The sights and sounds of Halloween in Tribeca

LOVE FROM THE MARCHING CORPS
There’s nothing I love more about Halloween in Tribeca than the parade led by the Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Marching Corps, so I got in touch with the director, Marita Begley, to check in. (Just typing this gives me goosebumps, I love those guys so much.) She sent this virtual performance of the band playing The Who’s Baba O’Riley, and sure enough, it got me teary. (That’s Marita, in the pool.) We promised that we’d see each other next year. Till then, this will lift your spirits.

I’ve heard conflicting reports of what local businesses will do for Halloween. Some seem determined to carry on as usual and hand out candy. Some stalwarts have decided to take a pass this year for the obvious reasons. Friends tell me that several local coops have voted to cancel trick-or-treating in their buildings. (The CDC labels what I think of as a classic Tribeca Halloween “high risk.” A grab-and-go goodie bag, where kids approach the end of a driveway to take their treats one at a time, socially distanced, is considered “moderate risk.”)

The Friends of Washington Market Park, whose parade down Greenwich has been a neighborhood happening for three decades, will not be allowed to host that or the party in the park this year. And Brookfield is doing its Halloween events online.

But here’s what I do know about tomorrow’s activities (spooky decor below brought to you by Lance Lappin and A Uno Tribeca):

WASHINGTON MARKET PARK PUMPKIN CARVING CONTEST
The Friends will host its annual Pumpkin Carving Contest this year as a drop-off-only event on Oct. 31 and will display the neighborhood’s gourd artistry along the park’s Greenwich Street fence on Halloween day and into the night. There will be prizes! Drop off your already-carved pumpkin between 11a and 1p at the park gates.

SPOOKTAKULAR AT CHURCH STREET SCHOOL
Church Street School at 41 White is hosting activities outside in person from 11a to 2p. There will be pumpkin decorating, sidewalk chalk art, ghost making and treats from Grandaisy. The school also has a ton of virtual activities online.

BLOOD MANOR WITH THE LIGHTS ON
Blood Manor is opening up for a couple hours on Halloween day to host kids for free from 12:30 to 3p, in sync with Church Street’s activities. There will be no actors and no animatronics and the lights will be on, which is about my speed. There will be candy in each room. The numbers will be limited to keep capacity at 10 percent — 150 people can go through in the 2.5 hours. Kids must be accompanied by an adult. This from the owner: “Low key minimal scares; there will be some gore.” It is a haunted house, after all.

BREAKFAST AT GEE WHIZ
Just your average scrambled eggs and bacon will come with creepy neighbors this year at Gee Whiz, assuming you are up for dining indoors. Every other booth is reserved for the undead.

ECONOMY CANDY FIELD TRIP
You know I have a soft spot for Economy Candy in the East Village, and there is nothing around here like it, so I am adding them as a potential Halloween activity. Take a mini Field Trip and stroll over for wax fangs, Zotz or Ooze Tubes. It’s a 35-minute walk to Rivington and Essex, and I would hit Chinatown Ice Cream Factory along the route for a cone of pumpkin pie or black sesame. Get dumplings on the way home at Fried Dumplings on Mosco.

 

 

1 Comment

  1. Love❤️A Uno.

Comment: