Halloween lands on a Saturday this year and the TCS New York City Marathon follows it on Sunday, Nov. 1, so the five boroughs get a parade on Sixth Avenue one night and 26.2 miles of closed streets the next morning. Here are six things on the calendar from Friday, Oct. 30, through Sunday, Nov. 1, with at least one in every borough.
Manhattan: The 53rd Village Halloween Parade, Led by a Firehorse
The Village Halloween Parade steps off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, and runs north on Sixth Avenue from Canal Street to 15th Street, rain or shine. This year's theme is Body & Soul, tied to the Year of the Horse, and the front of the parade belongs to Firehorse, a new puppet commissioned from puppeteer Basil Twist with choreography by Julie Atlas Muz. Performance artist Joey Arias is grand marshal. Watching from the sidewalk costs nothing. Anyone in costume can march: lineup is at Canal Street and Sixth Avenue between 6:30 and 9 p.m., entering from the east or south (Sullivan, East Broome or Canal Streets), and marchers go out in timed groups of 1,000 to 2,000. Costumes are required to march. The A, C, E and 1 trains stop at Canal Street; along the route, the F and M stop at West 4th Street and 14th Street.
Manhattan, Friday: 50 Years of the Five-Borough Course at Grand Central
Before the race, New York Road Runners is marking the 50th anniversary of the first five-borough marathon, run on Oct. 24, 1976, with 50 Years Through the Five Boroughs in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal. Friday, Oct. 30, is the last day, open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Each borough has its own section: a replica of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge for Staten Island, a video projection of the 2026 course for Queens, sign-making for Brooklyn, DJ sets on Bronx hip-hop history, and a finish-line photo spot for Manhattan. Past marathon champions join a group step session at 10 a.m. Friday. Take the 4, 5, 6, 7 or S to Grand Central.
All Five Boroughs, Sunday: A Marathon With a New Bronx Mile
The 2026 course changes for the first time in 15 years, all of it in the Bronx. After the Willis Avenue Bridge, runners turn left on East 135th Street, right on Alexander Avenue, and now stay on Alexander past East 138th Street, turning left on East 141st Street, left on Third Avenue and right on East 138th Street before the Madison Avenue Bridge. Most of the course is open to spectators from mile 3 to mile 26, but nobody can watch from the start or from any bridge. NYRR's viewing guide suggests Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn (miles 2 to 4, R train), Flatbush Avenue at mile 8 (B, D, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4, 5), First Avenue in Manhattan (miles 16 to 18) and Fifth Avenue from East 90th to East 105th Street (miles 23 to 24, Q, 4, 5, 6). The finish is at 67th Street on West Drive in Central Park. WABC-TV Channel 7 and ESPN2 carry the race from 8 to 11:30 a.m.
The Bronx: Day of the Dead in a Garden and at the Garden
The New York Botanical Garden's Día de los Muertos reaches its final weekend. La Catrina and skeleton puppets appear Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, MAZarte performs folk dance on Oct. 31, and on Sunday, Nov. 1, activities begin at 1 p.m. with the parade at 2 p.m. (canceled in bad weather). The program is included with the All-Garden Pass, which costs $39 for adults on weekends. NYBG is at 2900 Southern Boulevard; Metro-North's Harlem local stops at Botanical Garden Station, or take the B, D or 4 to Bedford Park Boulevard. In Mott Haven, the Friends of Brook Park Community Garden holds its annual Día de los Muertos gathering on Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m. at Brook Avenue and East 141st Street. It is free, and the 6 train stops at Brook Avenue.
Brooklyn: Green-Wood After Dark and a Haunted Carousel
Green-Wood Cemetery's Hereafter Hours tours walk past lit monuments and mausoleums after dark while a guide tells the stories of people buried there, ending inside the Catacombs. Friday's tours are sold out; Saturday's 7 to 10 p.m. tour is $45, or $36 for members. Costumes and masks are not allowed, and the cemetery does not recommend it for children under 10. Green-Wood is at 500 25th Street, near the R at 25th Street. In Prospect Park, the Haunted Carousel runs to Halloween music from noon to 5 p.m. daily through Sunday at Children's Corner. Rides are $3, or $13 for five.
Queens: Halloween at Queens Botanical Garden
Halloween at the Garden runs Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. at 43-50 Main Street in Flushing, with a trick-or-treat trail, a 2 p.m. spooky plant tour, storytelling tours at 1 and 3 p.m., face painting and a 4 p.m. set by Somos Cumbia, Somos Familia. Characters from the upcoming Cat in the Hat movie hand out giveaways. Tickets are $10, $8 for children, and free for members. Take the 7 to Flushing-Main Street. On Sunday, Queens also hosts the marathon's halfway mark: the Pulaski Bridge is closed to spectators, so NYRR points fans to the Queens side just past mile 13.1 (7, G and E trains).
Staten Island: Halloween Night at Snug Harbor and a Greenbelt Hike
The Spooky Snug Harbor walking tours, led by Michael Pelczar of Spooky Staten Island, run Friday at 7:30 p.m. and close with an extended Halloween tour Saturday from 9 to 10:30 p.m. Groups visit the grave of Captain Robert Randall, whose estate founded Snug Harbor, and can try ghost-hunting equipment. Tours meet at the Visitor Services booth at Chapel Road and Gazebo Road; tickets are sold on Snug Harbor's calendar. Snug Harbor is at 1000 Richmond Terrace, about 10 minutes from the St. George Ferry Terminal on the S40 or S44. Earlier Saturday, NYC Parks leads a free Halloween Hike to Heyerdahl Hill through the central Greenbelt from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., starting at the Greenbelt Nature Center, 700 Rockland Avenue. It is for ages 10 and up, and registration is on Eventbrite.
Sources
- Village Halloween Parade: 2026 parade, theme and grand marshal
- Village Halloween Parade: how to march
- New York Road Runners: The 2026 course
- New York Road Runners: Watch the race
- New York Road Runners: 50 Years Through the Five Boroughs
- New York Botanical Garden: Día de los Muertos
- New York Botanical Garden: Tickets
- New York Botanical Garden: How to get here
- NYC Parks: Día de los Muertos at Friends of Brook Park
- Green-Wood Cemetery: Hereafter Hours, Oct. 31
- NYC Parks: Haunted Carousel in Prospect Park
- Queens Botanical Garden: Halloween at the Garden
- NYC Parks: 2026 Spooky Snug Harbor Tour
- Snug Harbor: Directions and parking
- NYC Parks: Halloween Hike to Heyerdahl Hill

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