Halloween in Central Park

Pumpkins sail in New York's largest pumpkin flotilla.

Regina A.

Don your costume and get ready for a frightfully fun time! Each October, the Central Park Conservancy offers an array of free Halloween programming throughout the Park, which has included spider crafts, live bat programs, costume parades, pumpkin carving and cooking demonstrations, theatrical productions, spooktacular sports, scary storytelling and New York City's largest pumpkin flotilla on the Harlem Meer. Read below for information on our 2012 schedule of Halloween programs. All programs are free and there is no advance registration. All ages are welcome. Programs will happen weather permitting.

2012 Schedule of Halloween Programs

• A Clearing in the Forest: Wildlife
  Sunday, October 7, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
  Peter Jay Sharp Children's Glade
  Learn about the real vampires of NYC – blood-sucking animals – with biologist Bill Schutt. Ages 4+.
  
  
• Bats at Belvedere
  Friday, October 26, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
  Belvedere Castle
  Step into the mysterious world of bats and explore their benefits, habitats and nocturnal strategies in this live animal encounter program with conservation biologist Rob Mies. Ages 4+.
  
  
• Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Sail
  Sunday, October 28, 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm
  Dana Discovery Center
  Enjoy spooky storytelling, crafts with marshmallows, pumpkin-carving demonstrations and more. Walk alongside Frankenstein in the costume parade at 5:45 pm, and then watch New York City's largest pumpkin flotilla drift by on the Meer at twilight. Please click the link to read more about how to participate in the sail, including pumpkin size and weight restrictions.