Halloween on the Harlem Meer
Come see the Harlem Meer get spooky! Join us for a host of FREE family-friendly activities. Costumes encouraged!
Thursday, October 26
4:00 pm–7:00 pm
Celebrate Halloween in Central Park with a family-friendly event full of magic, entertainment, and music, featuring our signature great pumpkin flotilla.
Drop off your carved pumpkin with us and head to the picnic area by the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center to listen to not-so-spooky stories, enjoy a hair-raising magic show, and adorn your own trick-or-treat bag with Central Park–themed decorations.
Then, find a spot along the edge of the Harlem Meer, dance to some festive tunes courtesy of our DJ, and watch the jack-o’-lanterns float by. It’s New York’s largest pumpkin flotilla—and it’s not to be missed!
4:00 pm–5:30 pm
Pumpkin drop-off (see details below)
Decorate your own treat-or-trick bag
4:30 pm–5:00 pm
Not-so-spooky story time hosted by our friends at the New York Public Library
5:15 pm–5:45 pm
Hair-raising magic with Rogue the Magician
5:45 pm–7:00 pm
Halloween dance party with DJ Dao
6:00 pm–7:00 pm
Pumpkin flotilla
These events are FREE and open to all ages. There are no tickets, but please RSVP to let us know you're coming.
Please note: Event details are subject to change based on weather conditions. Join the Central Park Conservancy’s Public Programs mailing list to receive news, information, and last-minute notices about this year’s event.
PUMPKIN FLOTILLA INFORMATION
Please bring your own carved pumpkin. We will not be giving away pumpkins.
Drop-off Between 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm
Space is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Pumpkins will be accepted until 5:30 pm or until all spots are filled, whichever comes first. Stop by our information table located at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center for directions to the drop-off location.
Pumpkin Guidelines
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DO bring a pumpkin that weighs about eight pounds after it’s carved (approximately the size of a soccer ball). |
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DON’T bring mini or extra-large pumpkins. They will not fit on the flotilla. |
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DO bring carved, gutted pumpkins with their tops. |
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DON’T bring pumpkins with artificial decorations, such as paint, glitter, marker, food dye, paper, or plastic. They’ll pollute the Harlem Meer and harm the wildlife. |
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DON’T bring light bulbs, candles, or floats. We’ll provide these! |
Pumpkin owners may retrieve their carved pumpkins at the conclusion of the flotilla at 7:00 pm from the Harlem Meer beach near Fifth Avenue and East 108th Street.
PARTNERS
Hair Raising Magic Show by Rouge the Magician
Since starting magic at the young age of six, Rogue has been performing, teaching, and mentoring for the last 30 years! Featured on America’s Got Talent in 2014 (his true claim to fame), Rogue has appeared in countless news programs, newspapers, magazines, online media, TV shows, and the mass-appeal biopics Magic Man and Misdirection. Rogue is a full-time performer, traveling all over the world fulfilling his passion, spreading his love of magic, and inspiring others to follow in his footsteps.
Not-So-Spooky Story Time with the New York Public Library
The New York Public Library has been an essential provider of free books, information, ideas, and education for all New Yorkers for more than 125 years. Founded in 1895, NYPL is the nation’s largest public library system, featuring 92 locations across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, including our world-renowned research centers at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.