Best Places to Trick-or-Treat for New York City Kids

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.

Upper West Side

There's always a huge party on 69th Street near Central Park West. In fact, it gets so crowded that the block association that organizes it has decided to stop distributing candy at 7pm in order to discourage older, rowdier children. This is where many uptown kids head for great door-to-door trick-or-treating.

One of our contributors said 90th between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues is also a good bet.

Upper East Side

We've heard 78th between Park and Lexington Avenues is excellent too. Sadly, 2011 may be the last year the block celebrates Halloween with a big party.

Last year, another contributor spotted lots kids going up and down the decorated blocks in the East 90s, mainly 95th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues.

Harlem

The Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association is sponsoring trick-or-treating in the area. Families can find a list of participating houses on the website. They'll all be between 119th to 124th streets from Fifth Avenue to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.

Astor Row, 130th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues, and Strivers' Row, 138th and 139th between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglass Boulevards, are also good bets.

Inwood

Reportedly, 217th Street between Park Terrace East and Park Terrace West has trick-or-treating.

Greenwich Village

From 3-6pm, you can hit the Greenwich Village Children's Halloween Parade and Party in Washington Square Park. Afterward, stay far from Sixth Avenue and the big Parade, and make your way further west to the West Village for the real neighborhood experience.

Chelsea

This is a big one: Families gather in Clement Clarke Moore Park—known by locals as "Seal Park"—on Tenth Avenue at 22nd Street around 6pm, and then walk up and down the brownstone blocks around the General Theological Seminary. 21st and 22nd Streets between Ninth and Tenth Avenues are always jam-packed, but you'll also find houses giving out treats between Eighth and Ninth Avenues.

Tribeca

I typically don't like trick-or-treating in stores, but in Tribeca the businesses decorate to the hilt and throw open their doors to greet the kids. It's a nice scene and who can resist Japanese sweets from Nobu or homemade cookies from Bouley? The hot spots are Duane, Reade, Greenwich and Hudson Streets.

Lower East Side

One of our favorite NYC sweet shops, Economy Candy, usually hands out free treats on Halloween from 3-6pm. In fact, pretty much any candy, chocolate or dessert store is a good bet to hit on October 31, even though that's not necessarily an authentic experience.

Brooklyn

There are lots of great neighborhoods to go trick-or-treating in the borough. Park Slope, Dumbo, Williamsburg, Cobble Hill, West Midwood and Prospect Park South all have Halloween parades on October 31, after which kids trick-or-treat in the area.

Queens

Queens also has lots of great trick-or-treating spots. Our Queens maven, Leni, offered this tip:

Kew Gardens is a little hamlet tucked away from the main drag of Queens Boulevard, and a little east of the very popular Forest Hills. The intersection of Austin Street and Lefferts Boulevard is Queens’ best place to take kids of all ages to trick-or-treat. There are small stores up and down Lefferts that give out candy and even people walking the streets with bags of treats. The nearby apartment buildings from 83-33 Austin Street and down toward Hillside Avenue all open their doors to trick-or-treaters. These are great ideas for little ones who need to stay warm, or in case of rain.

And, of course, families flock to the Jackson Heights Halloween Parade, and then stick around to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood.

Bronx

Morris Park is surrounded by single-family houses around Morris Park and Hone Avenues.

Do you know of a great place to trick-or-treat in NYC? Share the info in the comments below.
 

For more seasonal fun check out our Halloween Guide.