An installation view from the Costume Institute’s “Death Becomes Her”
Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Monday, October 27
Guided Tour of the Met Costume Institute’s “Death Becomes Her: A Century of Mourning Attire”
Kick off Hallo-week with a guided tour of the Costume Institute’s new exhibition “Death Becomes Her: A Century of Mourning Attire,” featuring elegant mourning fashions of the 19th and early 20th centuries. You might even gather some inspiration for a unique and historically accurate costume of your own.
1–2 PM. Free with museum admission.

Tuesday, October 28
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze
Experience the art of pumpkin carving by walking through Van Cortlandt Manor’s sprawling riverside landscape, illuminated by over 5,000 hand-carved Jack O’Lanterns. From characters depicting The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to spider webs and dinosaurs, it’s hard to imagine a kind of pumpkin that’s not here.
Beginning at 6:30 PM. Tickets $20.

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in Historic Hudson Valley celebrates its 10th anniversary with a glowing pumpkin cake. Photo: Sarah Cascone.

Thursday, October 30
Coalition for the Homeless ARTWALK NY
If last year’s celebrity-laden turnout is any indication (Alex Baldwin, Jennifer Connelly, and a smattering of supermodels stepped out), this is a party not to be missed. The evening, which supports a great cause, will feature a live and silent auction as well as a set by DJ Chelsea Leyland. Okay, so it’s not exactly Halloween-themed, but it is an excuse to get dressed up.
6:30 PM. Tickets $250+.

Friday, October 31
New Museum Annual Halloween Party
If you’ve been considering becoming a member of the New Museum, now’s the time. This hotly-anticipated annual event features cocktails, costumes, and even a prize for the most festively dressed.
7–9 PM. Free with museum membership.

Partygoers at last year’s New Museum Halloween Party. Join in the action this year on October 31.

Storefront for Art and Architecture’s Critical Halloween Party
As the unofficial cool kids’ Halloween party, this year’s fête has a brainy theme, “I-Relevance,” which asks guests to take sartorial inspiration from “obsolete terms, forms, ideologies, philosophical movements to emerging economic systems or aesthetic languages, from Irrelevant to I-Relevant.” We suggest you start brainstorming your costume now.
9:30 PM–2 AM. Tickets $50.

MoMA PS1 Halloween Ball: HalloQueens! Presented with Susanne Bartsch
Nightlife impresario Susanne Bartsch teams up with MoMA PS1 for a chic evening inspired by all things queenly. The celebration kicks off at the museum, with DJs, a costume competition, and several exhibitions on view. Then follow the crowd to the lavish after-party held in a Long Island City warehouse, where Bartsch has commissioned installations from an array of local artists.
8:00 PM–4 AM. Tickets $15. After-party tickets $20.

Models at last year’s Museo del Barrio Dia de los Muertos extravaganza. Attend this year’s party on November 1.

Saturday, November 1
El Museo del Barrio’s Junior Council Presents Dia de los Muertos
Join El Museo in celebrating the traditional Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos. This colorful and spooky celebration will take place at Hotel Americano, where guests can enjoy cocktails, music, and a thematic installation by artist Erika Harrsch.
9 PM–1 AM. Tickets $150+.

Sunday, November 2
Film Society Lincoln Center Presents: Starry Eyes
Not ready for the fright to end? Catch Starry Eyes, a “modern masterwork of body horror” at Lincoln Center, and stick around after for a Q&A session with directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer.
8:30 PM. Tickets $9+.