Halloween Time: Adams Expands “Trick-or-Streets” Zones
Expanding on a celebration that kicked off last year, the city will activate its “Open Streets” program to ensure carless streets and attract spooky revelers. Five of the 15 “premier locations” hosting festive Halloween programming will be in Manhattan (find out where below).
| 12 Oct 2023 | 04:03
Last year’s interactive “Trick-or-Streets” map, which delineated what streets would be activated by the Open Streets program during spooky festivities. (
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Spooky season is back, and with it the return of some carless corridors. Mayor Eric Adams has announced that the “Trick-or-Streets” program, inaugurated last year, will make a return and bring Open Streets activation with it.
“‘Trick-or-Streets’ was a hit last year, and we’re excited to bring it back so New York City youth can safely enjoy Halloween. Our administration has been relentless in our efforts to be creative in maximizing and utilizing the city’s public space, allowing communities to come together in ways they never could before. We encourage anyone interested in hosting a ‘Trick-or-Streets’ event to apply to join the program, and we look forward to working with you to deliver the safest and most fun Halloween the city has ever seen,” Adams said.
“After a remarkably successful inaugural ‘Trick-or-Streets’ last Halloween, we are proud to bring this event back this year with even more holiday spirit. Open Streets has led to many great programs, ranging from the transitioning of temporary open spaces to permanent plazas, to bike boulevards, and now to the annual Halloween tradition of ‘Trick-or-Streets,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez added.
Open Streets, run by NYC’s Department of Transportation, works in conjunction with local communities to either partially or fully close streets to car traffic. While the program is intended to promote everything from outdoor dining to economic development, a holiday featuring throngs of kids seeking candy is a perfect test-case for its success (a list of Open Streets locations can be found here). The Adams’ administration did not specify exactly what street shutdowns would be instituted, but mentioned that 100 plazas, corridors, and other thoroughfares faced Open Streets “activation” for the inaugural event.
Some of the activated streets will no doubt fall within fifteen new “premier locations” that will be hosting Halloween events. Five of those sponsored events will be located in Manhattan. They include:
•Mov!ng Culture Projects and Osteria Morini at Lafayette Street (from Spring Street to Kenmare Street), 3:00–8:00 PM, October 27.
•Connectemos and The Horticultural Society of New York at Audubon Avenue (from West 186th Street to West 188th Street), 12:00–4:00 PM, October 28.
•Connectemos and The Horticultural Society of New York at West 186th Street (from Audubon Avenue to St. Nicholas Avenue), 12:00–4:00 PM, October 28.
•The Frederick Douglass Boulevard Alliance at Frederick Douglass Boulevard (from West 112th Street to West 120th Street), 12:00–11:00 PM, October 29.
•Dyckman Gardens at Dyckman Street (from Broadway to Seaman Avenue), 1:00–9:00 PM, October 31.