New York City Halloween Events Archives

Boo at the Zoo at the Bronx Zoo

Boo at the Zoo Returns to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo

Boo at the Zoo Bronx Zoo

Celebrate a New York Halloween tradition at WCS’s Bronx Zoo

Safe, family-friendly activities include:

The Haunted Habitat Mansion

Creepy Hollows Hayride

Costume Parade

Music, Magic, and MORE

Master Carver Pumpkin carving demonstrations

kids haunted hayride

Boo at the Zoo festivities run FIVE weekends beginning this Saturday, Sept. 29!

Sept. 29-30; Oct. 6-8, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28

Boo at the Zoo returns to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo for five full weekends of Halloween-themed family entertainment and activities. Attractions and activities embrace the spirit of the season while highlighting wildlife and conservation.

Annual favorites including a haunted walk-through adventure – The Haunting at Habitat Mansion – and the spooky Hayride through Creepy Hollows headline the festivities and have been enhanced for this year’s Boo at the Zoo. Visitors will enjoy magic shows, musical performances, and costume parades in addition to traditional guest favorites including the hay maze, haunted extinct graveyard and special seasonal craft workshops.

Children 12 and under wearing a Halloween costume will receive free general admission with one paid adult general admission. All Boo at the Zoo activities are included with the price of general admission with the exception of the hayride and haunted mansion.. The Creepy Hollows Hayride and the Haunting at Habitat Mansion walk-through adventure are included with the purchase of a Total Experience Ticket.

From Monday, Sept. 17, guests that purchase four or more Total Experience Tickets online will receive a plush snake hat created in the spirit of Boo at the Zoo. Offer is good while supplies last.

Guests are encouraged to visit www.bronxzoo.com for a complete schedule of keeper chats, animal enrichment sessions, and family activities.

Boo at the Zoo activities include:

The Haunting at Habitat Mansion

The Habitat Mansion, once owned by wildlife conservationist Dr. Benton Broome, is said to be the most haunted landmark in the Bronx Zoo. Dr. Broome left his legacy of preserving animal wildlife, habitats and conserving the earth’s precious ecological resources to his son, Dusty. But Dusty is not up for the challenge and the ghost of his father wants to ensure the memory of all endangered species is not forgotten. In the Haunted Habitat mansion, ghosts of the past, visions of extinct animals, and the messages of Dr. Broome’s ghostly house servants encourage guests to remember the importance of protecting wildlife from the threat of extinction. Mansion admission is included with Total Experience Tickets.

Location; By Somba Village

Time; 11:00am- 5:00pm

Creepy Hollows Hayride

Enjoy a thrilling hay ride beneath a canopy of beautiful fall foliage past the Birds of Prey exhibit and through the animated town of “Creepy [Read more…]

Ascarium: A Pirate Adventure at the NY Aquarium

Ascarium: A Pirate Adventure, brings a new thematic to the NY Aquarium as a part of this season’s Halloween celebration. A range of pirate themed, kid-friendly, not so scary experiences will be part of this year’s festivities to continue the tradition of providing Brooklyn and area families with a great destination for their Halloween celebration.

Ascarium combines the fun of this iconic holiday with the NY Aquarium’s mission of connecting people to wildlife. Ascarium will run the last three weekends in October (October 13-14, 20-21 and 27-28).

This year’s activities will include:

Haunted Seafari; The Tragic Tale of Captain Paul Looter

This year’s seafari adventure takes guests into the sunken ship of Captain Paul Looter, an awful pirate captain and a deep-sea criminal. Guests will enter the quarters of Captain Looter, where he still guards his gold coins, gold objects and scores of treasures from beyond his watery grave.

Our ship explorers then head into the Briny Brig, where our deteriorating devil crew are paying the cost for their pirating as well as their overfishing the waters and poaching some of the seas most magnificent, and endangered species. They are egged on to exit the ship and have a few choices…will they WALK THE PLANK to their doom Or will they head ON DECK?

Walking thru the Brig Portal…our treasure hunters will find the deck of the ship. Finally finding their way, our explorers are dumped onto the seashore, where all is NOT well. The effects of Looter & his slimy crew have polluted this craggy-rocked landscape. But it seems that Captain Looter has learned his lesson. His ghostly image speaks to us to let us know that he realizes now – that treasures are not in gems or gold, but the greatest treasure of all is the marine life and clean water that support our planet and it inhabitants.

Location: Explore the Shore

Timing: 11:30am – 4:30pm

Pirate School!

Pirate School! is a madcap, swashbuckling one-man family vaudeville show created and performed by veteran New York physical comedian and actor David Engel. During Pirate School! the bumbling professor Billy Bones teaches youngsters how to be good pirates with zany lessons on how to stand, talk, sing and laugh like Buccaneers, skulls talk, cutlasses drop and pets run amok. And there’s marine conservation information incorporate as part of the programming. Ultimately Pirate School! aims to satisfy children’s universal curiosity about the briny Buccaneers of yore while subtly boosting their self-esteem and pro-social skills by prompting them to be more empathetic, responsible, courageous Corsairs.

Location; Seaside Pavilion

Timing; October 13,14,27,28

11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm

Musical Performance

The Brigands, a four piece musical group performing period pirate and nautical related music, will be the featured musicians. Their performances will include songs, ballads and fiddle tunes from roughly 1680 onwards, from the Golden Age of Piracy, thru the Tall Ships era right up to modern day with [Read more…]