The 33 best things to do this fall in NYC

The dazzling Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is back in two New York locations.

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze will be back in the Hudson Valley at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson for the 19th year through November 19, as well as Old Bethpage Village Restoration in Old Bethpage, Long Island for the fourth year through November 5.

Both experiences will feature thousands of hand-carved jack o'lanterns set up in elaborate displays: along with annual favorites like the Statue of Liberty and the Pumpkin Planetarium, you'll find a circus sideshow, a jack o’lantern tribute to the Day of the Dead, and the country's first-ever pumpkin Ferris wheel in Hudson Valley, while Long Island attendees can be wowed by an under-the-sea installation, including a giant pumpkin octopus and a Montauk mermaid. 

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is bringing back its gorgeous, after-dark illuminated spectacular to its grounds from November 17, 2023–January 1, 2024.

Lightscape, an illuminated trail of art from local and international artists, features the iconic Winter Cathedral and a larger Fire Garden—all set to over a million lights, color and music. This year, it has been reimagined with a longer trail and new immersive experiences along the way, including “Supernova,” a 24-foot-high illuminated Moravian star, a sparkling new Chandelier Walk and a giant red poppy blossoms of Floraison that hover above the trail.   

As always, a curated playlist of music brings the light art to life, but this year, BBG is celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with “Kaleido Circle,” an illuminated area in Oak Circle that will play a mix of hip-hop songs by influential Brooklyn musicians, curated by Queens-based artist Sherwin Banfield.

Of course, there will be food concessions along the trail that will still offer seasonal treats like hot cocoa, hot cider, and mulled wine as well as light bites, cookies and sweets.

Admission ranges from $34-$39 for adults and $17-$19 for kids.

The fall festival at the Bronx Zoo will showcase more than 5,000 carved, animal-themed pumpkins in a jack-o’-lantern trail stretching over half a mile. Live pumpkin carving demonstrations, games, festive fall treats and food trucks will also take place at the all-ages Pumpkin Nights.

Pumpkin Nights will debut on Thursday, September 28 and run Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Sunday, October 29 from 6pm to 10pm.

Tickets for Pumpkin Nights range from $26.95-$36.95 for adults; kids' tickets range from $24.95-$26.95 for kids. 

In addition to the new Pumpkin Nights, the Bronx Zoo will continue the tradition of Boo at the Zoo, which will return on Saturdays and Sundays, September 30 through October 29, plus Monday, October 9. 

Back for its annual celebration of all things pumpkin (and your best opportunity to take a selfie with a scarecrow in NYC), New York Botanical Garden's Fall-O-Ween officially opens on Saturday, September 16. 

The event includes hundreds of pumpkins and gourds on display, hands-on activities like mini pumpkin decorating, 3D pumpkin carving, food and beverage talks, tastings and more. Two family-friendly Spooky Garden Nights (Saturday, October 21 and Saturday, October 28) will also offer Halloween-themed entertainment including dancing skeletons, decorating trick-or-treat bags, live shadow puppets, plant potting ad more. 

Master pumpkin carver Adam Bierton will return to NYBG on select weekends to create his intricate and nature-inspired pumpkin carvings, and to host a master carver competition. At the “pumpkin patch” at NYBG Shop, guests can pick and purchase the perfect pumpkin to take home.

Party organizers, Rosé Lifestyle and experience creators Bucket Listers, are bringing their iconic 2015 immersive event, The Great Gatsby, to six cities around the United States, including where the story is based—New York. On October 6 and 7, ticket holders will be directed to iconic downtown destination Capitale at 130 Bowery for an evening of live music, burlesque stars, theatrical acts, aerialists performances and much more. You can even reserve a “Jay Gatsby Table” for an exclusive, roped-off experience that will guarantee you better views of the stage to be enjoyed alongside table service. 

Majestic, incredible elephants are getting the spotlight in a new exhibit at The American Museum of Natural History. "The Secret World of Elephants" will showcase both modern and ancient elephants, offering visitors a chance to see a full-scale model of a woolly mammoth, learn about what elephants eat, touch an elephant's tooth, listen to elephant calls and more.

The exhibition opens on Monday, November 13, in the museum’s LeFrak Family Gallery. An additional ticket is required to visit the exhibit; museum members can visit for free.

“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” the titular performer's seminal solo debut album, turns 25 years old this month. The 1998 neo-soul record produced classic tracks like "Doo Wop (That Thing)", "Ex-Factor" and "Everything Is Everything" and earned Hill five Grammy awards, making the singer-rapper the first woman to receive that many awards in one night. 

Given the popularity and pedigree of the record, it's no surprise that Lauryn Hill will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album that made her a superstar with a US tour this fall, including several stops in the New York area.

Autumn brings some of the beautiful colors in nature with its crispy red leaves and bright orange pumpkins, so it's no surprise that Color Factory is going all out for the season as well.

The Soho immersive art museum will present Haunted Hues, a Halloween-themed takeover, running from September 14 to November 1 with plenty of tricks and treats. Tickets start at $39 and are on sale here.

The experience will include a pumpkin patch with a Color Factory twist, fun giveaways and fresh seasonal treats. Plus, guests can add on a new scavenger hunt to search for hidden monsters throughout the venue.

It's finally spooky season and already there's a scary number of Halloween events planned for NYC. Don't miss the Village Halloween Parade, Halloween House at the Oculus, Dreams of Dracula: An Immersive Masquerade Experience, and, of course, pumpkin picking. Check our Halloween guide for more chilling fun!

Elevate your movie experience—literally—this fall at the Empire State Building's brand-new fall film series. All the movies on the list feature the Empire State Building in their plot. Here's the line-up:

— An Affair to Remember, Sunday, Oct. 22: The Empire State Building co-stars in this 1950s film as the meeting point for a couple who fell in love while on a cruise to Europe from New York. They both agree to reunite in six months at the top of the Empire State Building, "the nearest thing to heaven we have in New York."

— James and the Giant Peach, Saturday, Nov. 11: This 1996 animated musical fantasy film features the Empire State Building as the heroine. The peach gets squelched on the utmost point of the Empire State Building as the insects and James plummet to the earth in the middle of New York City.

— Elf, Sundays, Dec. 3, 10, and 17: This 2003 Christmas comedy features Buddy the Elf, who adventures to find his father whose office is located inside the Empire State Building.

Tickets cost $130/person and include themed snacks and drinks, as well as access to the building's observation decks and museum.

If you think you’ve seen everything Barbie-fied, here’s a new expression of our universal love for Barbie: A Barbie corn maze. Yes, the Northeastern fall tradition is going full-on Barbie at Happy Day Farm this fall, as part of the Manalapan, New Jersey farm’s annual Fall Festival. 

The Barbie corn maze theme was planned and cut months ago, long before Barbie’s billion-dollar success. The corn maze is 10 acres with two parts: a short, 15-25 minute path, as well as a larger part for maze enthusiasts, which can take about 45 minutes to an hour to rove through, or longer if you’re eager for a perfect Instagram moment in the Barbie corn maze.  

The Barbie corn maze opens on September 10 at Happy Day Farm’s Fall Festival which runs through October 30. Daily hours are 10am-5pm. Tickets to Happy Day’s Fall Festival cost $25, Friday-Sunday and must be pre-booked online. On Mondays, tickets are $21, cash only, and sold at the door.

This Queens County treasure is well worth the bus trek or car ride. As the city’s longest continually farmed site in the city (it’s been in operation since 1697), the 47 acres feels like an entirely different world compared to Manhattan. Feed and pet the barnyard animals, including sheep, ponies and goats, hop aboard a hayride and take advantage of the fall harvest season when you can go pumpkin picking and attempt to find your way through the Amazing Maize Maze (yes, that’s a corn maze).

The cemetery's annual events include concerts in the catacombs, a tribute to Basquiat, a large-scale altar installation honoring Dia de los Muertos, walking tours and trolley tours.

There's also the return of Nightfall—”the crowning event of Green-Wood’s fall season"—a 21-and-over evening of music and moving image on October 20 that will take inspiration from the danse macabre, or the dance of death. 

Grab an empty basket and don your best plaid for a fall PYO adventure. At local farms in the tristate area, you'll find a generous offering of apple varieties and fun seasonal activities like petting zoos and corn mazes. We guarantee you're bound to stumble upon some apple cider doughnuts along the way.

Going upstate to see fall leaves is great, but it's a trek. Luckily, if you know where to look here in NYC, there are some truly stunning foliage to see in many parks and gardens across the boroughs, including at Fort Tryon Park, the Greenbelt Nature Center, and Sunken Meadow State Park. Happy peeping!

As the fall rolls in, there are probably a few things you crave—no, no, not pumpkin spice lattes—apple cider donuts. NYC’s network of open-air markets have all-things apple, year after year. Snag the sugary confection, and stock up on apple cider while you’re at it, too. You can hop over to grownyc.org to find a market nearest you. 

If you didn't get enough of outdoor movie season this summer, don't worry: It's not over yet. Rooftop Cinema Club is keeping the fun going this fall with a packed slate of films running all the way through October 31. 

Sip wine and eat vegan popcorn while watching classics like When Harry Met Sally, The Addams Family, Hocus Pocus and lots more this autumn. Tickets are on sale here.

Movies run all fall long with special scray screenings in October, including Rosemary’s Baby, Paranormal, The Exorcist, The Shining, American Psycho and other cult classics as well as family favorites like Coco and Monsters, Inc. That all leads up to All Hallow's Eve's screenings of Hocus Pocus and Halloween. 

Carreau Club, the nation’s first pétanque bar now offers an indoor location with more space to get your game on while sipping a drink—even when temperatures get chilly.

For the uninitiated, pétanque (pronounced puh-TONK) is a bocce-ball style French boules sport gaining popularity in the U.S., starting here in NYC.

For those new to the sport, don't worry: Each court reservation comes with a lesson from a pétanque guide, plus equipment and a seating area. For the more competitive pétanque player, join a league to get in on weekly games.

Carreau Club operates primarily as a walk-in pétanque club and reservations are not required. But you can book a court in advance for a single party or multiple courts for larger groups. 

Plus, it wouldn't be a French-inspired boulebar without a great menu, and Carreau Club delivers with a full bar, craft beer, wine and cocktails. Plus, a small deli counter will serve French-inspired salads, crispy socca waffles, pissaladière (flatbreads), and sandwiches including lamb merguez "mitraillette," jambon beurre, and pan bagnat.

New York City’s art scene is in for a groundbreaking fall season. With several major debuts, some big “firsts” and a packed calendar of art shows, New Yorkers are guaranteed the chance to feast their eyes on some stunning works. A few highlights include the first-ever major zine exhibition in North America, a show exploring the frenemies Manet and Degas, the return of the LOVE sculpture and a brand-new photography festival. 

From public art displays to gallery shows to museum presentations, click through for 20 art experiences we’re excited about this fall. They’re presented in chronological order, so you can mark your calendar.

Of course, we all think our beloved pets are works of art, but now Fotografiska New York, the contemporary photography museum in Gramercy Park, is happily agreeing with us. 

This fall, the museum will stage “Best in Show: Pets in Contemporary Photography,” a sprawling art exhibition exploring “the role our furry (and feathered) friends have played in culture and how they stand in as representations of status, power, loyalty, compassion and companionship."

The exhibit, on view from September 22, 2023, through January 2024, will feature more than 130 photographs—both artfully arranged portraits and amusing candid snaps—and video installations from 24 global artists across two museum floors.

Robert Indiana's iconic LOVE sculpture has been MIA from NYC for the past few years, after the work was removed from its post for conservation in 2019. Now Rockefeller Center is bringing a little love—pun intended—back to New York with an installation of work from the American artist. 

Now through October 23, see artworks from Robert Indiana throughout Rockfeller Center's landmark campus, including the long-awaited return of his LOVE sculpture to Manhattan.

Quotes from firefighters, photos illustrating heroic moments, a video interview with a retired firefighter and a wall of victims' names comprise a new exhibit called "Recovery and Reflection, Celebrating the 9/11 Tribute Museum" at the New York City Fire Museum.

"Recovery and Reflection" draws from the collection of the now-shuttered 9/11 Tribute Museum, which closed last year amid pandemic-related financial and attendance difficulties. The exhibit honoring the FDNY and the Tribute Museum is on view through October 15 at the NYC Fire Museum in Lower Manhattan's Hudson Square neighborhood. 

Find the museum at 278 Spring Street between Varick and Hudson Streets, in the former quarters of the FDNY's Engine Company No. 30, a renovated 1904 firehouse. It's open Wednesdays through Sundays, 10am to 5pm. Adult admission costs $15/adult and $6/child.

Movies from the early 2000s will get the spotlight on a massive, 30-foot-tall screen at Hudson Yards this fall—for free!

Backyard at Hudson Yards will showcase a selection of free outdoor film screenings, every Friday through the end of October. This year, the films will all be romcoms and fantasy movies from the 2000s, such as Miss Congeniality, What A Girl Wants, Practical Magic (technically 1998) and Corpse Bride.

The screenings will be shown on a 30-foot screening, meaning everyone will have a good seat in the Public Square & Gardens

Here’s the screening schedule:

●  September 22 – Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
●  September 29 – Crazy, Stupid Love
●  October 6 – What A Girl Wants
●  October 13 – Practical Magic
●  October 20 – The Witches
●  October 27 – Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride

Whether you're starting on some early holiday shopping or just looking for something to treat yourself, shop local with the Queens Craft Brigade. 

The independent, queer-owned market at Katch Astoria brings together talented makers exclusively from around the borough and has created monthly curated events featuring artwork, jewelry, fashion, crafts, and more.

Here's the schedule for the fall:

— September 23: Queens Cat Brigade
— October 28: Queens Witchcraft Brigade (Halloween Party)
— November 25: Small Business Saturday
— December 9: Holiday Market

Grab your blue suede shoes and and get ready for an Elvis-themed pop-up coming to NYC this fall. 

Adorably dubbed "Love Me (Bar)Tender," expect wildly retro decor, Elvis-themed cocktails, music from Memphis bands and a photobooth. It'll be free to visit on October 5 and 6 with advance registration (sign up here to get details when registration opens), though the exact location hasn't been announced yet.

The pop-up is inspired by The Jungle Room, the den at the Presleys Graceland mansion. The room harkens back to 1965 and was decorated in Hawaiian-style decor including green shag carpet on the floor (and ceiling!), a rock waterfall and a lacquered tiki bar. 

The New York City Coffee Festival will return this fall for its seventh year, consuming Metropolitan Pavilion for a long weekend of all things coffee related from October 6-8. 

At the three-day event, food, cocktails, live music, art, and more are promised, including unlimited tastings and presentations from local and national brands in the coffee, tea and chocolate industries. Confirmed participants include Parlor Coffee, Blueberry Roasters, Rishi Tea, Matcha Direct, De’Longhi, Bodum, Oatly, Raaka Chocolate, Aeropress, and many more.

Coffee enthusiasts can also take advantage of The Lab program which features interactive demonstrations, educational workshops, talks, tastings, a cocktail masterclass, a latte art tournament and even coffee art.

Tickets are now on sale for both industry professionals (trade day is Friday, October 6) and the general public, with day passes starting at $45 when purchased in advance.

Some might assume that sky-high imbibing is a spring and summertime affair, but it’s always rooftop season in NYC. Even during rain, wind and lower temperatures, we simply swap the sunshine and frozen drinks for fireplaces and hot cocktails while still soaking up the skyline view. So grab a sweater and set your sights on the stars at the best cooler weather rooftops in NYC.

He's one of our most famous New Yorkers—now legendary director Spike Lee (Do The Right Thing, Crooklyn, The 25th Hour) is getting his own immersive installation at the Brooklyn Museum this fall.

Running from Friday, October 6, 2023 through Sunday, February 4, 2024, at the museum's Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing and Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery, "Spike Lee: Creative Sources" will delve into the world, works and influences of the acclaimed director who, though born in Atlanta, Georgia, was raised and revered as one of New York's own, particularly in the borough of Brooklyn. 

The exhibit will feature more than 300 works from Lee's personal collection, "items that have been touchpoints for Lee and the topics he explores on-screen," the museum said.

Eighty years ago, as World War II raged on, Danish citizens worked together to ferry 7,000 Jewish people to safety, keeping them out of concentration camps. 

Now, New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will commemorate that anniversary, known as one of the most effective examples of mass resistance in modern history. "Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark" will debut on October 15; it’s the museum’s first exhibition developed for elementary-age students.

Remember when NASA published those first images from the Webb telescope and blew everyone's minds? 

Well, now you can admire never-before-seen visuals captured by the James Webb Space Telescope in this new immersive art experience at ARTECHOUSE in Chelsea. “Beyond the Light” runs through November 5 with adult general admission starting at $25.

Now that temperatures are dropping, it's the perfect time to sip some hot tea. Afternoon tea in NYC is for those who fancy a scone or crumpet alongside a piping hot kettle of tea as a midday pick-me-up. From hotel restaurants to proper teahouses, here’s where to go for the best afternoon tea NYC’s got to offer.

A "crazy mini-golf course" and entertainment complex straight from London has arrived in NYC with three nine-hole golf courses across 23,000 square feet under 20-foot-high ceilings. It's a great spot for some active fun as the temperatures are getting chilly.

"Crazy golf" is a British spin on mini-golf, but it's for a 21-and-over audience since craft cocktails are served by caddies on the course. At Swingers NoMad, expect six cocktail bars with signature classic cocktails from London and D.C., as well as 12 cocktails created specifically for NYC, private rooms you can rent, an opulent clubhouse and four gourmet street food vendors—Sauce Pizzeria, Miznon, Fonda and Mah Ze Dahr Bakery.