Prospect Park spends Halloween weekend leaning into the season. The Prospect Park Alliance runs its Haunted Carousel from Friday through Sunday, the Audubon Center at the Boathouse hosts Creepy Crawly Halloween on Saturday, and the NYC Parks Urban Park Rangers lead a folklore hike that starts at the park's Washington Irving statue. Here is what each one is, when, and what it costs.

Friday to Sunday: the Haunted Carousel

The Prospect Park Carousel at Children's Corner runs as the Haunted Carousel on Friday, October 30, Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1, from noon to 5 p.m. each day, with the ride set to Halloween music. A single ride costs $3, and a book of five tickets is $13. Rides are free for members of the Prospect Park Alliance at the Family Supporter level or higher; that membership covers unlimited carousel rides for a year for a family of up to four.

Saturday: Creepy Crawly Halloween at the Audubon Center

On Saturday, October 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Alliance's Audubon Center at the Boathouse holds Creepy Crawly Halloween, a day of hands-on activities about the animals people tend to find creepy. The schedule:

  • Nature Detective, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Borrow a sketchbook and an observation guide and search indoors and out for spiders, bats, insects and plants.
  • Owl Pellet Dissection, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pick apart owl pellets, the compact masses of undigested food some owls cough up, to see what the birds ate.
  • Nature Chef's Surprise, noon to 3 p.m. Taste a mystery treat the Alliance describes as a sustainable alternative protein, and earn a certificate and button for trying it.
  • Creepy Crawly Walk, 1 to 2 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. A guided search through the park for its less loved residents.

Saturday afternoon: a Sleepy Hollow folklore hike

At 1 p.m. on Halloween, the Urban Park Rangers meet hikers at the Washington Irving statue for an hour-long walk through the park on the folklore and history behind Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Along the way, hikers can meet the horses and officers of the NYC Parks Mounted Park Enforcement Patrol. The hike starts at the Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue entrance and runs until 2 p.m. Rangers take questions at (646) 398-1479.

How to go

Children's Corner and the Boathouse are on the park's east side, a short walk from the Lincoln Road and Ocean Avenue entrance. The B and Q stop at Prospect Park station. The NYC Parks listings for Creepy Crawly Halloween and the Rangers hike name no fee; the carousel is $3 a ride. Check the NYC Parks and Prospect Park Alliance event pages for weather changes.

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