Join one of the local Halloween parades and then go trick-or-treating throughout the community with local families. Or hit one of the neighborhoods or streets listed below: We have a slew of spots to try in all five boroughs. Note that due to expected rain this year, some neighborhood parades that kick off trick-or-treating may be postponed or canceled, so be sure to check the event website before heading out. And keep our list of indoor trick-or-treating options handy as a plan B.

Although the parade and Greenwich Village have changed a lot since then, your kids can still enjoy that kind of thrilling trick-or-treat experience in many New York City neighborhoods . Which neighborhood is the best for Halloween trick-or-treating depends on who you ask. So we asked our astute readers and collected recommendations from our parent-driven NYC staff over many, many years to bring you a list of our favorite trick-or-treating spots so you'll know where to bring your kids this October 31.

One of my favorite childhood memories from growing up in NYC was Halloween in Greenwich Village . Back then, the Village Halloween Parade was just a couple hundred artists and others who marched through the neighborhood. Afterward, we would trick-or-treat up and down the brownstone blocks. Everyone was friendly, and we would come home with our shopping bags completely filled. It was magical.

Stores likely will be handing out candy all afternoon on October 31, but as a general rule trick-or-treating starts at dusk. Some buildings start earlier or later than others, and timing also depends on the age of the kids and what time your local parade winds down.

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Halloween on the Upper West Side



A house on West 68th Street ghoulishly decorated for the holiday. Photo by KarenP via Flickr.

For years there has been a huge party on West 69th Street near Central Park West with candy, entertainment, and police controlling the crowd. It's gotten so popular the block association has decided to stop distributing treats around 7pm so revelers disperse. This is where many Upper West Side kids head for great door-to-door trick-or-treating.

Reader Howard says: "79th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues is great. All the prewar buildings decorate their lobbies and hand out candy to kids. Really cool." And reader Nina says to try 78th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.

Amy, one of our readers, recommends 87th Street between Broadway and West End Avenue: "The whole block gets decked out, brownstone to brownstone!"

One of our contributors who lives in the neighborhood says, 90th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues is also a good bet, and less busy.

Ani says that "95th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West is closed to traffic and all the brownstones are decked out and hand out candy. Lots of fun!"

Halloween on the Upper East Side

For decades, 78th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues has been the go-to block for Upper East Side trick-or-treating.

RELATED: Best Free Halloween Events for NYC Kids



The "Marx Brothers" at the Halloween Spooktacular costume contest. Photo courtesy of Carnegie Hill Neighbors.

Every year, 92nd Street between Park and Madison Avenues is closed to traffic for a Halloween Spooktacular from 5 to 6:30pm. In addition to treats and ghoulish decorations, there's a costume contest with prizes awarded in different age categories, as well as best family, best pet, best townhouse, and best storefront.

Once you've had your share of fun on 92nd Street, head north. We've heard townhouses and doormen on 94th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues dole out goodies and one of our readers, Amanda, recommends 95th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. "Lots of candy and the brownstone mansion on the corner even has gaslights!"



Hit the stoops in Harlem! Photo by Jody Mercier

Halloween in Harlem

Harlem has become a hotbed of Halloween activity in recent years. The Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association sponsors trick-or-treating near Marcus Garvey Park. Check its website a day or two before Halloween to download a map of participating houses.

Astor Row, 130th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues, and Strivers' Row, 138th and 139th Streets between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglass Boulevards, are also good bets.

Harlem resident Jessica recommends Hamilton Terrace between 141st and 144th Streets. "The brownstones are all made up to look spooky. My family and I start around 147th Street and also visit some of the brownstone blocks between St. Nicholas and Convent Avenues and work our way down. The kids have a lot of fun and it almost feels like trick-or-treating in the 'burbs."

Halloween in Washington Heights

Reader Pedro advises, "Hit Broadway between 168th and 181st Streets. High volume of all sorts of candy." Given the street, we're guessing it's mostly stores doling out sweets, not residents.

Former Mommy Poppins editor Maureen recommends 181st Street between Broadway and Cabrini Avenue. "The storefronts are friendly and generous with their treats, and I love that Cascada Dental Spa hands out toothbrushes."

Halloween in Inwood

Reader Beth says nothing beats 217th Street between Park Terrace East and Park Terrace West. "The house on the corner of 217th Street and Park Terrace West sets up a not-too-scary haunted house in its garage," she says, "and a nearby home puts some kind of window covering with huge eyes in its attic window. And there are always residents standing on their stoops with bowls of candy waiting for trick-or-treaters." We've also heard that many of the stores on Dyckman Street give out treats.



Grand Central hosts a family-friendly Halloween party the weekend before Halloween. Photo by Jody Mercier

Halloween in Midtown East

Pick up a FREE trick-or-treat map for this Midtown region's top trick-or-treat businesses and homes at the Tramway Plaza. A Halloween festival with face painting and more family fun also takes place.

Grand Central Station also welcomes families for its Trick or Treat the Terminal event the weekend before Halloween. This year, indoor trick-or-treating among the shops and vendors in Grand Central Station kicks off at 11am Sunday, October 27.

Halloween in Greenwich Village

From 3 to 6pm, you can hit the Greenwich Village Children's Halloween Parade and Party in Washington Square Park. Afterward, stay far away from Sixth Avenue and the big parade. Instead, make your way to the West Village for the real neighborhood experience. There are alleyways and stoops decorated to the nines.

Halloween in the East Village



Trick-or-treating near St. Mark's Place in the East Village. Photo by Urbanphotoz via Flickr.

Local mom Kathleen says: "Although there are no special blocks that do Halloween with a vengeance, Avenue A is fun because all the shops, bars, and restaurants give out candy. Often, a large group of families meets at Tompkins Square Park and lets the kids run around for a while, and then we all head out to trick-or-treat together. Just get the littlest ones home by about 8pm because there is a lot of drinking that night in the East Village."

Halloween in Chelsea

This is a big one that we've done many times: Families gather in Clement Clarke Moore Park—known to locals as "Seal Park"—on 10th Avenue at 22nd Street around 6pm, and then walk up and down the brownstone blocks in Chelsea around the General Theological Seminary. Expect 21st and 22nd Streets between Ninth and 10th Avenues to be jam-packed, but you'll also find houses giving out treats between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. It's an unforgettable experience.

Halloween in Tribeca

We typically don't like trick-or-treating in stores, but Tribeca businesses decorate to the hilt and throw open their doors to greet the kids. It's a nice scene and sweets from local shops or homemade cookies from Bouley are hard to resist. The hot spots are Duane, Reade, Greenwich, and Hudson Streets. Many local kids trick-or-treat in their buildings to score the big payouts.

Halloween on the Lower East Side

One of our favorite NYC sweet shops, Economy Candy, located on the Lower East Side, hands out free treats to all costumed kids from 3:30 to 5:30pm. In fact, pretty much any candy, chocolate or dessert store is a good bet on October 31, even though it's not necessarily an authentic door-to-door experience (but this is the city, after all).

Halloween in Soho

Reader Katrin recommends the shops on Greene Street between Prince and Spring Streets. "It's the main destination for Soho kids."

Where to Trick-or-Treat in Brooklyn

Park Slope

Brooklyn is home to an incredible number of kid-friendly Halloween parades and candy-rich neighborhoods, including the family-packed brownstones of Park Slope. Shops up and down Seventh Avenue and Fifth Avenue give out candy in Park Slope, and the Park Slope Halloween Parade steps off at around 6:30pm, adding to the revelry. This is a neighborhood where people decorate their houses for Halloween in full spooky style, and offer candy from front stoops. Joining the parade is the best bet for figuring out which blocks to hit after marching.

Prospect Heights

Our events guru Ros suggests this less-traveled 'hood "for those wanting to avoid the crowds in Park Slope. The neighborhood is the perfect size for little ones to navigate with lots of decorated brownstones (minus the over-crowded stoops). Most of the the businesses on Vanderbilt Avenue participate as well."



Kids will love the incredible decorations on brownstones in Fort Greene. Photo by Mommy Poppins

Fort Greene

Every year, community nonprofit the Society for Clinton Hill organizes a Halloween Walk in Fort Greene, and even hands out maps with a list of houses to hit. Another new, can't-miss event: The Thriller-inspired outdoor dance party at the Myrtle Avenue Plaza. For snagging loot, Clinton Avenue between Dekalb and Lafayette Avenues is a highlight.

RELATED: Halloween Events in NYC Just Right for Preschool-Age Kids



Jack-o-lanterns rock the vote at Brooklyn Heights' Grace Court Alley. Photo by finitor via Flickr.

Brooklyn Heights' charming streets are anything but dead on Halloween. The over-the-top Garden Place and Grace Court Alley are the epicenter of the Halloween celebration, but side streets offer laid-back trick-or-treating, too.

Reader Melanie recommends Carroll Gardens and Boerum Hill. "Smith Street is a great spot for businesses handing out candy, and all the streets between Court and Hoyt Streets, especially Dean and Warren Streets. Everyone hangs out on their stoops passing out treats...honestly all of Brooklyn is pretty good!"

Dumbo is a new hot spot with dozens of businesses giving out candy, plus a costume parade and more Halloween events are scheduled near the Archway under the Manhattan Bridge.

Jeanne McCabe, mom to twins, says that East Third Street in Windsor Terrace between Vanderbilt and Greenwood turns into a Halloween block party each year with the street closed to traffic. "We give out over 1,000 pieces of candy each year! Last year, a neighbor across the street grilled hot dogs in his front yard and gave them to the trick-or-treaters, while another neighbor gave out Capri Suns, so kids had their dinner covered."

In Bedford-Stuyvesant, kids can follow the annual block-by-block list of participating brownstones and apartments put together by a community group. Neighbors sign up to join the fun, and then the kids know exactly which bells to ring!

Ditmas Park mom Gina says her neighborhood "takes the cake" on Halloween. "There is an awesome parade that starts with cider and treats at the house on Albemarle between Rugby and Argyle. Many of the beautiful Victorian-style mansions are spooked out to the max with Halloween decor to really get into the spirit, and the trick-or-treaters are never disappointed. There is a smaller, yet similar parade, in West Midwood starting on Glenwood and Rugby."

Where to Trick-or-Treat in Queens

Queens also has plenty of great trick-or-treating spots. A few years back, our Queens maven Leni offered this tip: "Kew Gardens is a little hamlet tucked away from the main drag of Queens Boulevard, and a little east of the very popular Forest Hills. The intersection of Austin Street and Lefferts Boulevard is Queens’ best place to take kids of all ages to trick-or-treat. There are small stores up and down Lefferts that give out candy and even people walking the streets with bags of treats. The nearby apartment buildings from 83-33 Austin Street and down toward Hillside Avenue all open their doors to trick-or-treaters. These are great ideas for little ones who need to stay warm or in case of rain."

Of course, families also flock to the super-popular Jackson Heights Halloween Parade, and then stick around to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood.

The planned community of Sunnyside Gardens has been a major Halloween destination for years. Afterward, hit the nearby restaurants and stores along Greenpoint Avenue, Queens Boulevard, and Skillman Avenue. Reader Jane F. agrees, and specifically recommends 47th and 48th Streets in Sunnyside.

A reader told us Flushing gets pretty busy: "166th Street between 45th and 46th Avenues gets 600 to 700 kids consistently every year. Everyone on the whole block typically sits in front of their houses dressed up and giving out candy."

Reader Jewels says, "I have heard Steinway Street in Astoria is a cool location for trick-or-treaters." Of course, there are only businesses on Steinway, and reader Karol adds: "I go early, 4 to 5:30pm. After that, the stores often have signs saying, 'No more candy.'" Head to Crescent Street between Hoyt Avenue South and Ditmars Boulevard if you're looking to hit houses in Astoria.

Where to Trick-or-Treat in the Bronx

The Morris Park section is surrounded by single-family houses. Homes on Morris Park and Hone Avenues always give out sweets.

Our Bronx blogger, Sonia, recommends Astor and Waring Avenues between Eastchester Road and Esplanade in Pelham Gardens. We also hear the Pelham Bay area is great. People go all-out with their decorations and hand out candy.

Reader Angel advises trying "near Van Cortlandt Park on the west side" in the Kingsbridge/Riverdale section. Local stores along 231st Street near Broadway also give out candy.

Picturesque City Island generally hosts a Halloween parade followed by trick-or-treating when families dole out treats from their porches.

Where to Trick-or-Treat on Staten Island

Our Staten Island blogger, Nataki, says: "My family and I start in St. George and walk down to Stapleton. It's really fun!"

Meanwhile, Ellie says, "The homes on Ward Avenue in Tompkinsville and Harvard Avenue in New Brighton are known for giving out candy."

Really, any part of NYC that has more houses than apartment buildings is a good bet for door-to-door trick-or-treating on Halloween. Just look around you!

This post, originally posted in October 2008, is updated annually. Jody Mercier contributed additional reporting.