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This October, scarecrows will once again line the walkways throughout Stony Brook Village in the Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s 33rd annual Scarecrow Competition. Photo courtesy WMHO
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9/29/24 - By Jaime Sumersille

Halloween is the name of the game in October, which means Long Island is alive with pumpkin patches, haunted houses, fall festivals, and of course trick-or-treating—there are so many opportunities to wear Halloween costumes!

Some of this month's standout options include Spooky Fest at The Center for Science Teaching and Learning, Babylon's fall festival, and Oyster Bay's annual oyster festival. 

Read on for all the ways to pack your calendar this month on Long Island!

More Great Things to Do with Kids in October on Long Island

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Top Things to Do in October for Long Island Families

SouthamptonFest

Southampton – FREE
Friday, October 4-Sunday, October 6, 2024
SouthamptonFest highlights the fall season with exciting and diverse events that focus on family fun, history, and the arts–all designed to showcase the Village of Southampton and its many offerings. READ MORE

Flip Circus

Hickvsille
Friday, October 4-Tuesday, October 15, 2024
The circus is coming to town this fall! Flip Circus features world-class clowns, acrobats, jugglers, and daredevils.  READ MORE

Spooky Fest at The Center for Science Teaching and Learning

Rockville Centre
Weekends from Friday, October 4-Sunday, October 27, 2024
Spooky Fest celebrates the Halloween season with scary and non-scary attractions for all ages. There are wooded paths, exhibits, and spooky characters that greet visitors, as well as a zombie dinosaur attraction. READ MORE

Big Truck Day at CMEE

Bridgehampton – FREE
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Join the Children's Museum of the East End for the return of Big Truck Day. Kids have the chance to interact with some of the massive machines that share our roads and keep the East End moving.  READ MORE

Centennial Celebration at Connetquot River State Park Preserve

Oakdale – FREE
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Connetquot River State Park Preserve marks NYS Parks' centennial celebration with a full day of family-friendly activities.  READ MORE

Fall Family Festival at North Hempstead Beach Park

Port Washington – FREE
Saturday, October 5, 2024
North Hempstead's Fall Family Festival is taking over the beach in Port Washington, featuring lots of free activities. READ MORE

Monsters and Mermaids Family Bash at The Whaling Museum

Cold Spring Harbor
Sunday, October 6, 2024
The Whaling Museum celebrates its new Monsters and Mermaids exhibit with this family bash event. Journey through museum galleries that have been transformed into mystical underwater realms and explore sea monster legends from around the world.  READ MORE

Montauk Fall Festival

Montauk – FREE
Saturday, October 12-Sunday, October 13, 2024
Visit "The End" of Long Island for the Montauk Chamber of Commerce Fall Family Festival, featuring music, local brews, Oktoberfest foods and more.  READ MORE

Gateway Playhouse Not-So-Scary Halloween Adventure

Bellport
Weekends from Saturday, October 12-Sunday, October 27, 2024
In daylight on weekends, the Gateway's Haunted Playhouse maze is transformed into a not-so-scary Halloween adventure for little kids, featuring mini witches and warlocks, pumpkins and cats, monsters and fairies, superheroes and bats. READ MORE

Halloween Spooktacular at the Sweetbriar Nature Center

Smithtown
Saturday, October 12, 2024
All ghoulies, ghosties, and other Halloween creepies are invited to the Sweetbriar Nature Center for an evening of fun and excitement. Enjoy eerie animal presentations, a ghostly graveyard, creepy games, scary music, and spooky night trails. READ MORE

Teddy Bear Clinic at the Long Island Explorium

Port Jefferson
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Learn how to keep your teddy healthy at the Long Island Explorium this weekend as it hosts a Teddy Bear Clinic in conjunction with the Stony Brook University Nursing Department. READ MORE

Oktoberfest at Plattduetsche Park

Franklin Square
Weekends through Sunday, October 13, 2024
Experience a weekend full of German-American culture at Oktoberfest at Plattduetsche Park. READ MORE

Disney Encanto: The Sing-Along Film Concert at the Staller Center for the Arts

Stony Brook
Monday, October 14, 2024
We don't talk about Bruno...sing along with a live Latin band at the Staller Center. READ MORE

Town of Babylon Fall Festival

Babylon – FREE
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Hayrides, live music, a giant maze, inflatables, crafts, and food trucks highlight the Town of Babylon's free fall festival at Tanner Park.  READ MORE

Halloween Fest in Riverhead

Riverhead – FREE
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Halloween Fest in downtown Riverhead transforms Main Street into a spooky and enchanting land in honor of All Hallows Eve. A ghoulish day is planned for witches and warlocks of all ages. Rain Date: October 26. READ MORE

Long Island Oyster Festival

Oyster Bay
Saturday, October 19-Sunday, October 20, 2024
Have a shucking good time at the Oyster Festival, one of the East Coast's largest waterfront celebrations. Offering a mix of new activities and old favorites, this weekend-long festival is sure to entertain the entire family. READ MORE

Pumpkin Palooza at Stew Leonard's Farmingdale

East Meadow – FREE
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Patrons who shop at Stew Leonard's in Farmingdale are invited to a complimentary pumpkin painting event outdoors under the Garden Shop’s tent. READ MORE

Halloween Boat Burning at the Long Island Maritime Museum

Sayville
Friday, October 25, 2024
Each year someone donates an old boat and the Long Island Maritime Museum facilitates a safe burning in the harbor. This intriguing Halloween weekend tradition is quite the sight. READ MORE

Scarecrow Competition at the Ward Melville Heritage Organization

Stony Brook – FREE
Through Friday, October 25, 2024
This October, scarecrows will once again line the walkways throughout Stony Brook Village in the Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s 33rd Annual Scarecrow Competition.  READ MORE

Ghostly Gala at the Long Island Children's Museum

Garden City
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Show off your costumes and dance moves at LICM's Monster Mash Dance Party, plus trick-or-treat throughout the museum and visit the Mummies of the Museum haunted house. READ MORE

Halloween at Suffolk County Farm & Education Center

Yaphank
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Trick or treat at the Suffolk County Farm and see what the animals have for you. This event includes treat stations, unlimited wagon rides, kids' crafts, a corn maze, and family games. READ MORE

Haunted Hatchery at the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery

Cold Spring Harbor
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Calling all ghosts and goblins, spiders, and bones: Families are welcome to join in this not-so-scary haunted hatchery visit.  READ MORE

Fall & Halloween Festival at Marjorie Post Park

Woodbury - FREE
Saturday, October 26, 2024
The Town of Oyster Bay hosts a Halloween Fall Festival at Marjorie Post Park, featuring games, inflatables, photo opps, pumpkin picking and more.  READ MORE

1800s Haunted Halloween at Old Bethpage Village

Old Bethpage
Saturday, October 26-Sunday, October 27, 2024
Step back in spooky time to this 1880s Halloween at Old Bethpage Village Restoration. Enjoy safe trick-or-treating, witch's broom making, a children's costume parade, meeting the Grim Reaper, pumpkin painting, a monster scavenger hunt, and a reading of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. READ MORE

Howl-O-Ween Dog Festival and Pet Costume Contest

New Hyde Park – FREE
Sunday, October 27, 2024
It's almost Howl-O-Ween! Your four-legged friends can dress up for this doggie Halloween festival and pet costume contest at the Michael J. Tully Dog Park. READ MORE

Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns at Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts

Wheatley Heights
Through Monday, October 28, 2024
View thousands of hand-carved, illuminated jack-o'-lanterns creatively arranged along a scenic walking path within the Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts. READ MORE

Halloween at the Heckscher Museum of Art

Huntington – FREE
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Kids and families are invited to celebrate Halloween at the Heckscher Museum of Art. The museum offers a slate of FREE events and activities. READ MORE

The Great Jack-o'-Lantern Blaze: Long Island

Old Bethpage
Through Sunday, November 3, 2024
Walk the immersive pumpkin trail on the grounds of a 19th-century village where thousands of hand-carved jack o'lanterns light up the night, complete with an all-original soundtrack, synchronized lighting, and special effects you have to see to believe. The Great Jack o' Lantern Blaze lights up Long Island through November 3. READ MORE

Exhibit: Block Party with Imagination Playground at the Long Island Children's Museum

Garden City
Through Sunday, November 3, 2024
Get ready to join in an oversized “block” party as LICM unveils a new seasonal exhibit. Stack them, crawl through them or team up to make dream designs come true. These giant, lightweight blocks turn playtime into extraordinary adventures.  READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Center For Science Teaching And Learning CSTL
Connetquot River State Park Preserve
Gateway's Not-So-Scary Halloween Adventure
Suffolk County Farm & Education Center
Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium