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October 30
DAYBREAKER: Mad Hatter Halloween Boat Cruise Pier 40; 6am; $30
Come November 1, the clocks all fall back and the sun will start rising at a reasonable hour—so why not take advantage of one of the latest sunrises of the year by partying right through it? Climb aboard a boat for this Alice In Wonderland–themed dance party, featuring the likes of DJ the Scumfrog and the Moth's Vicki Rox.
NYC Craft Beer Festival Metropolitan West; at various times; $55–$125
Not everything happening this weekend revolves around Halloween. If you'd rather wear regular clothes and sample fine ales than dress up like Trump and pound Bud Light, hit up this enormous craft beer festival, featuring unlimited samples of 150 brews from 75 breweries. Or spring for the VIP pass, which gives you an extra hour of drinking and a chance to taste some super rare beers.
Gravesend Inn Haunted Hotel New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn; Oct 30, 31 at various times; $8, with student ID $5
The students in City Tech's Theatreworks program know how to build sets—after all, that's what they're learning as a trade. So give them a chance to scare your pants off at this student-designed high-tech haunted house, complete with motion sensors to trigger the terrifying surprises.
The Seance Highlight Studios; at various times; $60
Is it a performance or a conversation with the other side? Judge for yourself at magician Jason Suran's show, which re-creates the seances of the early 20th Century in an intimate setting.
K2 Friday Nights at the Rubin Museum: Night of the Living Dead The Rubin Museum of Art; 6pm; free
Kick off your Halloweekend with a dash of culture by hitting up this arty shindig, where you can scope out the museum's exhibitions while enjoying cocktails with names like the Thirsty Ghost or the Wrathful Deity. Then, at 9:30pm, shuffle into the theater for a screening of the zombie classic Night of The Living Dead.
Blood Manor Blood Manor; Oct 30, 31 at 7pm; $30, at the door $35
Be warned: This 5,000-square-foot haunted house is not for the faint of heart—or children under 14 (without adult supervision). But if being scared witless is your thing, zip on down to check out such horrific haunts as the Banquet of Torture and the Vestibule of the Undead, along with other rooms full of ghouls and monsters.
Halloween Extravaganza and Procession of the Ghouls Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine; 7, 10pm; $20
This Morningside Heights church already looks like a set piece from a vampire movie, so embrace the spookiness with a showing of classic German horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari—complete with musical accompaniment on the enormous organ—followed by the Mettawee River Theatre Company’s annual procession of demons, ghouls and witches through the cathedral's halls.
Shwick & Dick Present... Zombie Jamboree Lot 45, Brooklyn; 8pm; $15, at the door $20
No matter how you like your zombies—fast, slow, traditional voodoo—you'll feel at home at this party dedicated to the undead. Acts like the Dandy Lions, J.A.W.S and LoveStory will play danceworthy jams, while a tarot card reader serves up fortunes—and if you run out of zombie makeup, there's a Zombie Beauty Bar to get you looking your best (worst).
Night of the Living Drag Liberty Theatre; 9pm; $25–$65
Halloween doesn't have to be a drag—but then again, it can be if you want it to be. Shangela and Willam host an epic night of scary drag; between them and Lady Bunny spinning the tracks, it should be one fun All Hallows' Eve eve.
A Refined Masquerade Refinery Rooftop; 9pm; $150
Start your Halloween weekend off right at this rooftop masquerade party. (Might want to get a mask you can see through though, you are on a roof after all.) This black-tie event features a premium open bar as well as music, live entertainment and a "crime scene photo op." Spooky!
French Kiss presents DJ Sprinkles + Ital Output, Brooklyn; 10pm; $20–$30, free before midnight with R.S.V.P.
DJ Sprinkles wears a lot of hats: He's a producer, an identity-politics theorist, and, of course, a DJ, who creates everything from traditional house music to fascinating electroacoustic stuff. If you're ready to have your mind blown a bit, check him out—along with rocker turned dance-music maker Ital.
Inferno McKittrick Hotel; Oct 30, 31 at 10:30pm; $70–$360
Things are gonna get real at the McKittrick this Halloween: real sexy, real spooky, real crazy—and real fun. The costume party kicks off late, but you can choose to add on a trip through the hotel's groundbreaking Sleep No More performance, a bite at their restaurant the Heath—or both. Embrace the night; go with both.
October 31
Día de los Muertos New York Botanical Garden, Bronx; Oct 31, Nov 1 at 10am; $25
To mark the end of their Frida Kahlo exhibition (along with, y'know, the actual Day of the Dead), the NYBG is throwing a two-day festival celebrating this Mexican holiday. Stilt walkers and musical performers will be on hand, Mexican films will be shown, and an artist will be carving faces into giant pumpkins. Hmm, what's Spanish for "Jack-o'-Lantern?"
Canine Costume Carnival Rockaway Beach, Queens; 11am; free
Rockaway Beach becomes Ruff-away Beach for one day, when a slew of puppies and their owners converge for a festival of canine costumery. Expect carnival rides, face painting, photo booths—and, of course, a contest to honor the best doggie Halloween outfits.
Videology Becomes the Winchester Videology, Brooklyn; noon; $5
In the sudden, extremely coincidental event that a zombie outbreak should break out in Williamsburg on Halloween, Videology'll be ready for it; in the spirit of Shaun of the Dead, it will convert the bar into a pseudo-British pub, filling it with undead-destroying weaponry. Oh, and the movie will play on a loop all day, too.
Evolution Taxidermy Class The Evolution Store; Oct 31, Nov 1 at noon; $325
Get in touch with your inner goth and learn how to stuff a bird in a very different way than grandma used to do. This two-day course teaches how to take a (previously) deceased bird apart, then rebuild it into a museumworthy piece of eternal art. And for the record, it's not BYOB—they'll supply the birds.
Haunted Brooklyn Heights Court Street and Pacific Street, Brooklyn; 2:30pm; $20, at the door $25
The borough of Brooklyn has had hundreds of years to build up a history of spooky events and bizarre happenings, so why not find out about them while getting in a nice autumn stroll? This tour brings participants past such hair-raising sites as H.P. Lovecraft's house and the so-called "Gate to Hell," all while they learn about the area's scary past.
Village Halloween Parade Sixth Ave, from Spring St to 16th St; 7pm; free
Whether you're marching up Sixth Avenue amidst the throngs of costumed revelers or simply watching from the sidelines, there's really nothing like this long-running Halloween tradition. Get to the sides of the parade route early (like, 5pm) if you want a good view; if you're the participatin' type, make sure you're wearing an actual costume, or else you won't be allowed to join.
Webster Hell Webster Hall; 8pm; $75 and up
As the Halloween parade wraps up, head a few blocks east for the after-party—four floors of manic dancing, costumed revelers swinging from the ceiling, a $5,000 cash prize for best costume, and—no joke—a virgin sacrifice on a pentagram 40 feet in the air at the stroke of midnight. So, y'know, just another Saturday night.
The Salon: Halloween Stomp Gateway Art Center; 8pm; $20, VIP tickets $50
Halloween meets high-class at this annual bash. Jazz and blues from the likes of Dan Levinson's Bogeymen and the Blue Vipers set the stage for some old-school dance moves, while the likes of Karina Libido and Lily Faye provide entertainment of the burlesque variety. Also, be sure to check out the rooms decorated in the style of classic horror films...they're sure to be a scream.
Moma PS1 Halloween Ball MoMA PS1, Queens; 8pm; $15
Let your freak flag fly at this annual Halloween extravaganza, where everyone from Chloë Sevigny to Ladyfag have been spotted getting down and getting funky. Expect incredible dancing, ridiculous costumes, manic DJ sets and fascinating performances. Oh, and Michael Stipe. He'll be there.
Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band Kings Theatre, Brooklyn; 8pm; $64.50–$124.50
Odds are good the former Beatle won't be dressed up in his Sgt. Pepper pinks when he plays on Halloween night, but we can dream. Odds are good, however, that he and his band (including Todd Rundgren and Steve Lukather) will crank out tons of his familiar hits with Ringo's tradition energy and enthusiasm.
Container + Guerilla Toss + Ciarra Black + Pill + Malory + PC Worship + Larry Gus + Show Me the Body Palisades, Brooklyn; 8pm; $12
Bed-Stuy combination performance hall/art space Palisades plays host to a deep lineup of performers from across the techno spectrum—ranging from the grating-yet-danceworthy noise punk of Guerilla Toss to the industrial/techno sounds of Container, a.k.a. God Willing's Ren Schofield.
BangOn!NYC: Warehouse of Horrors Somewhere secret in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 9pm; $80
A Halloween extravaganza in a secret Williamsburg location, complete with silent music sets (so bring headphones), over-the-top performances and artwork, all brought together by the team at BangOn!NYC? Sign us up.
Halloween Bacchanalia Museum of Sex; 9pm; $40–$125
October 31 is already one of the sexiest days on the calendar, so why not turn up the eroticism to 11 and spend All Hallows' Eve at a museum dedicated to gettin' it on? Especially when it involves burlesque performances, super sexy raffle prizes, food from Bo's Kitchen and drinks from Spring 44. Better make sure you know how to remove your costume quickly.
Pier of Fear NYC Halloween Night: Skrillex + Friends Pier 94; 9pm; $75–$150
Swing on down to the Hudson to catch the biggest name in American EDM, Skrillex, as he and his dance music pals (Marshmello, Sliink, Leikeli47, Jahlil Beats and Vindata) crank up the volume for a night of loud, thumping music and endless dancing.
November 1
TCS New York City Marathon All five boroughs; 10am; free
It's far too late to register to run alongside 50,000 other people in the world-famous road race, but you can still join in the 26.2-mile-long party that forms along the route. With more than 130 musicians playing and more than a million other fans cheering, just watching the river of humanity flow by can set your heart racing.
Youssou N'Dour Terminal 5; 8pm; $50, at the door $55
This Senegalese master of music brings his outrageously broad and deep talent (he's equally skilled at creating dance music as performing orchestral tunes) to NYC for a night of high-octane tunes with his band the Super Étoile.
Everything Is Terrible! Legends The Bell House, Brooklyn; 8pm; $15 in advance, $18 at the door
Help the VHS-splicing artistes of Everything Is Terrible! celebrate their seventh anniversary with a night honoring some of the most outrageous and cracktastic works they've created over the years (you have to see 'em to believe how bizarre they can be). Consider it a nice way to wind down your Halloweekend.