More than 30 artists have filled the Freak Bar at Coney Island USA with pigeons. Pigeons by the Seashore, a group exhibition devoted to the bird New Yorkers see on every block, opened on Sunday, October 18, at 1208 Surf Avenue and stays on view through December. It anchors a week in Coney Island that also brings a Halloween horror screening on Surf Avenue and a free fall festival with a pumpkin patch in Asser Levy Park.

Pigeons by the Seashore at the Freak Bar

Coney Island USA, the nonprofit arts organization behind the Coney Island Museum, the Circus Sideshow and the Mermaid Parade, organized the show, with Allison Garber as curator. The work on the walls comes from a long list of artists, among them Duke Riley, Danielle Mastrion, Machine Dazzle, Mother Pigeon, Todd Francis, Isabel Roxas, Ethan Minsker, Mark Gagnon, Little Brooklyn and Crappily Drawn Pets, along with roughly two dozen others.

The Freak Bar is the street-level bar and hangout inside Coney Island USA's landmarked building, with vintage arcade games, a jukebox and a wall of tchotchkes. Its hours follow the programming schedule. Coney Island USA lists the Freak Bar and Gift Shop as open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m., staying open late when there is an evening show. One note for this week: the building is closed on Saturday, October 24, for a private event, so Sunday, October 25, is the weekend day to see the show.

Upstairs, the Coney Island Museum is open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. when it is not booked for a special event. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for seniors, children under 12 and residents of the 11224 zip code, and tickets are sold only in the Gift Shop. The museum is on the second floor and is not wheelchair accessible at this time.

Friday: Cemetery Cinema returns

Cemetery Cinema, hosted by Baron Misuraca, comes back to Coney Island USA on Friday, October 23, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with the 1958 Hammer Films version of Horror of Dracula starring Christopher Lee. The night also includes live music by In Flesh and Spirit, a costume contest with a prize, an audience discussion and free popcorn.

Tickets are $14, with no added service fees online. They are will call only: pick them up at the box office at 1208 Surf Avenue on the night of the show. Sales are non-refundable.

Sunday: Fall Festival in Asser Levy Park

NYC Parks is hosting a free Fall Festival with Council Member Inna Vernikov on Sunday, October 25, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Asser Levy Park play area. The Parks listing promises sports, games, arts and crafts, inflatables and a pumpkin patch. No registration is required. Asser Levy Park sits at the east end of the amusement district along Surf Avenue, next to the New York Aquarium; the F and Q stop at West 8th Street-NY Aquarium.

Next weekend: Rocky Horror and a carving class

Coney Island USA closes out October with Creatures of the Night, a drag, burlesque and sideshow shadow cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, on Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are $30, the show is 18 and over (21 and over to drink), ASL interpreters will be present, and prop bags will be sold at the door. The cast includes Miss Coney Island 2026, Queerly Femmetastic.

For something more hands-on, the Coney Island Museum's Carousel Carving Class starts on Saturday, November 7. Master carver Bob Yorburg leads the four-session class, which runs noon to 5 p.m. on November 7, 8, 14 and 15. Each student carves a miniature replica of a Stein and Goldstein carousel horse. Space is limited, and sign-up is through the Coney Island USA event page.

Getting there

Coney Island USA is at 1208 Surf Avenue, a short walk from the D, F, N and Q trains at Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue. Event tickets are held at will call rather than mailed. Membership in Coney Island USA includes free museum admission.

To see the pigeon show this week, plan on Sunday afternoon, then walk east along Surf Avenue to the Asser Levy festival before it wraps at 3 p.m. Upcoming dates and ticket links are on the Coney Island USA events calendar.

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