Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, the strip of park on East 47th Street that leads to the United Nations, turns into a fall fair this Saturday. The Oktoberfest Pumpkin Jamboree runs Oct. 24 from 1 to 4 p.m., and it is free.

Hay bales on East 47th Street

NYC Parks lists the afternoon as a fall festival with a farm setting: scarecrows, hay bales, cornstalks and pumpkins set up along the plaza between First and Second Avenues. The activities include:

  • Face painting
  • Pumpkin decorating and pumpkin bowling
  • Crafts, carnival games and prizes
  • A Halloween costume parade
  • Open-mic karaoke on the raised platform beside the plaza's cafe
  • A self-guided storybook tour for children in the plaza's garden

Taskin Cafe, which operates on the plaza, will sell food and drinks. Prizes are donated by nearby businesses: The Alexander Restaurant, Ten Ichi Mart and Benniebop. There will also be Halloween giveaways and treats.

Who is behind it

The jamboree is organized by the Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, a nonprofit based on East 47th Street that programs and cares for the plaza. Its community partners for the day are the Japan Society, the New York Lawn Bowling Club, Karaoke Duet, Taskin Cafe and The Family School, with support from the Vanderbilt YMCA and Trader Joe's. The Friends group is also looking for volunteers to help set up starting at 10 a.m.

A plaza with a history

The city acquired the land on East 47th Street between First and Second Avenues in 1948. In 1961 it was named for Dag Hammarskjold, the United Nations secretary-general, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that year after his death. NYC Parks rebuilt the plaza in 1997, adding the Katharine Hepburn Garden, and expanded it in 1998 and 1999.

Most Midtown workers know the plaza as a lunchtime cut-through or the gathering point for rallies near the UN. On a Saturday afternoon in late October, the Friends group sets it up for neighborhood families instead.

How to go

  • When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 1 to 4 p.m.
  • Where: Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, East 47th Street between First and Second Avenues. Enter on East 47th Street and look for the tents.
  • Cost: Free
  • Contact: 212-826-8980

The closest trains are the 6 at 51st Street, the E and M at Lexington Avenue-53rd Street, and the 4, 5, 6, 7 and S at Grand Central-42nd Street, about a 10-minute walk. The M15 runs on First and Second Avenues, and the M42 crosstown bus stops a few blocks south.

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