Go Batty At Costume Parades, Festivals
Scaring up some fun won’t be hard to do at a host of Halloween parties, parades and festivals scheduled to take place around the Times Newsweekly coverage in the days leading up to and including All Hallow’s Eve, Wednesday, Oct. 31.
Children of all ages are encouraged to come in costume and celebrate Halloween at the events, which are scheduled to take place rain or shine. Most of the activities include goodie bag giveaways and costume contests with prizes awarded to the winners.
Among the “spooktacular” events on the calendar include the following:
Glendale
Considered to be the oldest continuous march of its kind in the city, this year’s Glendale Halloween Parade figures to be extra special, as the festivities will return to the parade’s traditional route this Wednesday night.
Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Glendale, the Halloween fun will step off at 7 p.m. sharp outside the Mc- Donald’s restaurant at the corner of Myrtle and Cooper avenues. Ghouls, ghosts and goblins of all ages will walk or ride in floats westbound along Myrtle Avenue to the Stop and Shop supermarket, located at Cypress Hills Street.
Accompanying the marchers along the way will be members of the 104th Precinct and volunteers from the 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol (104COP).
The participants will then gather inside the supermarket’s parking lot to receive free goodie bags from the Kiwanis Club of Glendale. A costume contest will also be held with prizes awarded for a variety of categories.
Maspeth
Costumed youngsters will be in for some fun tricks and treats during the annual Maspeth Ragamuffin Parade along Grand Avenue in Maspeth scheduled to take place this Wednesday evening.
Presented by the Maspeth Lions Club, the march will begin at 7 p.m. at the main gate of Mount Olivet Cemetery, located off the corner of Grand Avenue and Remsen Place.
The spectators will proceed eastbound along Grand Avenue to 69th Street, where they will turn into the nearby parking lot of Maspeth Federal Savings Bank. As with the Glendale parade, the Maspeth marchers will receive bags of treats. Costume contests will also take place.
Bushwick
All are invited to take part in “Calabazafest!”, the multicultural celebration of traditional Halloween and harvest season celebrations and the Latin-American “Day of the Dead,” scheduled to take place this Saturday afternoon, Oct. 28, at Bushwick’s Maria Hernandez Park.
Co-sponsored by the EcoStationNY Bushwick Farmers Market, Arts in Bushwick, Make the Road New York, El Puente, Chrissy’s Cooking Club and Bushwick Green Team, the free event will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the park located off the intersection of Knickerbocker Avenue and Suydam Street.
The third-annual “Calabazafest!” features a wide variety of eco-friendly activities such as pumpkin crafts, “sugar skull” mask making and cooking demonstrations. There will also be a costume contest at 4 p.m. with prizes awarded to the winners.
The festival will also feature a number of musical acts including the all-female Mariachi Flor de Toloache, Sabor and the Afro-Latineers and Mariachi Tapatio de Alvaro Paulino.
Woodside
Halloween in Woodside will go to the dogs, cats and other creatures great and small during the “Woofside Halloween Pet Parade” at Windmuller Playground this Saturday.
Organized by Woodside on the Move among other co-sponsors, the march will step off at 11 a.m. at the park located near the intersection of 39th Drive and 52nd Street.
Members of the public, for a fee, are invited to bring their pets, dressed up for Halloween, to take part in the parade. The event will also include services from local pet vendors such as training demonstrations and health and fitness workshops.
All registered participants will be eligible for the costume contest, which includes special prizes and goodie bags.
Forest Hills
Trick-o’-treaters will again descend upon Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills this Wednesday afternoon in search of goodies from local shopkeepers during the neighborhood’s annual Halloween Walk.
Co-sponsored by the Forest Hills Community and Civic Association, the Kiwanis Club of Forest Hills and American Legion Continental Post 1424, the walk will begin at 4 p.m. from the parking lot of Maspeth Federal Savings Bank, located at 101-19 Metropolitan Ave.
Escorted by officers from the 112th Precinct, costumed children will walk up and down Metropolitan Avenue, getting their fill of free candy and other treats from business owners.
The youngsters will then return to the Maspeth Federal Savings bank parking lot, where prizes will be raffled off.
Howard Beach
Youngsters in Howard Beach will take to the streets of their neighborhood for their annual Halloween Parade this Saturday sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Howard Beach.
The march will begin at 11:30 a.m. from the corner of Cross Bay Boulevard and 159th Avenue. Free refreshments will be available to the participants at the conclusion of the parade.
Jackson Heights
Spooks will run wild at the 23rd annual Children’s Halloween Parade in Jackson Heights, which will take place on Wednesday afternoon at 5 p.m.
Organized by the Jackson Heights Beautification Group, the march will step off at 5 p.m. from the corner of 89th Street and 37th Avenue.
Children of all ages participating in the march will receive bags of treats distributed at the parade’s conclusion.
