Bay Ridge has a full week ahead: a free outdoor screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas in Owl's Head Park on Friday, October 23, volunteer mornings in the same park that weekend, the weekly free 5K along Shore Road, and a run of free programs at the Bay Ridge Library. It also arrives on the heels of city news that the Citi Bike expansion that began in Bay Ridge is now finished.

Citi Bike's southern Brooklyn rollout is complete

On October 15, the Mayor's Office announced that Citi Bike had finished adding more than 230 stations and more than 3,700 docks across seven neighborhoods: Norwood and Riverdale in the Bronx, Brownsville, East New York, Kensington and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, and Forest Hills in Queens. The city says the rollout started in Bay Ridge, where the first stations opened in September 2025, and wrapped up in East New York.

Bay Ridge riders have taken more than 75,000 trips since those stations went in, according to the release. With the full expansion done, the city says the system covers about 86.5 square miles, and 62 percent of New Yorkers now live inside the service area.

All of the new stations use Lyft's Pillar dock design, and Lyft installs, operates and maintains them. The city also says Lyft will add hundreds more docks this fall inside the existing network, including in Midtown, Chelsea, Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Gowanus. Station locations near you appear in the Citi Bike app.

Friday: Movie Under the Stars in Owl's Head Park

NYC Parks and the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment will screen The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, rated PG) on the lawn at Owl's Head Park on Friday, October 23. The listing runs from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., with the film starting at dusk. It is free; NYC Parks has opened registration on its event page through the day of the show.

Bring a blanket. Glass bottles and alcohol are not allowed, and Parks says it will post any weather cancellation on its website before the screening. Owl's Head Park sits at the north end of Bay Ridge near Colonial Road and 68th Street; the closest subway is the R at Bay Ridge Avenue.

Saturday and Sunday: volunteer mornings in Owl's Head

The Owl's Head Park Volunteers are holding two It's My Park sessions, both from 10 a.m. to noon, meeting on the hill behind the playground. On Saturday, October 24, volunteers will cut back introduced plants in the forest along the bike path and plant daffodils. On Sunday, October 25, the work continues with invasive plant removal in the back forest along the bike path. Both are free. For Sunday, the group asks volunteers to email owlsheadvolunteer@gmail.com to confirm the meeting spot.

Saturday: NYRR Open Run on Shore Road

New York Road Runners holds its free Open Run 5K in Shore Road Park every Saturday, and this week's falls on October 24, from 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. The course is three loops alongside Shore Road with views of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and it is open to runners and walkers of every age and pace. The group meets on the lawn near the 79th Street entrance. The R train stops at 77th Street, a short walk west to Shore Road. Sign-up is free through the link on the NYC Parks event page.

All week: free programs at the Bay Ridge Library

Brooklyn Public Library's Bay Ridge branch, at 7223 Ridge Boulevard at 73rd Street, has a busy calendar from October 20 to 27. A few highlights:

  • Storytime on Wednesday, October 21, at 11 a.m. in the Children's Program Room, plus Afterschool Playtime most weekdays at 3 p.m.
  • Teen Time: Book Discussion Group on Wednesday, October 21, at 3:30 p.m.
  • Creative Aging: Let's Paint on Thursday, October 22, at 2 p.m. in the Meeting Room.
  • Chess for Kids on Saturday, October 24, at 11 a.m., followed by a Shape Up NYC dance class at noon.
  • Chess for Adults on Sunday, October 25, at 1 p.m.
  • Movies @ the Library: Dear Evan Hansen on Monday, October 26, at 1:30 p.m.

The branch is open Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; check the branch page for other days. The R at Bay Ridge Avenue is the nearest stop.

Plan your week

For the Friday movie, register on the NYC Parks event page and check it again Friday afternoon for any weather update. Runners can sign up for Saturday's Open Run through the same Parks listing. Library programs are free, and details for each session are on the Bay Ridge branch page.

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