Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today on his weekly radio show – “The John Gambling Show with Mayor Mike” on WOR Radio – outlined some of the free and low-cost, family-friendly Halloween activities available to New Yorkers and their families this weekend. The Mayor encouraged New Yorkers to take advantage of the events in New York City’s parks, cultural institutions, libraries and Business Improvement Districts.

“With Halloween coming on Sunday, it’s frightening how much there is for New Yorkers and their families to do this weekend,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The trick is to figure out witch events to attend, but all of them sound like such a treat. Every boorough has free and low-cost activities, and I hope New Yorkers take advantage of everything their parks and cultural institutions are offering. Happy Halloween!”

New York City offers many Halloween events and activities that are free or low-cost to the public. Below is a sampling. Call 311 or visit NYC.gov for more information on these and other events.

Halloween Playspace at Brooklyn Arts Exchange
Storyteller-Guitarist Robin Brady will perform from 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM, followed by a Costume Parade at 11:00 AM. Parents, caregivers and children are encouraged to come in costume. Appropriate for children 1-4 with their grown-ups. Friday, 9:30 AM-11:30 AM. 421 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn. Admission is $10 per family and tickets will be available at the door.

Tricks and Treats at Le Carrousel in Bryant Park
Bryant Park’s Carrousel will be hosting a kids’ Halloween bash. Friday at Noon. Bryant Park, Manhattan. FREE.

Shocktoberfest in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park
Kids can pick a pumpkin (first-come, first-served), and play ghoulish games for kids.  Visit a haunted house, and pick up giveaways. Friday, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Al Oerter Recreation Center, 131-40 Fowler Avenue, Queens. FREE.

Halloween Party in Sunset Park
This event will include a haunted house, photo opportunities, and giveaways. A fun event for the entire family. Friday, 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Sunset Park Recreation Center, 7th Avenue at 43rd Street, Brooklyn. FREE.

Halloween Haunted House and Party in Brownsville
Children can see the haunted house all weekend!  On Friday, there will be a costume parade for children. On Saturday and Sunday, there will be costume parties for the whole family.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Brownsville Recreation Center, 1555 Linden Boulevard, Brooklyn. FREE.

Halloween Maze in Hunts Point
Journey through a haunted house walk-through maze for terror-ific fun! Friday, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Hunts Point Recreation Center, 765 Manida Street, Bronx. FREE.

Snug Harbor Cultural Center presents a Paranormal Adventure
Join paranormal experts on a tour of the “hot spots” around Snug Harbor. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 PM, 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM. 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island.  Admission $10 in advance or $12 at the door.

Halloween Activities at the Bronx Zoo
2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx. Adults $16, children 3-12 free with costume, children under 3 are free.

• Boo at the Zoo: Enjoy hay mazes and hayrides, pumpkin carving demonstrations, puppet shows, magic shows, and live music. Embark on a Haunted Safari Adventure to protect a creature that needs help, and enjoy an augmented reality 3-D experience. And, don’t forget to visit the zoo’s bats, cats, and creepiest critters. Friday and Saturday.
  
  
• Haunted Safari: Embark on an adventure to help save a tiger, vulture, or grizzly bear. The safari visits a bat cave, the belly of a snake, and a rainforest swamp, and features a 3-D experience. October 30-31, Friday and Saturday, 11:00 AM - 4:00PM.
  
  
• Costume Parade: Puppets and props will be part of the fun as marchers parade from Dancing Crane Plaza to the Grizzly Goodies Picnic Area.  Music performances by Gigi and the Lend Me a Hand Band. Friday and Saturday, 12:45 PM and 2:45 PM.
  
  
• Hess Hay Ride: Enjoy a hay ride that passes by Birds of Prey, the zoo's special "Creepy Hollows" display, and beneath a canopy of fall foliage. The ride includes Halloween music and a narrated storyline. Hayride admission is included with total experience tickets. Board at the Fountain Circle.

Haunted House in the Bronx
Join the Parks Department for a haunted house, candy bags, face painting, and other activities for kids. Saturday, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, St. JAMes Recreation Center, 2530 Jerome Avenue, Bronx. FREE.

The 12th Annual Great PUPkin in Fort Greene Park
The 12th Annual Great PUPkin Dog Costume Contest will take place in Fort Greene Park. Registration begins at 11:30 AM on the monument plaza, near the stairs (in the center of the park). The contest begins at noon sharp, at the bottom of the monument stairs. The Great PUPkin takes place in Fort Greene Park alongside the Fort Greene Park Conservancy's Annual Halloween Festival. Saturday, 11:30AM. Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn. The entry fee is a suggested donation of $5.00 per dog.

Pumpkin Festival in Central Park
Join NYC Parks and HUB TV for Pumpkin Festival, New York City's annual celebration of the fall harvest season in leafy Central Park!  Pumpkin Festival takes the very best traditions of the autumn season and offers them all for free! Activities will include:  the Circus Berzerkus Haunted House, the Dunkin Donuts Scarecrow Competition, a Pumpkin Patch, Arts & Crafts, Marionette Performances, Hay Rides, Walkabout Characters, Face Painting, the NY Rangers Road Tour & Slapshot Booth, the MegAMind Trivia Showcase, Greenmarket Vendors and Live Entertainment. Saturday, 12:00 Noon – 5:00 PM, Central Park Bandshell Area – enter at 72^nd Street. FREE.

Children’s Halloween Haunted House
Come see a brew of Halloween scenes. Recommended for children 6-13, younger children must be accompanied by their parents. Saturday, 12:00 Noon. Jackie Robinson Recreation Center, 85 Bradhurst Avenue, Manhattan. FREE.

Not Too Scary Halloween Party at the Staten Island Children's Museum
Families come in costume and visit haunted exhibits.  Join a Halloween parade, dance to thriller music and prepare to trick or treat! Saturday, Noon – 5:00 PM. 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island. FREE.

Kids’ Halloween Party
Kids up to 12 yrs; costume parade, prizes, surprises. Saturday, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. West 104 Street Garden, Manhattan. FREE.

Halloween Fest at ARROW Field House in Queens
Celebrate Halloween with fun activities, a haunted house, arts & crafts, face painting, and music at Halloween Fest, sponsored by HealthPlus. Saturday, 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM. ARROW Field House, 35-30 35th Street, Queens. FREE.

Free Family Fun
Turtle Bay Music School will be turned into a Halloween wonderland for children to explore. Children will enjoy meet the instrument trick-or-treating and music play groups with the school’s top-notch faculty members. Saturday, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Turtle Bay Music School, 244 East 52nd Street, Manhattan. Recommended donation.

Haunted House at St. Mary’s Recreation Center in the Bronx
The South Bronx community is treated to the annual transformation of the center into a haunted house.  Kids are given trick or treat bags. Saturday, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM. St. Mary’s Recreation Center, 450 St. Ann's Avenue, Bronx. FREE.

Pick-Your-Own-Pumpkin and Visit the Haunted House at the Queens County Farm Museum
October is pumpkin month at the Queens County Farm Museum. Wander through the planting field to find your favorite pumpkin. Visit the haunted house for thrills and chills! Hayrides, Halloween treats, mulled cider, pumpkins and apples will be sold. The house is recommended for children ages 4–12. Saturday and Sunday, pumpkin picking from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM (weather permitting) and Haunted House from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM. 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, Queens. Price of pumpkins will be determined by size of pumpkin. Haunted House admission $4.

Halloween Fun at the New York Botanical Garden
200^th Street and Kazimiroff Boulevard, Bronx. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 AM - 5:30PM. Free on Saturday from 10:00 AM – Noon. Friday, $20 adults; $8 children; Saturday and Sunday: $10 adults; $4 children.

• Halloween Hoorah: Halloween Hoorah treats visitors to a frightfully fun journey featuring more than 500 pumpkins intricately carved to create scarecrows, snakes, and spiders adorning the paths, mazes, and trails of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Join in rotating hands-on activities and demonstrations such as Creepy, Crawly Critter Exploration, Ghostly Leaf Rubbing, Applesauce Making, Cider Pressing, and weekend Halloween Parades.
  
  
• Worlds Largest Pumpkin: Pumpkin Carving Competition: At 7 feet, 1,810.5 pounds, the world’s largest pumpkin, and three winning pumpkins from regional weigh-offs across the United States, are on display at the New York Botanical Garden through Sunday.  Join in the fun as Scott Cully, who holds the Guinness World Record for carving the largest pumpkin, attempts to break his own record starting Friday.

Kids’ Night on Broadway Halloween Edition
The treats are multiplying for theatre-loving kids! Kids’ Night on Broadway special Halloween edition, presented with the support of Playbill, is gearing up with extra spooky tricks and treats! This special edition of Kids’ Night will salute UNICEF and the 60th Anniversary of their time-honored Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign. Kids are invited to join a Halloween Spectacular, Broadway-style! This special event will take place on Sunday with a pre-theatre Halloween party from 11:00am to 2:00pm at Madame Tussauds New York. Ticket holders will have the opportunity to tour the famed Times Square wax attraction for free, enjoying unique theatre activities along the way. Kids ages 6 to 18 can see participating Broadway shows for free when accompanied by a full-paying adult. Kids are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Broadway characters and will be invited to go stage door trick-or-treating at specific shows that will be announced at the Fan Festival.

Washington Square Children’s Parade
Join us for a parade with a marching band, treats, a carousel and other inflatables for children. Sunday, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. FREE. Washington Square Park at Fifth Avenue, Manhattan.

Annual Park Slope Civic Council Children’s Halloween Parade
The Park Slope Civic Council, the Park Slope Chamber of Commerce, Park Slope Parents, the Old Stone House, the Fifth Avenue BID, and the Puppeteers’ Cooperative are teaming up to make the 2010 Halloween festivities magical, memorable, and fun for the whole family! This year's theme is Fairy Tales, so be ready for princesses, fairies, gnomes, ravens, and sprites running through the neighborhood. The Sunday evening parade begins at 6:30 PM at Seventh Avenue and 14th Street. The parade continues up Seventh, turns left on Third Street, and ends at the Old Stone House, where the revelry will continue until 9:00 PM Sunday. Before the parade, at 4:00 PM, is the Park Slope Civic Council Halloween Costume Contest in front of the Secondary School for Law, Journalism, and Research, Seventh Avenue between Fourth and Fifth Streets. Costume categories include best theme, best classic character and best use of materials. Winners will be given banners to display in the parade. (Registration from 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM). FREE.

Village Halloween Parade
In New York City, every day is Halloween, but on October 31, the City truly turns it out. If you haven't been to the nation's largest Halloween celebration, pick up a mask (or a more elaborate getup), some candy and get ready to go—this after-dark Greenwich Village event is bigger and better than it looks on TV. Thirty-seven years after the parade began as a modest door-to-door festivity, 50,000 costumed participants now entertain more than 1 million spectators in one of New York's greatest interactive cultural treasures. Sunday, 7PM. Parade Start: 6^th Avenue and Spring Street, Manhattan. Parade end: 6^th Avenue and 15^th Street.

Selected New York Public Library Activities (Staten Island, the Bronx and Manhattan)

• Halloween Trick or Treat at the Dongan Hills Library, Staten Island. Friday, 3:30 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Halloween Story Time at the Kips Bay Library, Manhattan. Halloween stories are read aloud and children can come dressed in costumes. Friday, 3:30 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Halloween Costume Party at Hamilton Fish Park Library, Manhattan. Show off your Halloween costume at the library and get a treat. The best costume will win a prize! Friday, 3:00 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Monster Mash: Halloween Story Time at Webster Library, Manhattan. Slightly spooky stories for ages 4 to 8, plus a Halloween craft. Costumes are encouraged! Friday, 4:00 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Family Halloween Party at South Beach Library, Staten Island. Dress the family up and bring them into South Beach Library for a Halloween Party. Friday, 3:30 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Halloween Bubbling Potions at the 115th Street Library, Manhattan. Prepare for science tricks & treats as we present our most famous elixirs.  Couldrons of frothing witches brews and warlock potions will complete your experience with the most "maddening" Halloween ever!  Recommended for children ages 3 to 6 years old. Preregistration is required, limited to 25 participants. Saturday, 11:00 AM. FREE.

Selected Brooklyn Public Library Activities

• Halloween Party at the Carroll Gardens Library. Come in your best Halloween costume! Enjoy activities, story time and more. Friday, 3:30 PM.
  
  
• Halloween Arts and Crafts at the Brighton Beach Library. Friday, 4:00 PM.

Selected Queens Public Library Activities

• Halloween Story Time at the Long Island City branch. Join us for scary stories and Halloween treats. Ages 2-5. Friday, 10:30 AM. FREE.
  
  
• Halloween Parade at the Flushing branch. Parade through the library in your favorite Halloween costume, picking up treats along the way. For children and their caregivers. Meet in the Children's Room. Friday, 12:30 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Pre-Halloween Party at the branch Long Island City. Happy Halloween from your favorite library! Come for an afternoon of face painting, snacks, and fun! Friday at 3:00 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Halloween Party for Toddlers and Kids at the Queens Village branch. Come to Queens Library @ Queens Village for some Halloween fun! Enjoy light snacks and great creepy, crawly, Halloween music. Open to toddlers, their caretakers and children in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Friday at 3:00 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Halloween Crafts Program at the Broadway branch. Come and enjoy making a mask or pin for Halloween. For ages 6 through 12 years old. Friday, 3:30 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Create-a-Pumpkin at the Poppenhusen branch. Decorate your own mini-pumpkin in time for Halloween! Space is limited; registration is required. For ages 9-12. Friday at 3:30 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Spooktacular Stories at the Glensdale branch. Come in costume to this special family storytime, featuring monstrous picture books, spooky activities and delicious treats. Friday, 4:00 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Scarecrow Card at the Lefrak City branch. Choose your colors and let your imagination fly, making a beautiful card to give to someone that you love .Friday at 4:00 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Halloween Party at the Middle Village branch. Ages 5 to 8 yrs. Books, costume parade, games, refreshments. Registration required. Sign up now!! Limited to 20. Friday, 4:00 PM. FREE.
  
  
• Halloween Party for Kids and Teens at the Queens Village branch. Come to Queens Library @ Queens Village for some Halloween fun! Enjoy light snacks and great creepy, crawly, Halloween music. Open to children in grades 4 through 6 and teens. 4:00 PM. FREE.