Best Halloween Bars & Restaurants in NYC (2026)

New York does Halloween in two ways. For most of October, a handful of bars turn themselves into haunted houses: full cocktail takeovers with new menus, decorated rooms with animatronics and cobwebs, and beer gardens full of pumpkins. Then on the weekend of the 31st, which falls on a Saturday this year, the whole city goes out in costume.

This guide covers both. The first three sections are the 23 bars and restaurants on our map: the 2026 pop-ups, the places decorated for the season, and the bars that are spooky every night of the year. After that come the Village Halloween Parade and the parties worth planning around in late October. For decorations and themed drinks, choose a weeknight during the venue's advertised Halloween run. Check the dates below: some installations open mid-month, while others happen only on Halloween weekend. If you want the costume-party energy, go on the 30th or the 31st and expect lines.

Best pop-up: Black Lagoon at Someday Bar in Boerum Hill, or The Haunting at The Cabinet in the East Village if you want to stay in Manhattan.

Best decorated room: Oscar Wilde in NoMad, with Lillie's Union Square close behind.

Best year-round: Beetle House for a dinner show, Flying Fox Tavern for a pub night, Witching Hour for cocktails.

Best with kids: Greg's Great Pumpkin Patch at Greenwood Park by day, Planet Hollywood's Haunted Hollywood menu, Flying Fox Tavern by day (it also hosts a family costume party on October 24), or the all-ages weekend brunch at Magic Hour.

Best for a group: Loreley's Haunted Beer Garden, with no cover and tables bookable on Tock.

When to go: dates differ by venue. The Haunting and Black Lagoon opened at the start of October, Loreley's run starts October 16, and Desert 5 Spot's Vampire Saloon is October 30 and 31 only. Weeknights during each run are the easiest time to get a table.

Halloween night: Saturday, October 31. The Village Halloween Parade starts at 7pm on 6th Avenue.

Use the table to pick by what you actually need: a reservation, a ticket, a place that works by day, or a bar you can just walk into. Booking links are listed under the table and go to each venue's own booking page or platform. Last checked October 8, 2026.

Booking links: The Haunting at The Cabinet (Resy) · Black Lagoon at Someday Bar (OpenTable) · Loreley Beer Garden (Tock) · Magic Hour Rooftop (OpenTable) · Desert 5 Spot (event ticket) · Oscar Wilde (SevenRooms) · Lillie's Union Square (SevenRooms) · Lillie's Times Square (Resy) · Planet Hollywood (OpenTable) · The Mean Fiddler (a table) · Beetle House (dinner show) · Flying Fox Tavern (email for tables) · The Headless Widow (Email for tables) · Madame X (events calendar) · Fraunces Tavern (dinner).

These are the bars that rebuild themselves for the season: new menus, new decor, sometimes a new name on the door. Two national pop-ups landed in New York this year. Black Lagoon is back at Someday Bar in Brooklyn, and The Haunting, the first Halloween project from the team behind the Miracle Christmas bars, opened at The Cabinet in the East Village and at Vacations in Bushwick. Loreley and Magic Hour do their own in-house versions, and Desert 5 Spot runs its ticketed Vampire Saloon on October 30 and 31.

Dates and booking differ by venue. Loreley's run starts October 16, and several pop-ups continue through November 1 or 2. The Haunting at The Cabinet takes reservations on Resy, Someday Bar on OpenTable and Loreley on Tock, while The Haunting at Vacations is walk-in only and closed on Mondays.

These restaurants and bars add Halloween decorations, seasonal menus, or both. Choose this section for a meal or drinks in a festive setting rather than a dedicated pop-up or ticketed party.

Oscar Wilde and the two Lillie's locations are the big Victorian rooms everyone photographs, and all three take reservations. Planet Hollywood has a seasonal Halloween menu and is the Times Square pick if you're eating with kids. The Mean Fiddler runs Bottomless Boos, a seasonal bottomless-drinks offer, Friday through Sunday. Greenwood Park is the daytime outdoor option, with a pumpkin patch that makes it an easy Halloween stop for parents.

If you miss October, or you want the Halloween bar without the Halloween crowd, these places are themed or atmospheric all year. Beetle House is the dinner show, four nights a week. Flying Fox in Ridgewood is the horror pub, Witching Hour in Bushwick is the occult cocktail bar and Lucky 13 in Gowanus is the metal dive. Paradise Lost and The Headless Widow are the East Village cocktail bars, Duff's is Williamsburg's metal dive, House of Wax is a bar inside a movie theater surrounded by antique wax anatomy, and The Keep is Ridgewood's antique-filled curio lounge.

Madame X and Fraunces Tavern are here for atmosphere rather than decorations. Madame X hosts a Rocky Horror Picture Show double feature on October 22, and the Fraunces Tavern Museum holds its candlelit Living History After Dark on October 30.

The 53rd Village Halloween Parade is Saturday, October 31, 2026, starting at 7pm and ending around 11pm. This year's theme is "Body & Soul," and the organizer is highlighting its new dancing Firehorse puppets. Watching is free from either side of 6th Avenue between King Street and West 15th Street. The organizer says the streets are most crowded between Bleecker and 14th Street.

Marching is free, but only costumed marchers are allowed in. The lineup is at Canal Street and 6th Avenue: arrive between 6:30 and 9pm and enter from the east or south, following the organizer's marching instructions. Paid access is separate from free viewing and marching. When checked on October 8, 2026, the official ticket page listed a $125 skip-the-line marching ticket, $250 VIP standing admission and $450 VIP director's chair seating, before fees.

Plan the subway around Saturday service. On a regular Saturday the A, C, E, D and F stop at West 4th Street, the F stops at 14th Street and the L at 6th Avenue, the 1 stops at Houston Street and Christopher Street, and the 1, 2 and 3 stop at 14th Street on 7th Avenue. The B does not run on weekends and the M does not serve 6th Avenue on weekends. Check the MTA for service changes on October 31 before you go, don't drive, and set a meeting point in advance.

For drinks afterward, choose a bar based on where you leave the parade route. Allow extra time to get through the crowds rather than relying on a normal walking estimate. Madame X on West Houston is a few blocks east of 6th Avenue. Beetle House, Paradise Lost and The Headless Widow are in the East Village, with The Haunting at The Cabinet further east. The Blue Note, a block from the route, has a Halloween show listed below. If you'd rather eat first, restaurants near the route fill up on parade night, so book ahead or plan to eat after. The official afterparty is the Vampire Ball at Industry City in Sunset Park, also listed below.

The ticketed parties start the weekend before Halloween and run through November 1, with the busiest nights on Friday the 30th and Saturday the 31st. Each entry below is one event with its own ticket or entry: a dinner reservation at the same venue is not party admission. Times are doors where the organizer lists them. Prices are the lowest listed when checked on October 8, 2026, as the ticket page showed them, and availability changes quickly, so confirm on the linked page.

Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24

• Doors 9pm each night: City of Gods Halloween Festival at Industry City, Sunset Park. Large costume festival, two nights. 21+. Costumes required. From $135.

Thursday, October 29

• Doors 10pm: Gaydar Halloween at House of Yes, Bushwick. Queer dance party. 21+. Come in costume; costume contest at midnight. From $20.83.
• Doors 10:30pm: Out & Abt: Halloween Edition at Elsewhere, Bushwick. Full-venue club night. 21+.
• 10pm to 4am: Vintage Culture at Pacha New York, East Williamsburg. Large dance event. 21+. From $70.

Friday, October 30

• Doors 6:30pm, show 7:15pm: Dirty Circus: Halloween Edition at House of Yes, Bushwick. Circus show. 21+. From $64.89. Separate ticket from the late party.
• 8pm: Pre-Halloween Party at Witching Hour, Bushwick. Neighborhood bar party. Bar setting; bring ID.
• Doors 9pm: The Vampire Ball: Night 1, Mischief Night at Industry City, Sunset Park. Large dance event; the official parade afterparty. 21+. From $59. Advance tickets only, no door sales.
• Doors 10pm: Zombie Prom at House of Yes, Bushwick. Late-night dance party. 21+. From $35.69.
• 10pm to 4am: Kaytranada at Pacha New York, East Williamsburg. Large dance event. 21+. Only VIP tiers were listed when checked.
• Doors 10pm: CircoLoco Halloween (Friday) at Brooklyn Storehouse, Navy Yard. Large dance event, part of the venue's closing weekend. 21+. Listed as sold out, with a waitlist, when checked.
• 10pm to 4am: Stories Bar Astoria Halloween Party at Stories, Astoria. Neighborhood bar party. Promoter-run listing.
• 11pm to 4am: Nebula Halloween: Costume Contest & Cash Prizes at Nebula, Times Square. Nightclub costume contest. 21+. Dress code enforced.
• Vampire Saloon (Friday) at Desert 5 Spot, Williamsburg. Country-western costume party with burlesque. 21+. $13.39.

Saturday, October 31

• 5pm to midnight: Every Day Is Halloween Party at Flying Fox Tavern, Ridgewood. Neighborhood pub party. Check the event page for entry details.
• Doors 6:30pm, show 7:15pm: Dirty Circus: Halloween Edition at House of Yes, Bushwick. Circus show. 21+. From $70.30. Separate ticket from the late party.
• Doors 7pm: Elsewhere Halloween in The Hall: Cannelle, EQ, Tommy Fleece and more at Elsewhere, Bushwick. Early live show in The Hall. 16+. One room only; the late full-venue party is a separate ticket.
• Shows at 8pm and 10:30pm: Robert Glasper X Halloween with Derrick Hodge and Chris Dave at Blue Note, Greenwich Village. Seated jazz show, a block from the parade. Two separate sets.
• Doors 8pm: Vampire Saloon (Saturday) at Desert 5 Spot, Williamsburg. Country-western costume party with burlesque. 21+. $13.39.
• 8pm: Halloween Party at Witching Hour, Bushwick. Neighborhood bar party. Bar setting; bring ID.
• 8pm: Annual Halloween at e's BAR at e's BAR, Upper West Side. Neighborhood costume party. 21+. No cover. $100 bar tab for best costume.
• Evening; no start time listed: Loreley Halloween Party at Loreley Beer Garden, Lower East Side. Beer-garden costume party. No cover. Costumes encouraged. Tables on Tock.
• Starts 9pm: Le Bal Noir: A Halloween Masquerade at Maison Madison, Battery Park City. Small masquerade. 21+. Limited to 60 guests. Masks or black attire suggested.
• Doors 9pm: The Vampire Ball: Night 2, All Hallows Eve at Industry City, Sunset Park. Large dance event; the official parade afterparty. 21+. From $82.51. Advance tickets only, no door sales.
• Doors 10pm: House of Hallucinations at House of Yes, Bushwick. Late-night dance party. 21+. From $41.65.
• Doors 10pm: Top of the Haunted Tower masquerade at Ophelia Lounge, Midtown East. Rooftop masquerade. Ticketed party, not a dinner reservation.
• Doors 10pm: CircoLoco Halloween (Saturday) at Brooklyn Storehouse, Navy Yard. Large dance event, part of the venue's closing weekend. 21+. Listed as sold out, with a waitlist, when checked.
• 10pm to 4am: Purple Disco Machine at Pacha New York, East Williamsburg. Large dance event. 21+. From $140.
• Doors 10:30pm: Elsewhere Halloween, full venue: Major League DJz, SAIDAH, D Stone and more at Elsewhere, Bushwick. Full-venue club night. 21+. Separate ticket from the 7pm Hall show.
• Doors 11pm: Dope Jams Halloween Ball at Public Records, Gowanus. Dance party across three rooms. 21+. From $23.69.

Sunday, November 1

• Noon to midnight: CircoLoco Halloween (Sunday) at Brooklyn Storehouse, Navy Yard. Daytime dance event, the venue's closing day. 21+. $180.25.
• Doors 5pm: Day of the Dead at Ophelia Lounge, Midtown East. Rooftop party. A separate event from the October 31 masquerade. Reserve on OpenTable through the Ophelia page.