Image Credit: DOT
On October 31, 2022, almost 100 of the City’s Open Streets and pedestrian spaces will be open for safe Halloween activities to provide children with an opportunity to have fun on car-free streets. Through the Department of Transportation and community partners, open streets will be available from 4 to 8 pm on Halloween night through the “Trick or Streets” program.
The open streets program restricts car access on certain streets for some periods of time to provide more open space for pedestrian access. The program was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Trick or Streets” program will be the first time the Open Streets program will be used specifically for Halloween, where many children and families would be taking to the streets to enjoy the festivities already.
Several locations will have open space for pedestrians for Halloween celebrations, parades, block parties and festivals. A few highlights include:
– Park Slope Halloween Parade, Brooklyn – 7th Avenue from 14th Street to 3rd Street, 3 PM to 7:30 PM.
– 10th Annual Ms. Abbies Childrens Halloween Extravaganza, Bronx – Decatur Avenue from East Fordham Road to East 193rd Street
– Village Halloween Costume Ball, Manhattan – East 10th Street, 1st Avenue to 2nd Avenue
– A Haunting in Hollis, Queens – Hollis Avenue from 211st Street to 212th Street
In addition, other highlighted events include:
– Dumbo Arch Way (Pearl Street between Water Street and Anchorage Place, Brooklyn) – “Annual March to the Arch” – a parade through Dumbo and Brooklyn Bridge Park including brass bands and puppets at 4 PM, with a “Dumboween” Party featuring live music, arts and crafts, a costume contest and a photo booth.
– Myrtle Avenue Plaza (Myrtle Avenue between Grand Avenue and Emerson Place, Brooklyn – “Myrtle Avenue Monster Mash” – 4 PM to 6 PM – an annual Halloween dance party with games, a DJ and a special Thriller Dance Off.
For a full list of locations and events, and to see what is available in your area, visit the DOT site here. A map of all participating open streets is available here.
Mayor Adams and DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez made the announcement about the “Trick or Streets” program while celebrating the substantial completion of the 34th Avenue Open Street redesign, which changed 1.3 miles of 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights into a pedestrian/cyclist corridor. The project includes new plaza and shared street blocks centered at the schools, which include seven schools within a block of the corridor. The 34th Avenue Open Street was one of the most successful to come out of the Open Streets program, with the development of community spaces and decrease in vehicular volumes. The area has seen a drop of 41.7 percent in crashes involving pedestrians.
Mayor Adams stated, “As we permanently open the gold standard, Open Street on 34th Avenue, we hope every family and every child has a safe and enjoyable Halloween with special evening Trick-or-Streets across the entire city. his program brings together communities and city government to promote safety, community, and fun, and I want to thank all our partners on the ground for their contributions. Happy Halloween, New Yorkers!”
Commissioner Rodriguez stated, “I am incredibly excited to build on the triumph of our thriving Open Streets program by launching our first ever Trick-Or-Streets initiative this Halloween, providing greater access to safer, shared community spaces. “I thank Mayor Adams and our dedicated staff for planning this groundbreaking event and hope families will take the opportunity to safely Trick-Or-Treat on an Open Street. And as a bonus, we are celebrating Trick-or-Streets with all the fiendish friends and community partners who have made the official ribbon-cutting along the incredible 34th Avenue Open Street possible.”
In addition to the City’s planned festivities, NYC’s iconic Village Halloween Parade will kick off at 7 PM. The parade starts at Canal Street and 6th Avenue for costumed participants, and ends at West 15th Street and 6th Avenue. Spectators can watch along both sides of 6th Avenue from north of King Street to West 15th Street. For more information about the parade, including changes to public transportation to accommodate the parade, click here. The parade will also be broadcast on NY1 from 8 PM to 9:30 PM.
We at CityLand wish you all a safe and fun Halloween.
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)