October means a lot of things in New York City. More changing of the leaves, new sports seasons, items with pumpkin spice . . . and Halloween. Yes, we have art exhibits, festivals, movies and concerts, and we cover some of those, but as the month progresses it’s mostly ghostly stuff in our list of things to do. Read on to get into the spirit.
October 1: Say Boo at the Zoo up in the Bronx
October 2: Let the spirits fly at the Haunted Cocktail Soireein Lower Manhattan
October 3: It’s not just October in NYC. It’s Archtober. See today’s building of the day: the Battery Maritime.
October 4: Prepare for the postseason (!) as the Mets host their next-to-last regular season game at Citi Field (it’s against the Washington Nationals, but at this point, does that even matter?)
October 5: See the work of self-taught artist Nellie Mae Rowe at Brooklyn Museum
October 6: It’s Comic Con time again at the Javits Center (it runs through the weekend, so there’s plenty of time for cosplay)
October 7: The Salem Witch Trials exhibit at New-York Historical Society opens
October 8: Become a child or adult of the corn at the Queens County Farm Museum’s Amazing Maize Maze
October 9: Join Elvis Mitchell for a Q&A after the New York Film Festival screening of his doc Is That Black Enough for You
October 10: Every day is Oktoberfest (at least from September 2 to October 31) at the Seaport's Watermark bar
October 11: Grab your bottle of emperor tomato ketchup and see Stereolab at Brooklyn Steel
October 12: We know cemeteries can be spooky at night. But come early (like 7:15am early) to Birding in Peace at Green-Wood Cemetery for a different experience.
October 13: Before the B-52s retire to their own private Idaho, roam with them at the Beacon Theatre
October 14: Highlights of this day at the NYC Wine & Food Festival include dinner with Marcus Samuelsson and a disco cocktail party
October 15: It's the great pumpkin carve-off at the New York Botanical Garden (you can watch the masters and also get the chance to design your own)
October 16: The string of weekends with costumed dogs on parade starts with Pawlloween in the Bronx’s Franz Sigel Park
October 17: Mix your sci-fi horror love with doses of music and laughs at Off-Broadway’s Stranger Sings!
October 18: Relive the competitive toasting scene— a hilarious horror show in itself—in Bridesmaids at Skyline Drive-In
October 19: Edward Hopper painted some eerie scenes; check them out when Edward Hopper’s New York opens at the Whitney
October 20: There are ghosts in the West Village. Find them on this Boroughs of the Dead tour.
October 21: Envy the first-row celebs at the Knicks home opener as the team takes on the youthful Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden
October 23: We are determined that you see dogs in Halloween getups, this time at the Halloween Howl and Healthy Hound Fair in Carl Schurz Park
October 24: Though Governors Island is now open year-round, this is your last week to see LMCC’s art exhibits there
October 25: A Haunting in Hollis has a suggested dress code, something called “Satan’s Slide” and a video on its site showing Nick Cannon’s experience there—sounds like the real haunted house deal
October 26: If the glorious morning made you sick, wait for evening to go out to Hocus Pocus trivia at Katch in Astoria
October 27: Go on a candlelit ghost tour at the Merchant's House Museum
October 28: You’ll light up checking out the illuminated mausoleums at Woodlawn Cemetery
October 29: Another to add to the canine canon: give your dog his or her day—in costume—at the Great Pupkin in Fort Greene Park
October 30: There's still time to pick pumpkins at Historic Richmond Town’s Decker Farm
October 31: Wear a frock to shock at the Village Halloween Parade