By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER MANHATTAN — Ghouls and goblins are preparing for a jam-packed weekend of Halloween celebrations for all ages planned throughout Inwood and Washington Heights.
The weekend kicks off with a spooky, but safe, Trick or Treat event Friday night at the Inwood Center, where children under age 12 are invited to come with a parent for candy treats, arts and crafts, pumpkin and face painting between 3 and 5 p.m.
In the evening, P.S. 187 hosts a Halloween movie night screening "How to Train Your Dragon" with kids invited to come in costume. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Early in the day Saturday, kids can attend the Pumpkins on Post event where Inwood families paint and decorate pumpkins together, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
At the Church of Latter-Day Saints kids can trick-or-treat in the afternoon as they enjoy carnival games and prizes.
Then at the Inwood Library, children can listen to a reading of "The Journey to Tir-Na-Og," a Halloween fairytale at 3 p.m. by the Rumpus Children's Theatre.
On Saturday night, kids and families can take part in the Mad Hatter’s Ball, which kicks off at 6 p.m. at the Muscota New School where they can strut their stuff to a DJ’s music or get their faces painted, nails done at a kids nail salon, face painting or make their way through a cardboard maze.
Or kids can go for a haunted nighttime walk as the New York Restoration Project hosts its Haunted Hike in Swindler Cove Park.
On Halloween Sunday, kids and adults have a spooktastic entertainment choices ranging from a haunted house and hula-hooping throughout the afternoon.
Washington Heights kicks off the holiday at noon at the J Hood Wright Halloween and Costume Party complete with a costume contest for dogs and dog owners.
Parents and children will celebrate the holiday with the “Floating Jack-o-Lantern Parade” that begins at P.S. 187 on Cabirini Boulevard and winds through Hudson Heights with parents and kids showing off their jack-o-lanterns to the neighbors.
In Inwood, Halloween revelers have their choice of kicking off the afternoon with some hula-hooping on the Indian Road lawn at Inwood Hill Park or spending time with parents of children younger than 12, babies included, before the sun goes down and the goblins come out.
Once the sun sets, the Inwood Hill Park Haunted Forest comes to life, featuring the Inwood Hill Nature Center transformed into a haunted house, with ghost stories by the fire, candy treats for all and Halloween-themed tours of the park.
For those not interested in candy, frightfully delicious pizza will be on the menu for all.
Friday, Oct. 29
Inwood Center Trick-or-Treat, Inwood Center, 5030 Broadway, 3 to 5 p.m., ages 12 and under with parents, free.
Halloween Movie Night, P.S. 187, 349 Cabrini Boulevard, doors open at 6:30 p.m., $5 suggested donation, food will be sold at location.
Saturday, Oct. 30
Pumpkins on Post, Post Avenue, between Tenth Avenue and Dyckman Street, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., family event, free.
"The Journey to Tir-Na-Og," Inwood Library, 4790 Broadway, 3 p.m., free.
Carnival games, prizes and trick-or-treating,The Church of Latter Day Saints, 1815 Riverside Drive, 2 to 4 p.m., free.
Mad Hatter’s Ball, Muscota New School, 4862 Broadway, cafeteria and gym, 6 to 9 p.m., $10 per family.
Haunted Hike, Swindler Cover Park, Dyckman Street and Ninth Avenue, 7 to 9 p.m., free.
Sunday, Oct. 31
J Hood Wright Halloween Costume Party with dog parade, Noon, Fort Washington Avenue and 175th Street, food and beverages served for dogs and dog owners, $5 entree fee.
Washington Heights Floating Jack-o-Lantern Parade, 6:30 p.m., P.S. 187 on 349 Cabrini Avenue and marches between 181st and 190th streets and Pinehurst Avenue, south of 187th Street.
Upper Manhattan Experience Hula-Hooping, Indian Road Lawn at Inwood Hill Park, 218th Street and Indian Road, 3 to 5 p.m.
Kids under 12, babies included, in costumes gather for treats, Inwood Hill Park, Indian Road lawn (north of baseball fields), 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., treats for parents and young children will be available.
Inwood Hill Park Haunted House, W. 218th Street entrance, Oct. 31 from 6 to 10 p.m., ages five and older, free, 212-304-2365.
