Hudson Guild, the settlement house that has served Chelsea since the 1890s, is bringing back its Monster Mash Festival and Costume Contest this Saturday, Oct. 24. The party runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Guild's Elliott Center at 441 West 26th Street, and it is open to guests of all ages.

What is planned

Hudson Guild lists Halloween activities, music, specialty treats, carnival games, family entertainment and raffles for the evening. The headline event is the costume contest, which carries a $50 grand prize.

The festival takes over the Hudson Guild Gallery inside the Elliott Center, on the block between Ninth and Tenth Avenues.

A neighborhood house since 1895

Hudson Guild traces its start to 1895, when Dr. John Lovejoy Elliott rented a room in Chelsea and began what he called an experiment in neighborliness. Two years later, in 1897, that effort became Hudson Guild. Today it is a nonprofit serving people who live, work or go to school in Chelsea and on the west side of Manhattan, with programs for children, older adults, families and artists.

An event like the Monster Mash is a small part of that work, but it is one of the Guild's most visible: an evening when its building opens up to neighborhood families.

Volunteers wanted

The Guild is recruiting volunteers for two shifts on Saturday: set-up from 1 to 5 p.m., and event support and clean-up from 4:30 to 9 p.m. It is especially looking for volunteers who speak Mandarin or Spanish to help with language support for families. Details are on the Guild's events page.

While you are there

The same building is showing Many Ways of Being, an exhibition at the Hudson Guild Gallery that is on view through Nov. 5. A second Guild exhibition, One Dozen Eggs and Other Stories, is at Guild Gallery II, 119 Ninth Avenue, through Nov. 11, open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

How to go

  • When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 5 to 8 p.m.
  • Where: Hudson Guild, Elliott Center, 441 West 26th Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues
  • Who: All ages; costumes encouraged for the contest
  • Questions: Hudson Guild, (212) 760-9800

The closest trains are the C and E at 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue, and the 7 at 34th Street-Hudson Yards. The M23 crosstown bus stops at Tenth Avenue, and the M11 runs up Ninth and Tenth Avenues. The Guild's online RSVP form has closed, so call the number above with questions before heading over.

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