This month New York City is turning 160 of its streets and plazas into car-free areas so that people can gather in their neighborhoods for Halloween and other fall events. The city authorities state that this year’s version of the annual Trick-or-Streets scheme — which involves trick-or-treating, games and live entertainment in public spaces throughout the five boroughs — is the biggest one so far.
The events are intended to provide families and residents with a safe place in which to celebrate together over October. Cultural organisations, community groups and schools will assist in turning the spaces into festive community hubs. The city has also stated that the Department of Transportation will distribute 75,000 pieces of candy during the celebrations.
Trick-or-Streets grows into a citywide October tradition
The Trick-or-Streets event is part of the programme that has now become established in New York City’s annual schedule. Instead of concentrating the celebrations on one day, the city is arranging the activities throughout the month so that more neighbourhoods can take part.
The officials state that the aim is to make commonly used public areas feel welcoming to both children and adults. What this involves is setting aside streets and plazas which normally have traffic so that local groups can hold events without the usual disruption caused by cars.
The emphasis is on getting neighbourhoods involved; the city achieves this by holding events in various boroughs and on different dates, thus getting residents to celebrate near where they live and at the same time highlighting public spaces that can act as meeting places all through the year.
Tours, school events and community partners add new pieces
This year the programme features a new role for the Municipal Art Society of New York, which will be giving free guided walking tours; the aim of these tours is to bring to light the history, architecture and public spaces in the neighbourhoods taking part.
A second partner, the nonprofit Street Lab, is collaborating with the city to organize enjoyable events outside a number of public schools. The events focused on schools will happen in areas of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, thus extending the program’s reach beyond its most well-known street celebrations.
The city authorities are showing the broader range of activities as an effort to turn the program into more than just a venue for candy and costumes. The new tours and events for schools are meant to provide families with various ways of spending time outdoors at holiday time.
Each borough gets its own signature Halloween stop
The city will be emphasizing one major event in each borough, with the events taking place from late October through Halloween; in Brooklyn Hillel Plaza there will be an event on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
On Saturday, October 24th, the Open Street event will take place on Water Street in Staten Island from noon to 5 p.m., and in Queens the event will be on Austin Street on Sunday, October 25th, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The main event in Manhattan is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 28th, at Canal Open Street and Division Plaza between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. In the Bronx, the listings end on Saturday, October 31st, at James Baldwin Plaza from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Why city officials say the program matters for families
The authorities are presenting the scheme as a means of making Halloween celebrations safer and more accessible; the city can achieve this by setting up car-free areas so that children have more freedom to move about and neighbourhoods can get together without the problem of traffic.
The program also involves community groups and schools in deciding what local events should be held. This is important in a city like New York, where many people experience Halloween merely through the Halloween festivities in their own block or district rather than at a single central festival.
The focus on public space is in keeping with the city’s wider Open Streets strategy, since the streets and plazas are being put to use for seasonal events that combine recreation, a sense of neighborhood pride and family-oriented entertainment.
Where New Yorkers can find the full schedule
The city authorities state that the streets taking part in the event and the various locations cover all five boroughs, and the full timetable can be found online. The list features a wide variety of Open Streets, plazas and areas adjacent to schools which will be in use at different times during October.
Since the festivities take place over several dates, residents have multiple opportunities to take part instead of having to go to one big event. The city’s announcement indicates that the aim is wide participation rather than a single, central celebration.
For New Yorkers who are looking for Halloween activities near where they live, the highest number of car-free areas provides a complete overview of the possibilities throughout the city; the mix of candy, performances, tours and local events gives each borough its own interpretation of the holiday.
