Downtown Brooklyn is closing a block of Willoughby Street for a free fall block party at lunchtime on Wednesday, October 21, and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is bringing back BK Boo, its free Halloween afternoon at Abolitionist Place, on Friday, October 30. In between, the Brooklyn Paramount on Flatbush Avenue Extension has a show on the calendar almost every night. Here is what is happening in the neighborhood over the next two weeks.

Downtown Block Party: Wednesday, October 21

The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is shutting the Willoughby Street Open Street between Jay Street and Pearl Street from noon to 3pm on Wednesday, October 21, to mark the start of fall and the spooky season. The program lists live music and dance from Brass Monkey and Flamenco Vivo, giant games, ping pong, prizes, and giveaways from partners QDOBA and Haus of K.

The event is free, and no registration is listed. It is set up for the lunch hour, so office workers, students and residents can drop in for part of the afternoon. The nearest subway is the Jay St-MetroTech station (A, C, F and R), which sits at the Jay Street end of the block.

Brooklyn Paramount: October 19 to 25

The Brooklyn Paramount, at 385 Flatbush Avenue Extension, has a full week of shows. According to the venue's calendar:

  • Monday, October 19: Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE, Home on the Range Tour 2026
  • Tuesday, October 20: Paris Paloma, The Fatal Flaw Tour
  • Wednesday, October 21: Sienna Spiro, My House Tour
  • Thursday, October 22, and Friday, October 23: Beck, Ride Lonesome Tour
  • Saturday, October 24: Tinashe, One Night With a Popstar
  • Sunday, October 25: Cavetown, Running With Scissors Tour

Most of these shows are listed at 7pm, with Cavetown at 6:30pm. Tickets and availability are on the venue's website. The Paramount is steps from the DeKalb Av station on the B, Q and R lines.

Halloween weekend at the Paramount

The venue's calendar continues into Halloween. Lawrence brings its Staycation run to the Paramount on Thursday, October 29, Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31, with a three-day pass offered alongside single nights. Later on October 31, a Reggae Fest Halloween night starts at 11pm with a $5,000 costume contest.

BK Boo: Friday, October 30

BK Boo returns to Abolitionist Place from 4pm to 6pm on Friday, October 30. The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership's lineup includes live music from DJ Mike, face painting, balloon art, pumpkin decorating, games, fortune telling and stilt walkers. Kids and adults are invited to come in costume.

Pets are part of the program too. All Ears Vet is co-hosting a pet costume parade, called the Pawrade, along with a pet costume contest. Owners who want their pet to take part should register in advance through the link on the event page. The event itself is free.

Abolitionist Place is the 1.15-acre park at the former Willoughby Square, along Duffield Street, which also carries the Abolitionist Place name. The city renamed the site to honor the 19th-century abolitionist movement and its ties to Brooklyn. Designed by landscape architecture firm Hargreaves Jones, the park has a children's play area, lawns, a dog run, a waterplay feature and seating, and it is managed and programmed by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. The closest stations are DeKalb Av (B, Q, R), Jay St-MetroTech (A, C, F, R) and Hoyt St (2, 3).

Who is behind it

The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is a not-for-profit local development corporation that manages the neighborhood's three business improvement districts: the MetroTech BID, the Fulton Mall Improvement Association and the Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn BID. Both the block party and BK Boo are free events billed under its Downtown Brooklyn Presents program, and the partnership manages and programs Abolitionist Place. On September 10, the International Downtown Association gave the partnership a Downtown Achievement Award of Excellence for its Downtown Brooklyn Public Realm Action Plan, which focuses on streets and public spaces.

Plan your next two weeks

The Downtown Block Party runs noon to 3pm on Wednesday, October 21, on Willoughby Street between Jay and Pearl Streets. Brooklyn Paramount shows continue nightly through Sunday, October 25, then pick up again October 29 through Halloween at 385 Flatbush Avenue Extension. BK Boo takes over Abolitionist Place from 4pm to 6pm on Friday, October 30; register pets for the Pawrade on the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership's event page at downtownbrooklyn.com.

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