On October 11, 2023, the Department of Transportation announced the return of “Trick or Streets,” the Halloween-season expansion of the Open Streets program. Last year, “Trick or Streets” restricted car access on nearly 100 streets on Halloween night to provide more open space for pedestrian access when many families would be out for trick or treating.
This year, the program has been expanded for multiple weekends in October. In addition, Transportation will host Halloween programming at events throughout the month at 15 locations. A full list of locations will be available here later this month. Interested Open Streets, plaza and community organization partners can apply for the “Trick or Streets” program here by October 18.
The initial events include:
- Saturday, October 14: West 12th Street, from Surf Avenue to Dead End (Brooklyn), 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM, sponsored by HONK NYC! and the Alliance for Coney Island
- Saturday, October 21: 5th Avenue, from Douglass Street to DeGraw Street (Brooklyn), 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM, sponsored by HONK NYC! and the Park Slope Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District; Parkside Avenue and Ocean Avenue (Brooklyn), 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM, sponsored by HONK NYC! and Flatbush Avenue/Parkside Empire Merchants Association
- Friday, October 27: Lafayette Street, from Spring Street to Kenmare Street (Manhattan), 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM, sponsored by Mov!ng Culture Projects and Osteria Morini
- Saturday, October 28: Audubon Avenue, from West 186th Street to West 188th Street (Manhattan), 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM, sponsored by Connectemos and The Horticultural Society of New York; West 186th Street, from Audubon Avenue to St. Nicholas Avenue (Manhattan), 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM, sponsored by Connectemos and The Horticultural Society of New York; Fordham Plaza at Webster Avenue (Bronx), 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM, sponsored by The Bronx is Reading; Troutman Street, from St. Nicholas Avenue to Irving Avenue (Brooklyn), 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM, sponsored by Mov!ng Culture Projects and Bushwick Foundation for Artists and Merchants; Beverley Road, from Church Avenue to East 2nd Street (Brooklyn), 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM, sponsored by HONK NYC!; Beverley Road, from Church Avenue to East 2nd Street (Brooklyn), 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Trick-or-Streets Brooklyn ride sponsored by WE Bike NYC!
- Sunday, October 29: Frederick Douglass Boulevard, from West 112th Street to West 120th Street (Manhattan), 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM, sponsored by the Frederick Douglass Boulevard Alliance
- Tuesday, October 31, 2023: Dyckman Street, from Broadway to Seaman Avenue (Manhattan), 1:00 PM – 9:00 PM, sponsored by Dyckman Gardens; Evelyn Place, from Aqueduct Avenue East to Grand Avenue (Bronx), 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM, sponsored by HONK NYC! and I Am My Community; Jackson Avenue, East 149th Street to Pontiac Place (Bronx), 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM, sponsored by Street Lab and The Horticultural Society of New York; Minthorne Street, from Bay Street to Victory Boulevard (Staten Island), 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM, sponsored by The Angiuli Group
- Saturday, November 4, 2023: Fordham Plaza at Webster Avenue (Bronx), 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM, sponsored by The Bronx is Reading
The city will also offer activities for Dia de los Muertos in early November in Times Square Plaza.
Mayor Eric Adams stated, “Trick-or-Streets’ was a hit last year, and we’re excited to bring it back so New York City youth can safely enjoy Halloween. Our administration has been relentless in our efforts to be creative in maximizing and utilizing the city’s public space, allowing communities to come together in ways they never could before. We encourage anyone interested in hosting a ‘Trick-or-Streets’ event to apply to join the program, and we look forward to working with you to deliver the safest and most fun Halloween the city has ever seen.”
Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez stated, “After a remarkably successful inaugural ‘Trick-or-Streets’ last Halloween, we are proud to bring this event back this year with even more holiday spirit. Open Streets has led to many great programs, ranging from the transitioning of temporary open spaces to permanent plazas, to bike boulevards, and now to the annual Halloween tradition of ‘Trick-or-Streets. This event gives New Yorkers the opportunity to safely enjoy the holiday along a wide variety of safer, shared community spaces, and I wish all of New York’s ghouls and goblins a wonderful and safe night of tricks and treats!”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)