickets can be purchased online or at the door. Blood Manor, 163 Varick St., Hudson Square.
