The Best Ways to Celebrate Halloween in New York City

The leaves are changing, and temperatures are dropping, it’s officially Halloween season. Get in the spirit with New York City events that promise frights and thrills, humans and pups adorning costumes, and ghoulish theatrical extravaganzas.

Dreams of Dracula:

New York is a city filled with world-class immersive theater. The newest is Dreams of Dracula: An Immersive Masquerade Experience which brings to life a Vampire Masquerade. Presented by Bucketlisters and Never More Immersive, step into the seductive tale of Dracula as you’ve never experienced before.

An immersive theatrical event, you’ll saunter through the darkness of Castle Dracula and enter a choose-your-own adventure journey that details Bram Stoker’s original classic vampire novel. You’ll find yourself mingling with Dark Romantics, Lord Byron, John William Polidori, and Mary Shelley as you all step into the dreamtime – the shadow world between sleep, nightmares, and ecstasy.

Join a secret society of the dark arts and explore a world beyond the borders of your conscious reality and knock around the limits of your hypnotic dreams. Rendezvous in the salon with the intoxicating Oscar Wilde or slip into the Alchemical Study of Sigmund Freud. Just be warned! Hypnosis, tarot readings, scary tales, darkness, flashing lights, thunder, and lightning will all be a part of this experience.

Written and directed by Jonathan Albert and Nicole Coady. Choreography by Arianne Meneses. Music composed by Dian Shuai. The experience takes place on two floors and within four rooms that spans 25,000 square feet.

Friday and Saturday evenings are for the most elegant guests with black-tie attire as a requirement for admittance. For all other immersions into this dreamscape, basic black will get you past the velvet ropes and you’ll be provided with masks. Be sure to come thirsty and indulge in specialty cocktails. *opening photo curtesy of Bucketlisters

Courtesy of Bucket Listers — Photo Curtesy of ***Bucketlisters*** ***& Nevermore***

Bucketlisters presents Cityside Pumpkin Patch

Pretend you are Upstate in a field of pumpkins with the Cityside Pumpkin Patch. New York City's most expansive Halloween extravaganza has been created at The Summer Club rooftop with sweeping views of Manhattan. The rooftop has undergone a complete metamorphosis into a family-friendly, Halloween-themed experience, where the boundary between reality and Halloween magic dissolves

Grab your camera and feel the enchantment of this fully operational patch. All of the pumpkins on are up for grabs and included in most ticket packages or available for purchase. Besides a bevy of pumpkins that come in all sizes, there is a frenzy of fall activities.

The Smash-o-Lantern Zone is space for releasing stress as you smash a pumpkin to smithereens. Test your aim at Scarecrow archery, see what your future holds with Tarot Reading and get your face painted. Fall photo opportunities are around every corner at the Midnight Mausoleum, the Sleepy Hollow Graveyard, Dexter’s Deadly Display, the Ringmaster’s Circus and a Pool of Pumpkins.

Special treats and potions are also available so come hungry. Nosh on Pumpkin seeds, Carmel Dipped Apples, NY Style Pretzel, Sweet Potato Pretzels, Thanksgiving Sandwich and more. Sips include beers from Sam Adams and specialty cocktails like Frankin-Rita, Gravedigger, Black Magic Mulled Wine and Triple Hot Chocolate. The Beer Fest, Fear Fest presented by Sam Adams challenges you to face your biggest fear - Cenosillicaphobia (the fear of having an empty glass when drinking.)

BloodManor Celebrating 20 Years of Terror

BloodManor is celebrating 20 years as New York City’s premier haunted attraction with three new themed rooms and all new costumes created by NYC's ultimate Halloween store, Abracadabra NYC. The last two decades BloodManor has been oozing spine-chilling scares and thrilling entertainment, becoming a staple in NYC for the Halloween season.

This years’ experience leaves visitors more afraid with elevated horrifying attractions, mind-bending theatrics, and bone-chilling surprises. BloodManor's most hair-raising attractions have returned – revamped and amplified to intensify the fear factor. Visitors confront their deepest fears through dark, sinister corridors filled with twisted characters causing jump worthy scares at every turn. Every moment is elevated thanks to state-of-the-art special effects, bringing realism to the haunting experience and blurring the lines between reality and fiction. From cursed mansions to abandoned asylums, each attraction within the “house” is based on carefully crafted, original storylines. Visit now through November 4 and with October the 13th falling on a Friday, BloodManor will be hosting a night of fright party.