The city that never sleeps is the perfect place for high-energy kids. And there’s no question that New York is full of museums, zoos, theaters, and other spots kids love. Use this list as a guide to some of the family-friendly events happening this month in NYC.
39th Annual Village Halloween Parade
845-758-5519
Those in costume can join hundreds of puppets, 53 bands playing different types of music, stilt walkers, jugglers, and thousands of other visual and performing artists on parade, Greenwich Village (6th Ave. btwn. Spring and 16th Sts.), 7 pm, Oct. 31
Bronx Zoo (shown)
718-367-1010
Boo at the Zoo: safe, family-friendly activities include The Haunted Habitat Mansion, Creepy Hollows Hayride, costume parade, music, magic, pumpkin-carving demos, hay maze, treat stations, and more, Sept. 29–30, Oct. 6–8, 13–14, 20–21, 27–28
Canal Park Playhouse
212-226-3040
Take Two: Bad Gigs Gone Good: Mark Hayward, an award-winning yo-yo champion and juggler, relives his worst onstage blunders (hitting himself in the face with a yo-yo, tossing flaming torches into the crowd, etc.) and attempts to redeem himself, ages 4 and up, Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 6–29
Halloween Kid Cruise 2012
646-739-3776
Hop aboard the Paddle Wheel Queen at Skyport Marina and cruise the Hudson while enjoying a clown show, face painting, games, food, costume contest, and more, 2–6 pm, Oct. 28 and 31
More fun in the Big Apple—>
Hansel and Gretel’s Halloween Adventure
212-988-9093
Hansel and Gretel find themselves in NYC on Halloween night, where they meet mermaids, monsters, and more as they explore Central Park and Belvedere Castle. Featuring hand-made marionettes. At the Central Park Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, ages 3–9, Oct. 3–Nov. 3
The New Victory Theater
646-223-3010
Mojo: bursting with energy, Mojo celebrates the magic and mayhem of childhood with puppetry, dance, illusion, and live music, ages 5 and up, Oct. 26–Nov. 4; Ring A Ding Ding: this is a colorful, creative, and energetic work of participatory theater, ages 3–5,
Oct. 17–Nov. 11
New York Botanical Garden
718-817-8700
The Haunted Pumpkin Garden: marvel at more than 500 jack-o-lanterns, elaborately carved into spiders, snakes, and other scary sights. There’s also a costume parade, pumpkin carving demos, and more, Oct. 6–31
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Times Square Odditorium
212-398-3133
Ripley’s Boo-lieve It or Not! Slumber Fest: brave kids, ages 6–16, can spend the night at the odditorium, go on a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt, participate in a costume contest, see live entertainment, and have other late-night haunted adventures, Oct. 27
West End Theater
212-868-4444
Frog and Peach Theatre Company adapt Cinderella (from the Brothers Grimm; shown) and The Tinderbox (from Hans Christian Anderson) into plays that feature sing-alongs with big, soft puppets, followed by puppet-making workshops, ages 3 and up, Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 13–Nov. 4
