(Awww)
Do you have babies, little ones, tiny tots or rugrats? Halloween in the Slope is great fun for all ages—with a little forethought.
Updates for Halloween 2023
Trick or Treating takes place on Halloween, Monday, October 31st. In Park Slope, most businesses on 7th Avenue give out candy, but it’s much more fun to go see the fun candy chutes and costumes along the residential streets. (There’s no trick or treating on Saturday/Sunday).
The Park Slope Parents Halloween Costume Contest is on Sunday, October 29th, at the Old Stone House @ 2:00pm!
The Park Slope Civic Council Children's Halloween Parade will take place at 6:30pm on Halloween. The Parade kicks off at 7th Avenue and 14th Street and winds up at the Old Stone House at 5th Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets.
Check out much more in the PSP Guide to Halloween + Harvest Fun: 2023 Edition!
Timing
- Go early while it's still light. If you head out around 4:30, then you have plenty of time to get in some trick or treating, grab a quick dinner, and sort your candy and swap (which is what I did with my family when I was young—Butterfingers are still my favorite). Trick or treating is typically over by 7:15pm or so. Some folks stay out later (and sometimes with the candy their kids brought home that they didn’t like
- The stores open have candy and hand it out at the doorway—you don’t have to go in. However, some stores on 5th and 7th Avenues sometimes have "no trick or treaters til 4" signs, but that’s typically when Halloween is on school days. PLEASE patronize the stores that provide candy and make things fun! Local businesses can spend hundreds of dollars on candy (and have to pay a staff person that day JUST to pass it out), so you can pay it forward by supporting them.
Where to go
- Choose two or three side streets—that's usually enough for most kids, and do you really need that much candy? Many folks just sit out on their stoop and handed out candy. During Covid, lots had cool candy chutes.
- Scout out blocks & houses with a lot of Halloween decorations—that's a big indication that there will be celebrations! Parents also suggest that brownstone and wood frame house blocks are great and welcoming to trick or treaters. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. OF PLACES WITH GREAT DECORATIONS!
- All of Park Slope typically has trick or treating—and we typically go on the numbered streets between 7th and PPW. During Covid, there were some great candy chutes, a big candy ship, and a candy catapult on 11th Street between 8th and PPW.
- Co-op and apartment buildings aren’t typically “outsider welcoming” for trick or treating. However, if you do know folks in a building, it can be fun. In some buildings, you only knock on doors that have decorations on them. Some people just leave a big bowl of candy out for trick or treaters—which you may find heaven or hell depending on your perspective. It's nice if the bowl-leaver-outers oversee your kids so they limit their candy hoarding.
Equipment to bring
- Strollers are great for marching in the Halloween parade, but not so great for getting around on the crowded sidewalks. Consider bringing a carrier and/or a stroller that folds easily to facilitate getting through the crush. Normally, you would join the parade at the end of the procession, say, 3rd Street and 7th Avenue. This lets kids march, but not for so long that it becomes exhausting.
Make it sociable!
- Go trick-or-treating with friends and make it an occasion. Have a quickie kid dinner of brains, eyeballs, and spiders, then head out for trick-or-treating.
Stay SAFE
Be sure to review Park Slope Parents' tips for a safe Halloween.
