Halloween

It's been a few years since Halloween fell on a school day (not to mention a school night). But if your kids didn't get trick-or-treating out of their system over the weekend at various parties (or if their festivities were totally snowed out on Saturday, which felt more like Christmas than Halloween), you can still celebrate on Monday night.

We've rounded up awesome family parades, spooky parties, cool haunted houses and, of course, great places to score candy. And here's the real treat: All of them are free or very inexpensive. So grab your little ghosts and goblins—or in my case, a flying squirrel—and hit the town. Whatever you decide to do, try to arrive early and plan for crowds: Young or old, everyone in New York City loves Halloween!

While trick-or-treating in your building is great for adults because it feels so safe and convenient, it's nowhere near as exciting for kids as getting to run around the streets at night going door-to-door. One of my favorite childhood memories from growing up in NYC was Halloween in Greenwich Village. Back then, the Village Halloween Parade was just a couple hundred artists and freaks who marched through the neighborhood, so it felt more like a community affair. Afterward, we would trick-or-treat up and down the brownstone blocks. Everyone was really friendly and fun, and we would come home with our shopping bags completely filled. It was magical.

Although the parade (and Greenwich Village) has changed a lot since then, your kids can still enjoy that kind of thrilling trick-or-treat experience in many other New York City neighborhoods. This Halloween, join one of the smaller Halloween parades or hit an area known for doling out candy. We do want to note: Since October 31 is a Monday this year, we can't promise every neighborhood will go all out the way they have in recent years when Halloween happened on a weekend. But none of these places should be a ghost town—unless of course, those ghosts are trick-or-treating.

By now, you've probably already picked out most of your Halloween events and activities for the rest of the month. But how about mixing something multicultural into your celebrating this year?

Day of the Dead—or Día de los Muertos as it's known in its native Mexico—is observed by many Hispanic cultures. It's particularly big in Mexico, and is sort of their version of Halloween, a time when revelers celebrate the lives of friends and family members who have passed away. Revelers build altars in honor of the dead, and adorn them with colorful paper flowers, grinning skeletons and candles. It's a really fun and joyful way to honor the deceased without freaking kids out.

Day of the Dead technically takes place on November 1 and 2, to coincide with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. However, the family-friendly events are happening a few days earlier.

Here are five ways to celebrate Day of the Dead with kids in New York City, all totally free.

When you're a parent, Halloween feels like it's all about the kids. That's why for this month's Parents' Night Out post, we wanted to remind you that there are ways adults can enjoy treats and a few thrills, too.

We've got a list of tasty New York City places where you can indulge in adults-only desserts. Or if chills are what you're after, we know about a few restaurants with haunted histories.

Here are ways you can get a bit of a Halloween fix, without a costume or kid in sight.

Everybody loves a parade, which means we're all absolutely smitten with Halloween parades. While we think every family should take the kids to the big Greenwich Village Halloween Parade at least once, it can be pretty scary. It's always insanely crowded and loud, and many of the costumes are risqué, gory or in poor taste (which, admittedly, we love, but we realize not every parent will feel that way).

If you're ready to watch it, the parade starts at 7pm on October 31 and winds its way up Sixth Avenue from Spring Street to 16th Street. (Line-up takes place between 6:30-8:30pm on Sixth Avenue South of Spring Street and North of Canal Street.) But if your family isn't up for it just yet, there are plenty of smaller, kid-friendly NYC neighborhood parades. We've rounded up 21 of these community-driven Halloween processions for families to watch or march in, including brand-new ones on the High Line and in Dumbo. If you don't live in a great trick-or-treating area, these parades are a wonderful way to hunt for candy in another neighborhood.

Update: It's supposed to rain and snow on Saturday, October 29! Before heading to a parade on that day, check the event's official website to make sure it's still happening.