Tag: Queens Night Market

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Best Things to Do in NYC This October: Halloween Parades, Food Festivals and Fall Fun

October might be the best month to be in New York City

Fall is in full swing, the streets are packed with festivals, and Halloween is right around the corner. Whether you’re into morning dance parties, Japanese street food, open-air art studios, or a good old-fashioned parade, there’s something happening nearly every weekend this month. Here’s what’s on the calendar.

Oct 10 — DAYBREAKER ALIVE at Brooklyn Bridge Park

The early-morning dance party returns to Brooklyn Bridge Park on October 10. Wake up, get outside, and dance it out as the sun comes up over the skyline. It’s the kind of morning that sets the tone for the whole weekend.

Oct 10 + 11 — JAPAN Fes

Japanese food, snacks, and street culture take over for two days on October 10 and 11. If you’ve been meaning to try something new from a vendor you’ve never heard of, this is your chance. And if food festivals are your thing, our roundup of 15 of the best pizza places in NYC will keep the theme going.

Oct 10, 17, 24 + 31 — Queens Night Market

The Queens Night Market keeps its Saturday run going through October 31. Four more Saturdays of food vendors from around the world, cheap eats, and a crowd that shows up hungry. Mark every one of those dates.

Oct 16–18 — Open House New York Weekend

One of the city’s best weekends for the curious: buildings, studios, and spaces that are usually closed to the public open their doors from October 16 to 18. Tours fill fast, so plan ahead.

Oct 17 — Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade

Dogs in costumes. That’s the whole pitch, and it’s perfect. The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade returns October 17 in the East Village, and it’s one of the most purely joyful traditions in the city.

Oct 17–18 — Gowanus Open Studios

Brooklyn artists open their studios to the public on October 17 and 18. Wander Gowanus, meet the people making the work, and see the neighborhood’s creative scene up close.

Oct 23–25 — City of Gods Halloween Festival

Three days of Halloween programming from October 23 to 25. Details are still trickling out, but it’s one of the bigger Halloween events on the October calendar. Pair it with our guide to 20 haunted houses in and around NYC for the full spooky-season treatment.

Oct 24 — Bronx Halloween Parade

The 41st Annual Bronx Halloween Parade marches on October 24. Four decades in, this Bronx tradition is still going strong — costumes, music, and a whole borough celebrating.

Oct 31 — A triple-header of Halloween

October 31 is stacked. Three events land on Halloween day itself:

  • Halloween Harvest Festival at Socrates Sculpture Park — fall fun with a Halloween twist at the park in Astoria.
  • Village Halloween Parade — the famous march down Sixth Avenue, still the centerpiece of NYC Halloween.
  • House of Hallucinations at House of Yes — Bushwick’s House of Yes closes out the month with its signature Halloween night.

If you’re already planning ahead for what’s next, our list of 10 of the best Christmas events in NYC for the 2026 holidays is ready when you are.

Don’t sleep on October

This is the month when the city really shows off — food festivals, open studios, parades, and Halloween doing the heavy lifting at the end. Pick your weekends, grab your friends, and get out there. And for ideas this very week, check out what’s happening around NYC today too.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Fun Things Happening in NYC This Weekend, Oct. 2–4: Festivals, Night Markets and Rooftop Parties

This weekend might be the most stacked one of the fall so far. From October 2nd through the 4th, New York is rolling out festivals, night markets, rooftop parties and cultural celebrations across all five boroughs — the kind of lineup that makes “let’s just stay in” a hard sell.

Here’s what’s on, straight from the weekend roundup, so you can plan your days now instead of doom-scrolling at noon on Saturday.

Cultural festivals you don’t want to miss

Mid-Autumn Festival at Gotham Park brings the beloved lunar celebration to one of Lower Manhattan’s most underrated green spaces. Expect mooncakes, lanterns and the kind of community energy that makes a festival feel like a neighborhood party.

Lenape Nations Pow Wow in Prospect Park is a rare chance to experience Indigenous culture, drumming and dancing in the heart of Brooklyn. It’s one of the most meaningful gatherings of the weekend — go with curiosity and respect, and leave with a deeper appreciation of the city’s roots.

GreenThumb Harvest Fair celebrates the urban gardeners and community growers who keep the city’s green thumb thriving. Perfect if you like your weekends a little earthy, with plants, demos and fall harvest vibes.

Food crawls, all weekend

Food people are eating very well this weekend. The Queens Night Market is back — one of the city’s most beloved after-dark food traditions, where you can eat your way across boroughs without leaving the fairground. Over in Brooklyn, Smorgasburg Prospect Park serves up its usual parade of ambitious vendors and long lines worth standing in.

And if you haven’t tried them yet, Taste of Sunnyside puts Queens’ restaurant scene on full display, while the Atlantic Antic takes over Atlantic Avenue with food, crafts and entertainment across Brooklyn. If you’re hunting for more places to eat this week, check out the best lobster spots in and around NYC or the hot chicken spots worth trying.

Music, dancing and late nights

We Belong Here in Central Park turns one of the city’s great green spaces into a dance floor — a can’t-miss if you like your weekends loud and open-air. For something with a throwback groove, Disco Fever Skate Night combines roller skates, funk and mirrorball energy.

And when the sun goes down, the Disco Tehran Rooftop Party takes the dancing sky-high. Rooftop season is technically winding down, so every one of these parties feels a little extra special.

Street fairs and neighborhood vibes

The Third Avenue Festival brings the classic NYC street-fair formula — vendors, performances and that particular brand of Manhattan chaos. Street fairs are the city’s unofficial fall sport, and this one’s a good excuse to walk a whole avenue with no agenda.

However you spend it, this is one of those weekends where the city reminds you why you live here. Pick your lane — festivals, food, music or all three — and get out early, because every one of these is going to draw a crowd. For more ideas as the week rolls on, see what to do in NYC this week.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: What to Do in NYC This Week: Books, Jazz, Salsa and Night Markets

The week ahead in New York is packed, weather permitting. From big-ticket festivals to late-night dance floors, here’s what’s on around the city from September 27th through October 3rd.

Festivals and markets

The Brooklyn Book Festival is the week’s headline for readers — panels, signings, and booksellers taking over the borough. Food lovers get the Queens Night Market, and the FAD Market Fall Pop-Up is back for design and craft browsing. The GreenThumb Harvest Fair celebrates the city’s community gardens, and art fans should catch the DUMBO Projection Walk lighting up the waterfront after dark.

Music, comedy and nightlife

There’s outdoor jazz and live music on the calendar, plus salsa and dance parties for anyone who’d rather move. Comedy fans have local comedy nights and open mics to choose from, and the Dirty Circus at House of Yes promises the kind of night only Brooklyn can pull off. Late-night parties round out the week for the night owls.

A note on the weather

Sunday’s picks lean indoor on purpose — storm-safe options for a gray day. Outdoor plans later in the week are still on the schedule, but it’s worth double-checking conditions before heading out.

For day-by-day ideas, see 20 fun things to do in NYC today. And if you’d rather spend an evening at the movies, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is the horror hit everyone’s talking about.