Celebrate Halloween at the Museum of the City of New York during Spooky City: Faces & Places of NYC, a day of family-friendly artmaking, storytelling, games, and festive fun inspired by New York City's rich history, neighborhoods, and the people who have shaped them. Designed for families with children and welcoming visitors of all ages, the festival invites everyone to discover the many faces and places of New York through creativity and imagination.
Throughout the day, explore the galleries with Cracking the Code: Break the Spy Code of MCNY and the Faces & Places Scavenger Hunt, enjoy complimentary popcorn and Halloween candy, and get creative at our art-making stations. Create a haunted city with Spooky Scene Collages: Build Your Haunted City, design a Halloween mask with Mystery Makers, make a colorful foam spider with Creepy Crawlers, or decorate your own treat bag with Haunted Haul: Design Your Candy Bag.
Timed experiences include Shadow Stories: Shadow Silhouette Portraits and Tell It Together!: A Community Story Circle, followed by a festive Costume Contest for multiple age groups and a lively Monster Mash Dance Party finale
Important Note: This is not a drop-off program. All children must be accompanied by an adult at all times during the program.
This event is included with Museum admission.
Activity Schedule Below:
Drop- In Activities
11:00 AM – 2:45 PM Creepy Crawlers: Foam Spider Creation
Build a three-dimensional spider using foam pieces, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, pom-poms, and other colorful craft materials, then decorate it with your own spooky style.
11:00 AM – 2:45 PM A Haunted Haul: Design Your Candy Bag
Personalize a blank Halloween treat bag using fabric markers, stickers, foam shapes, and other festive decorations.
11:00 AM – 2:45 PM Hidden Faces: Halloween Mask Making
Design a wearable Halloween mask using blank masks, markers, washi tape, and other decorative materials.
11:00 AM – 2:45 PM Build Your Haunted City: Spooky Scene Collages
Use construction paper, patterned papers, scissors, glue, and Halloween-themed collage pieces to create your own spooky NYC skyline, neighborhood, or imaginary haunted city.
11:00 AM – 2:45 PM Cracking the Code: Break the Spy Code of MCNY (Ages: 9 and up)
Put your detective skills to the test as you explore all of MCNY using a set of clues to solve five history-inspired codes and use close looking and critical thinking to uncover a secret message.
11:00 AM – 2:45 PM Faces and Places: Scavenger Hunt (Ages: 5 and up)
Explore MCNY’s galleries as you search for clues, discover fascinating New York faces and places, and complete a fun gallery-wide challenge.
11:00 AM – 2:45 PM Treat and Eat: Popcorn & Candy Giveaway
Stop by for a complimentary Halloween treat! Each visitor can enjoy a bag of popcorn, while trick-or-treaters can pick up Halloween candy to keep the spooky fun going all day.
Timed Activities
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM Shadow Stories: Shadow Silhouette Portraits
Join this timed, hands-on workshop inspired by The Occupied City: New York and the American Revolution to create a silhouette portrait using light, shadow, and collage; each session is limited to 30 participants.
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM Tell It Together!: A Community Story Circle
Join this interactive storytelling experience inspired by Halumii Ktapihna: Lenape Legacies and Future, where children and caregivers work together to create an original Halloween story through oral storytelling, imagination, and shared ideas.
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM Shadow Stories: Shadow Silhouette Portraits
Join this timed, hands-on workshop inspired by The Occupied City: New York and the American Revolution to create a silhouette portrait using light, shadow, and collage; each session is limited to 30 participants.
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM Tell It Together!: A Community Story Circle
Join this interactive storytelling experience inspired by Halumii Ktapihna: Lenape Legacies and Future, where children and caregivers work together to create an original Halloween story through oral storytelling, imagination, and shared ideas.
1:00 PM –2:00 PM Performance TBD
2:00 PM –2:30 PM Costume Contest
Show off your Halloween creativity and compete for prizes in categories for ages 0–5, 6–12, 13–18, and families and groups 18+.
2:30 PM –3:00 PM Monster Mash Dance Party
Dance, move, and celebrate Halloween together at a lively Monster Mash finale for the whole family.
Supporters: Museum of the City of New York’s Family Programs are made possible, in part, by the Rochlis Family Foundation, The Eshe Fund, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Members: To receive your discount, click on the "Buy Tickets" button above, then sign in to your account on the ticketing page.
Groups of 10 or more get discounts; contact us at programs@mcny.org or 917.492.3395.
Accessibility: Assistive listening devices are available, and our auditorium wheelchair lift can accommodate manual and motorized wheelchairs (max. capacity 500 lbs). Please contact the Museum at 917.492.3333 or info@mcny.org with any questions.