There are a lot of ways to celebrate Halloween for kids of all ages. Maybe you want to parade down Main Street or give the ol’ neighborhood block a break and take the kiddos trick-or-treating somewhere new. Maybe an annual screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show is how you mark the Day of the Dead. Maybe you like to go to a haunted house and get the piss scared outta ya! Or maybe you want to dance the night away in a spooky trance with your friends. The Hudson Valley is serving up a bit of all this Halloween weekend with fun, engaging kids activities, DJ’d dance parties, bonfires, scary films, and parades. Here is our round-up of Halloween 2022 events in the area.
Trick-or-Treat in the Park at Art Omi
October 29
For a daylit trick-or-treating experience both kids and parents can enjoy, head to Art Omi between 2pm and 4pm on Saturday of Halloween weekend. The stunning 120-acre art and architecture park in Ghent is an epic setting for an afternoon of haunted fun among the outdoor sculptures. The free event is open to the public, so get the kids dressed up in the finest spooky-wear and head to Ghent.
Silk & Scream Halloween Party at Silk Factory
October 29
A costumed Newburgh will turn out on Saturday night for the Silk Factory’s Halloween party. The event will feature two floors of dancing with two bars and four DJs for an evening of dancing. The entertainers are DJ Twist, DJ Meetchka, DJ H20, and DJ Matkis. Come dress to impress because the costume prize money is no joke (Between $100 and $500). This event is open to 21+.
Halloween Bash at Angry Orchard [sold out]
October 29, 7-10pm
If you want to spend Halloween dancing the night away to late-’90s/early aughts jams (what’s spookier than feeling old?), head to Angry Orchard’s Walden taproom for an evening with DJ Bryan Junior and friends. Costumes are optional, but…don’t be a spoil sport. Your $20 ticket includes a can of Angry Orchard cider, plus the full bar will be open. Buy tickets for the Halloween bash.
Halloween Fest at Opus 40
October 29-30
Harvey Fite’s famous bluestone monument and the surrounding estate get a spooky makeover for a weekend of Halloweeny celebration. Opus 40 festivities kick off on Saturday afternoon with a 4pm high-energy show by 23-piece Chilean brass band Rim Bam Bum, presented by Honk! NYC. On Sunday, toast s’mores and sip cider ‘round the campfire for an evening of spooky stories. Just listen or bring your own hair-raising tale to this event, which starts at 5:30pm. Over both days, the trails throughout the Opus 40 property will be open after dark for visitors who dare to take a moonlit stroll and encounter the sinister specters and ghoulish goblins hiding in the woods.
Scary Movie Marathon at Tinker Street Cinema
October 28-30
Lovers of all things horror, fantasy, phantasmagorical, and psychotronic, the movie fanatics behind the Tinker Street Cinema are celebrating Halloween with a weekend of scary movie screenings. Friday night presents George A Romero’s 1968 zombie classic Night of the Living Dead in a way you’ve never heard it before, with a new score played live by Morricone Youth (original dialogue will be included). On Saturday night, Dresden Dolls frontwoman Amanda Palmer will host Halloweeny evening with a costume contest and a screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Sunday closes out the weekend's triple hitter with a macabre pairing of barbecue sandwiches and a screening of Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Halloween Craft Fair & Haunted Huguenot Street at Historic Huguenot Street
October 29-31
Historic Huguenot Street is hosting a multipart-part celebration of Halloween. On Saturday and Sunday, families can sign up for an hour-long time slot between 10am and 3pm to partake in the seasonal festivities. Don your best costumes for an afternoon of spooky, seasonal crafting projects, a hunt for hidden treasures, and tasty treats. Kiddos leave with their crafts and a bag of candy. On Saturday night, October 29, Haunted Huguenot Street will return for its second and final run of the year for a haunted enactment of history. Met ghoulish figures from New Paltz’s past as you learn about the history of Huguenot Street and its residents in this theatrical, candlelit evening. On Halloween day, Historic Huguenot Street will host trick-or-treaters from 3:30 to 5:30pm before the famed New Paltz parade, and then host the parade’s afterparty.
New Paltz Parade + Afterparty at Historic Huguenot Street
October 31
The New Paltz Parade is a longstanding tradition in the village with costumed kids, adults, and college students convening at the middle school to march together. This year, the parade will change course, in more than one way. The traditional procession destination of the firehouse is being replaced by Historic Huguenot Street, which will host an afterparty following the parade, replete with the classic Night of 100 Pumpkins pumpkin carving contest, traditionally hosted by the Bakery, on display throughout the evening.
Woodstock Halloween Parade + Afterparty at Bearsville Theater
October 31
In a town known for its heavy concentration of artists, it’s no surprise that the annual Halloween parade in Woodstock is a spooky, creative, costumed delight for kids big and little. Kicking off at 5pm, the town’s streets will close down as people process to the Village Green to the beat of the Rock Academy drumline. Other performances include music by Rosendale Improvement Association Brass Band and Social Club and Center for Creative Education’s Energy Dancers’s “Thriller” flash mob. There will be prizes for best homemade costumes and free candy from local shops. (For volunteers wishing to help with parade logistics, there will be a workshop at Utopia Sound Stage, October 30, 2-5pm.) Don’t want to go home right after all the fun on the Village Green? Following the parade, the Bearsville Theater will host a free rock ‘n’ roll afterparty with live music by The Black Teeth from 7pm to 9pm. Don’t take your costume off as there will be awards for best outfit and best dancer given at the end of the night. Outside, there will be a raging bonfire, a woodland walk with paper lanterns swinging from the trees, and a pop-up photo booth to catch you in your spooky finest. Indulge in smores, hot chocolate, candied apples, and a cash bar.
MyKingstonKids Halloween Fest & Parade: Monsters Ball
October 29
Local nonprofit MyKingstonKids prepares for its sixth annual Halloween fest and parade. Costumed participants will convene in the Kingston Plaza just before 2pm for a fun, raucous, spooky procession to the YMCA in Midtown accompanied. From 3pm, it’s party time with DJ Frankie Bones spinning tunes for the Monsters Ball and an array of live performances from music to magic and dancing. The fest will welcome local food purveyors and artisan vendors, carnival games, kids activities, and trick-or-treating. Rain date is Sunday, October 30.
Halloween Festivities at Twin Star Orchard
October 29
Brooklyn Cider House’s 210-acre Twin Star orchard will host a free afternoon of Halloween fun on Saturday, with live music from 4pm to 7pm by the Kyle Tigges Trio, a costume contest, and free candy giveaways. Tag Brooklyn Cider House in your costumed selfie at the party for a free draft drink and a chance to win the prize of a $150 gift card. At 6pm when the sun goes down, the bonfire will be lit for another hour of music and fun. The orchard is kid- and dog-friendly.
Jessica Lynn’s Awesome 80’s Halloween Bash at Daryl’s House
October 29
Break out the neon spandex, chunky jewelry, and windbreakers. Country singer-songwriter and Daryl’s House regular Jessica Lynn switches musical gears on Saturday night for an evening of ‘80s hits, setting the tone for this decade-themed Halloween party in Pawling. The evening, which kicks off at 8pm, will also include a costume contest, prizes, and games.
The Haunted Mill & Monsters’ Ball at Wassaic Project
October 29
Every year the Wassaic Project gives Halloween an artful spin, decking out the Maxon Mills in spooky seasonal decor for a full day of haunted fun. Halloween-themed art installations will be on display all throughout the buildings and property to experience at your leisure. From 3pm to 7pm, families are welcome for an afternoon of activities including a ghostly puppet show; the ethereal, pop-up Lucid Dream Minigolf course; carnival-themed games like a fish tank trick-or-treat station, ring toss and ball toss games, giant nature-inspired inflatables, an electro-animal petting zoo, sunken riverboat casino games by Keil Orion Troisi, a giant plinko game, and a ghostly VR speed dating game all created by participating artists. And of course candy all around. The free event requires an RSVP. Starting at 7pm, the ticketed Monster’s Ball takes over the back garden at The Lantern. The Swingin’ Palms and Ritz Carlton will dole out live music while participants compete for best costume. You’ll be turned away even with a ticket in hand if you show up uncostumed so get ready to dress up.
