Halloween in New York. The city is full of costume parties, haunted houses, Halloween festivals and more pumpkin-themed events. Sure, the world seems scary enough without having to pay $40 for a man dressed as a killer clown to jump at you in the dark. But sometimes a good scare - in a controlled environment, of course - can give you the gut-wrenching thrill of relief that's hard to come by otherwise.
How is Halloween celebrated in New York City?
The entire month of October in New York is dedicated to Halloween and the highlight is October 31st. when there is a Halloween parade in the West Village and numerous parties. You usually have to buy a ticket for Halloween parties in clubs and bars. Basically, this festival is celebrated much larger, especially in New York, than in Europe. You will find lots of Halloween decorations around town, in shops, bars and restaurants. There are “scary” sweets in the supermarkets and you can dress up. The scarier or sexier the costume, the better.
What can you do on Halloween?
First the parade, watch the most famous Halloween parade in the world "Village Halloween Parade" on 6th Avenue between Spring Street and 16th Street in Manhattan, it starts at 7 p.m. Or better : dress up and just walk in the parade yourself! Registration is not required. Since just 6:30 p.m. (6:30 pm) on 6th Avenue and Canal Street. Get there early as the city will be very crowded. You walk the parade route for about 2 hours.
You can find the route of the parade on the map below
After the parade there are thousands of great parties and, as is usual in New York on famous holidays, you have to pay an entrance fee in all bars or buy the so-called "table service".
Where is the best place to buy a Halloween costume?
Numerous pop-up stores are opening around Times Square for a short period of time, for example simply enter Spirit Halloween into Google Maps. The costumes are usually a bit more expensive than, for example, the shop in the video below, which is open all year round. Halloween Adventure Shop, 104 4th Ave, New York, NY 10003
A few backgrounds about Halloween
The word Halloween comes from the term "All Hallows' Eve". It describes the folk customs of the evening and night before All Saints' Day and originally comes from Catholic Ireland. Irish immigrants introduced this custom to the USA, where this festival is now celebrated even more widely than in Ireland itself. On Halloween all evil spirits are supposed to be driven away. Have fun chasing away ghosts!