15 FREE Halloween Events for Children in NYC

In addition to all the local Halloween Parades and Festivals, the city is literally packed with FREE Halloween activities. In fact there are so many great things to do on October 25th you may need a magic eight ball to decide where to go. Luckily your kids will be so hopped up on candy they will have the energy to take in several events in one day.

Keep reading to find out where and when you can levitate at magic shows, hop on hay rides, take a creepy candle-lt tour of Grant’s Tomb, visit haunted houses, dance your way through the post trick-or-treat sugar comma and get the whole family dressed up, even the dog. (Photo  by Istolethev).

Central Park Pumpkin Festival - Activities include a scarecrow design competition, spooktacular haunted house, Jack O' Lantern tower, pumpkin patch and entertainment and live music at the bandshell including Big Apple Circus, Laughing Pizza, Derek James, Evan Michaels, and a fire eater! Hayrides. See the website for location and time specifics. FREE

Halloween Dog Parade in Tompkins Square Park - NYC’s biggest doggie dress up day, see if you can win the "Best Dog with Kid” contest though be warned, competition is fierce. Oct 25 Noon. FREE

Fort Greene Park Halloween Festival - Features a cornucopia of free activities for children and their parents, including hayrides, face-painting, inter-active children's music and dance, games and prizes, plus live entertainment – culminating in a children's costume parade. October 25 Noon – 3:30 PM. FREE

Puppetry Arts Haunted Halloween Carnival at 1st Street Recreation Center of PS 372 at 4th Ave, Park Slope, Brooklyn. First 200 kids get a Free Trick or Treat bag with $50 in prizes. Plus, costume contest, $1 games and activities, $2 haunted house, $3 bounce house. Saturday October 25th Noon-5pm. FREE

Fantasma Magic Halloween Extravaganza - 421 Seventh Ave, NYC (enter on 33rd) Costume contest and magic show by award-winning magician, Graham Fishman. “Best Costume” winner will take home a collection of Fantasma Toys and be levitated into the air! Saturday, October 25th 4-6PM. FREE

Halloween Night Hike in Central Park - Hike the north woods with the Rangers and go inside the blockhouse and enjoy some scary stories with a true outdoor s'mores treat. Oct 25 7PM. FREE

Third Annual Turtle Bay Halloween Open - Families are invited to dress up in costumes and take part in“meet-the-instrument” trick-or-treating, pumpkin decorating and other crafts. Plus, interactive Brazilian dance and drumming for families, led by faculty members Nick Birmelin and Quenia Ribeiro. RSVP by calling (212) 753-8811 x17. October 25, 2008, 3-6 PM. FREE

Day of the Dead Celebration at the MET - Come discover what it's all about— the Museum welcomes English- and Spanish-speaking families with children to enjoy workshops, tours, and music on this unique holiday. October 25, 11AM – 2PM. FREE with Museum admission, but reservations are required.

Halloween Festival in Fort Totten Parks, Queens - A day of spooky family fun. Games, hay rides, craft projects, pumpkin patch, goodie bags, and more. Oct 25 12-4PM. FREE

Habana Outpost’s Eco-Friendly Haunted House – Check out the City’s only "green" haunted which was created with the Green School. Oct 26 2-7PM. FREE

Night at the Tomb - General Grant National Memorial - Celebrate Halloween with a spooky candlelight tour of the tomb with a National Park Service Ranger. Re-enactors in period costumes will discuss the life of General Grant, but watch out for the Civil War ghosts who will be haunting the mausoleum. Oct 30 7PM. FREE

BAMboo! - An evening of prehistoric activities and Jurassic adventures. From candy giveaways to costume contests and tons of great games, kids of all ages can enjoy the free festivities which happens right in front of BAM. Oct. 31 4-7PM. FREE

Tricks and Treats at Le Carrousel in Bryant Park - Come in your favorite costume - ghost or goblin, pirate or princess - and join Clifford, the Big Red Dog,* for all the fun at Le Carrousel's Halloween Party in Bryant Park. Pumpkin painting, scaa-ry stories, carousel rides and magic galore by Arnie Kolodner. Hosted by Flaubert Frog. October 31 4-6 PM. FREE

HALLOWEEN PARTY at The Moxie Spot - After you decorate your trick or treat bag there you can head back after Trick or Treating to get some food into the kids before a candy meltdown sets in. Monster Mash: Costume dance party starts at 6:30pm on the 2nd Floor. October 31. FREE

Hudson River Park’s Pier of Fear - Get your pulse pounding at one of Manhattan’s largest FREE* haunted houses. The Maze of Horror includes a guided tour through eerie hallways and creepy rooms. As night falls, the maze becomes even spookier for adults and older children. For the faint of heart, The Striking Viking Story Pirates will perform a Halloween themed improv show for adults and children of all ages at 2pm and 4:30pm, both days. November 1 & 2 Noon – 9PM. FREE but tix are on a first-come basis so plan to wait and get there early.