BY EMMA MILLER
Halloween is almost here, and Queens has lots of fun events for the whole family.
From haunted houses to parades, here are some activities for you to enjoy no matter what neighborhood you live in.
Bayside
The park rangers at Fort Totten will once again be leading Haunted Lantern Tours to celebrate the season. Tours run continuously from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 26 and 27 starting at the Fort Totten Park Water Battery. Please line up by 8 p.m. to guarantee your spot.
Fort Totten will also be having their annual Halloween Festival at the parade grounds. Enjoy games, rides, crafts and more. The free festival also includes a pumpkin patch and a costume contest. The fun starts at noon and goes until 3 p.m. on Oct. 27.
If you still need more spooky fun in Bayside, come to Halloween Family Fun Day the following day. This free kids event includes stories, magic, pumpkin decorating, crafts, inflatables and more. The party goes from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 28. This event by the Bayside Village Business Improvement District is at the corner of 41st Avenue and Bell Boulevard.
Corona
The Queens Zoo is holding their annual “Boo at the Zoo” on Oct. 27 and 28. The fun runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. all around the zoo. Kids can collect candy for completing activities as well as make a Halloween craft and hear a spooky story. There will also be animals to meet throughout the afternoon. This event is included with general admission.
The New York Hall of Science has multiple events celebrating Halloween. At Little Makers: Frankentoys, kids can make their own creations out of recycled materials. At Spooky Sounds, children can use materials from the design lab to create creepy instruments. These are both recurring workshops; go to www.nysci.org for details. The main event is on Oct. 28 from 1 to 5 p.m. At Dead or Alive: Science of Creepy, kids can create their own costumes, make fake blood, watch a pumpkin-throwing catapult and more. This event is included with NYSCI admission.
Flushing Meadows Corona Park will be having their Shocktoberfest on Oct. 28 as well. This event has music, games, rides, pumpkins and more. All kids in attendance will receive a goodie bag while supplies last. The festival runs from noon to 3 p.m. and is free.
Flushing
Celebrate Halloween at the Queens Botanical Garden on Oct. 28 from noon to 4 p.m. This event includes trick-or-treating, crafts, face painting, a magic show and a costume dance party. Carnivorous plants will be on display as well. Most activities are included with QBG admission.
If you are looking for something a little different this Halloween, the Voelker Orth Museum will be showing spooky old cartoons from the 1920s and ’30s. There will also be supplies to make masks and flip books. The event starts at 3:30 p.m. and the cartoons start at 5 p.m. on Oct. 28. Admission is $4 per person or $10 per family.
Fresh Meadows
Cunningham Park Farmers Market will be having a Halloween family fun day on Oct. 28. There will be pumpkin painting, trick-or-treating and a costume parade for kids along with the normal vendors. The fun starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m.
Glen Oaks
The Queens County Farm Museum will once again be having their haunted house. Come anytime from 1 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 27 for $4, or visit during the fall festival on Oct. 28. This event includes hayrides, pony rides, a petting zoo, a corn maze and more. Tickets are $20 and include all events from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Jackson Heights
For the 28th year in a row, Jackson Heights will be having their Halloween parade on Oct. 31 at 5 p.m. This is the second largest Halloween parade in NYC. Kids can start lining up at 4:30 p.m. on 89th Street and 37th Avenue. The parade goes down to 76th Street where goodie bags will be handed out.
Little Neck
The Alley Pond Environmental Center will be having a Spooktacular Celebration for young children on Halloween from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Kids ages 18 months to four years old can come in costume for games, crafts and pumpkin picking. They will also be able to meet a turtle and a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. Tickets are $16.
Long Island City
The annual Halloween Harvest Festival at Socrates Sculpture Park includes costume making, face painting and a costume contest for dogs. This year, the theme is Fet Gede, the Haitian Festival of the Ancestors, so the festival will feature special food and performances. It is on Oct. 27 from noon to 4 p.m.
Glendale
All are invited to take part in one of the oldest Halloween parades in the city in Glendale on Oct. 31. The Glendale Halloween march begins at 7 p.m. from the corner of 69th Street and Myrtle Avenue. Costumed spectators of all ages will head west on Myrtle Avenue to the parking lot of Stop & Shop supermarket at Cypress Hills Street. The parade will close with a ceremony featuring prizes and raffles.
Maspeth
The Maspeth Lions Club will be hosting their annual Halloween Ragamuffin Parade on Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. Kids walk from the Mt. Olivet Cemetery main gate to the Maspeth Federal Savings parking lot and receive candy. There will also be prizes for the best costumes.
