Halloween 2019 was a fun one. We stayed on the Upper East Side the entire day and had a blast. Mother Nature was on our side too and gave us a 70 degree day to trick-or-treat in. Sometimes, you don’t have to go far in NYC to have a good time. Fun can be found right around your little corner of Manhattan, especially on the Upper East Side!

The Upper East Side is full of fun for the kids on Halloween. Here is a list of my favorite things to do on Halloween on the Upper East Side as well as my favorite spots to go trick-or-treating. I hope you enjoy!

Upper East Side Halloween_City Nibbler_New York City

Our Costumes

Before we get to it…..here is a little on our family costume idea this year. Jimmy was the the mastermind, the one behind it all. For weeks we discussed different costumes, searching “Best Family Themed Costume” on Google, and bouncing ideas off of each other. We had some okay ideas but nothing that we were dead set on.

At his school, they had a live mama bunny and her two babies visit for a few weeks, and the children were able to interact and care for them. Jimmy loved the bunnies. I think that’s where this Halloween costume idea stemmed from. He announced one day, “I have a great idea! I can be a carrot, and you can be a bunny. But what could Dada be?. . . Oh I know. . . Dada could be a farmer! You could pretend to eat me, and Dada could pretend to plant me! He could be a CARROT farmer!” Even though the idea was cute and creative, we tried to detour him a bit and change his mind. We hoped he would decide on something a little more Halloweenish. But nope! He was dead set on his carrot, bunny, farmer idea, and so a carrot, bunny, and farmer is what we did. My mom was nice enough to sew him a carrot costume and send it to us. I gave her his measurements over the phone! Gotta love the imagination of a 3 year old! I mean, when else is my son going to willingly dress in a carrot costume? Probably never.

The Shops on Madison Avenue

If your kids get home from school and are anxious to start trick-or-treating early, take them out to trick-or- treat to the shops on Madison Ave. The two years that I’ve lived in NYC, I’ve been surprised at how early the children start trick-or-treating. I saw children out as early as 3:00 PM, running around in costumes, ready to go, trick-or-treat bags in hand. Many of the houses don’t start handing out candy until 5:00 PM or so, so starting at the shops in the afternoon is a fun way to start the Halloween fun early.

I mean, only NYC kids get to trick-or-treat at famous fashion designers flagship stores on Madison Ave, like Carolina Herrera, Christian Louboutin, or ACNE Studios. And only NYC kids go trick-or-treating to famous hotels like, The Mark, The Surrey, and my personal favorite, The Carlyle, which is where the Kennedys always stayed during their time in New York City. We found that many of the shops started running out of candy pretty early, so get there as soon as you can!

The Spooky Decorations

The Upper East Side goes all out as far as Halloween decorations go. I am constantly amazed as I walk up and down the streets throughout the month of October and see the spooky decor everywhere. It sure makes NYC a fun place to be during this time of year. There are giant spiders hanging in the windows, and life size gory statues standing around. Some houses have piles of giant Cinderella pumpkins sitting on the steps and full size skeletons crawling up both sides of the front door. As I walk by certain houses that are particularly noteworthy with the decorations, I will take note in my phone so that I remember to go to trick-or-treating to them on Halloween night. A lot of them give out full size candy bars too which is always an extra fun bonus for the kids.

The Trick-or-Treating

After the shops start to close down around 5:00 PM, that’s the time to head to my favorite part. . . the houses! We love trick-or-treating to the brownstone walk-ups. Not only do you get to enjoy their incredible decorations and enjoy their candy, but you also get a quick look into their massive homes when they open the door. Some of them are unbelievably big– it was hard not to stare. They had spiraled staircases circling up to the second floor with sparkling chandeliers hanging in the foyers. There was so much space inside, which is a novelty here in the city. Many of these homes are actually vacant this time of year, but the house help still decorates and opens up the doors to the children to hand out candy on Halloween. The people that own the homes are away for the winter. There is so much wealth here on the Upper East Side, and it’s fun to see it for yourself while you trick-or-treat.

The Best Areas to Trick-or-Treat on The Upper East Side

•Many people enjoy going up to the 90’s on the Upper East Side, close to Central Park. 95th & 94th street in particular are really feeling the Halloween spirit. Police often close down the streets to traffic because there are so many people. Sometimes there is music and fog machines…it can get really loud and crazy! For some this area might be a little too crowded. If you have really very small children with you, it might not be the best choice. But I’d say it is great for slightly older kids or for those who like a loud and crazy Halloween night.

•81st street was amazing this year. Every house had top notch decorations. I love when you can hit well decorated houses that are all right next to each other. Makes for a lot of candy and a lot of fun for very little effort.

•78th street is known for being a a great place to trick-or-treat. There is a lot going on and a lot of spooky decor!

•72nd Street- The Haunted House (more info below)

•We have found that the houses closest to the park are a hidden gem for trick-or-treating. 5th Ave. to Madison Ave. running north and south, pretty much from 68th street all the way up to 88th street are great, because not as many people go there. Because it isn’t a popular place to trick or treat, the houses seem to really appreciate the kids that do come and give them a ton of candy. Many of them have great decorations too! If you’re looking for a quiet section of the Upper East Side to trick-or-treat without hoards of people around, this is a great option.

• It can be fun to hit some of the hotel and apartment complex lobbies. The front desk employees and doormen always have candy, and they often give you a large handful! These are scattered throughout the Upper East Side, so don’t miss them!

Trick or Treating at The Carlyle Hotel on Madison Ave.

The Haunted House

This haunted house is probably the coolest thing that the Upper East Side has to offer on Halloween. It is located on 72nd street between Madison and Park. The whole month of October, many of the decorations on this house are up, but on Halloween night, they add even more. They added the giant spider web on the front of the house with the moving man stuck in it, getting eaten by a spider. So gory! They added the hanging Halloween characters in all the windows. They made things animated like the spider in the tree that unexpectedly shoots down on peoples’ heads every once in a while. But the best part is that this house doesn’t just give away candy. They actually turn their brownstone into an active haunted house that trick or treaters can walk through and experience for themselves. How cool is that?!? I want to be friends with the people that live here.

This haunted house was open on Halloween from only 5:30 - 7:30 PM. By the time we got there, the line was over an hour long. There were even police outside monitoring the crowds. I didn’t feel like Jimmy would do well standing in line that long, so we didn’t end up going. Also, this house is very gory. I didn’t know if Jimmy would be able to handle the scariness level of it. But next year, we are going right when it opens to avoid the line. Hopefully when he’s 4, he can handle it!

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday. Let me know if I missed anything by leaving me a comment below. I’d love to add it to the list and check it out next year!