All Weekend

Ascarium at the New York Aquarium – Coney Island
Families can enjoy a haunted, pirate-themed Halloween adventure featuring a spooky Seafari, mysterious magic and music performances, swashbuckling games, creepy crafts and even trick-or-treating. If you go on Sunday morning, you can also check out the no-cost kite fest on the beach. Free with admission: $14.95 for adults, $10.95 for children ages 3-12, free for kids under 3. Dress up the kids: For every full-price general admission adult ticket purchased, one child in costume gets in free.

Take Two: Bad Gigs Gone Good – Tribeca
Stunt Lab's yo-yo champion Mark Hayward recreates some of his worst (or is that best?) bloopers at the Canal Park Playhouse. Mommy Poppins contributor Alina took her kids last weekend and loved it. The show is full of juggling, yo-yo tricks and goofy sight gags, but she liked its message most of all: When things don't go as planned, don't give up! Hopefully that moral will resonate with kids. $20

Urban – Midtown West
The New Victory Theater kicks off its new season with Circolombia's circus revue. Don't expect clowns, animals or jugglers; instead, this unique Colombian troupe specializes in acrobatic acts performed to a thumping Reggaeton beat. $14-$38.
 

Saturday, October 13

Fall Kids Fest – Flatiron
Madison Square Park sponsors this annual fete geared toward little ones. Kids can hit the pumpkin patch, do fall-themed arts and crafts, grab free treats, get their faces painted and groove to the Pop Ups and their puppet friends. There will also be scenes from the upcoming children's musical Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Musical Mystery and a costume parade led by a Big Apple Circus clown, so be sure to come in costume. Warning: This one always gets mobbed. FREE

Fluff's 5th Annual NYC Big Wheel Race – East Harlem
BYOB (that last B is for Big Wheel) to northeastern Central Park for a free-for-all race. Watch or join in on this funky and friendly competition where trikes, velocipedes, toilets with wheels, soapbox vessels and other handmade or rehashed contraptions will speed to the finish line. The only rule is that your seat must be no higher than 12 inches above the ground. Safety gear and costumes are encouraged and you ride at your own risk. That's why we suggest watching instead (it's safer!). FREE

King Manor Museum Fall Festival – Jamaica
Celebrate harvest season by sampling retro Dutch eats cooked over a fire pit. Fall crafts and other autumn activities will also be on tap. FREE

Children’s Harvest Festival – Upper East Side
Head to Carl Schurz Park for this annual fall favorite. Kids can hit the pumpkin patch, make a jack-o'-lantern, take a horse-drawn carriage ride and groove to kindie band the Fuzzy Lemons. FREE

Come Get Hooked – East Harlem
Walk across the recently reopened 103rd Street footbridge to Randall's Island for some catch-and-release fishing (equipment and instruction provided), nature games, arts and crafts, and face time with the native wildlife. FREE

Big Jeff's Halloween Routine – Midtown East
"Big" Jeff DeSmedt will rock the Children's Center at 42nd Street with not-at-all-scary tunes from his holiday album Halloween Routine like Jack-O-Lantern Blues and Trick or Treat. FREE

Exit, Stage Left! – Upper West Side
Comedic dance/theater troupe Parallel Exit presents its new show as part of Symphony Space's Just Kidding Performance Series. Reminiscent of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and the Three Stooges, the guys stage a performance in which everything goes wrong. If your kids love slapstick, they'll love their shtick. $20 for adults, $13 for children.

My Dog Loves Central Park Country Fair – Upper East Side
Got a dog? Then give him a fun day out with the whole family. Central Park Paws throws this annual fest featuring training tips, microchipping, games, an agility course, a Children’s Corner and various canine contests. FREE

Little Red Lighthouse Tours – Washington Heights
If you missed last weekend's Little Red Lighthouse Festival, you can still take a tour of this NYC landmark with the Urban Park Rangers. Reservations required. FREE

Aesop Bops! David Gonzalez and the Yak Yak Band – Park Slope
Acclaimed storyteller David Gonzalez brings his fast-paced and interactive live storytelling show of classic fables to the central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. FREE

See all Saturday events.
 

Sunday, October 14

Harmony on the Hudson Family Music Festival – Battery Park City
Pack a picnic and head to Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park for sets by Hazmat Modine and Grammy winner Tom Chapin and Friends, the fancy footwork of the Double Dutch Divas and a performance by Bread & Puppet Theater. Other fun on tap includes face painting, street games and make-your-own instruments workshops. FREE

stillspotting nyc: Audiogram Family Program – the Bronx
The Guggenheim's two-year interdisciplinary project wraps up with Audiogram, an interactive group hearing test presented by Improv Everywhere and audiologist Tina Jupiter in Joyce Kilmer Park. Families can attend a pre-event orientation program at the Bronx Museum of the Arts featuring improvisational theater activities and snacks. Recommended for children ages 8 and up. $12 for adults, two children get in free with each adult.

Harvest Fest and Pumpkin Patch – Flushing
The Queens Botanical Garden throws its annual fall fete featuring birding walks, gardening demos, poetry readings, live bluegrass music and a pumpkin patch for children. Free with admission: $4 for adults, $2 for children, pumpkins cost $3 each.

Astrograss – Tribeca
The bluegrass kids' band plays 92YTribeca to celebrate the release of its new album The Colored Pencil Factory. $15, free for children under 2.

Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players – Upper East Side
Groove to the playful tunes of the Grammy-nominated rocker and his band at the Jewish Museum. $20 for adults, $15 for kids.

Hip Tot Music Festival – Gowanus
More cool kids' music: Head to Littlefield for the latest installment of this concert series featuring Dog on Fleas and the Deedle Deedle Dees. There will also be craft activities and giveaways. $12 for adults, $8 for kids.

Roller Skate – Park Slope
Put your hair in side ponytails, slip on some short shorts, grab your skates and hit the Brooklyn Lyceum for an all-ages afternoon roller boogie where you can party like it's 1979. Be sure to bring your own skates. $5

See all Sunday events.

Outside of NYC

Apple picking may be over for the season but pumpkin picking is all the rage. Check out our list of pumpkin patches in the tri-state area and then plan a day trip.

In New Jersey, families can climb aboard the Great Pumpkin Train and chug their way to a pumpkin patch in high Halloween style.

Long Island's Old Westbury Gardens hosts its annual Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns. Take a nighttime walk through the grounds of the treasured Gold Coast mansions and marvel at more than 5,000 hand-carved jack-o'-lanterns.

Also on LI this weekend is the 29th annual Oyster Festival in (where else?) Oyster Bay. Families can hit the petting zoo, marvel at tall ships, take sailboat rides, go on pirate treasure hunts, try seaside yoga, catch live performances and, of course, slurp down lots of the signature shellfish.

Don't forget: We have lots of additional activity options in our Event Calendar.