Instead of waiting all night in a pumpkin patch to wait for the Great Pumpkin, you can find a great pumpkin at a fall festival, Halloween party, or pumpkin-themed event and borrow the tools and materials you will need to carve or decorate your pumpkin like a champ. At these events, you can carve your own pumpkin with older children, or bring young children to paint and decorate pumpkins safely, and to take part in many other spooky family-friendly events.
Halloween parties may also take you to unexpected places, like the Long Island Aquarium's Halloween Party and Brunch where the aquarium becomes haunted for the day and kids can tour a haunted house, decorate pumpkins, and go safe trick or treating within the museum. There will also be a Fall Family Fishing Festival at Hempstead Lake State Park, where kids can bring their fishing poles and cast for pumpkins in addition to decorating their own. For those looking for an inexpensive way to have fun, several of these events are even free! Enjoy a fun Fall day out and take home a finished jack o'lantern of your own at one of these festivals or parties:
Deepwells Fall Festival
2 Taylor Lane, St. James, NY 11780
631-584-8510
Saturday, October 10th and Sunday, October 11th, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
$5 per adult, $1 per child or senior
Kids are welcome to pick their favorite pumpkin and paint it at this event, which also includes face painting, hay rides, live music, craft vendors, old fashioned games, and more.
Pumpkin Decorating for Kids at Rockville Centre Public Library – FREE!
221 North Village Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY 11570
516-766-6257
Saturday, October 10th, 3:00 PM
Free event
Bring your own pumpkin to the library and decorate it with supplies that will be provided, and with the help of a teen volunteer! Available for Rockville Centre Library cardholders only. Children grade 3 and under must have an adult present in the building at all times.
Fall Family Fun: Lost in the Pumpkin Patch at Fairview Farms
19 Horsemill Lane, Bridgehampton, NY 11932
631-665-2300
Saturday, October 17th, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
$10 per person
Get lost in the corn maze and giant pumpkin patch, pick a pumpkin, and go with the group to the Hamptons LGBT Center to carve your pumpkins and enjoy candy, music, and good company! The price includes the corn maze and carving materials. Children age 3 and under are free.
Fall Family Fishing Festival at Hempstead Lake State Park
Off Southern State Parkway, West Hempstead, NY 11570
516-766-1029
Saturday, October 17th, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Parking fee applies, free with Empire Pass
Take the kids to a family-oriented fishing event with fun games like casting for pumpkins and pumpkin decorating. Rods available for loan on a first-come, first-served basis.
Baiting Halloween at Medford Scout Shop
7 Scouting Boulevard, Medford, NY 11763
631-727-1614
Saturday, October 17th, Sunday, October 18th, and Saturday, October 24th, 10:00 PM – 4:00 PM
$15 per participant, $5 per parent, children under 4 are free
Go for a hay ride, then comb the pumpkin patch for the perfect pumpkin that you can then take to the painting area and paint to your heart’s content!
Thomas School of Horsemanship’s Annual Fall Festival – FREE!
250 Round Swamp Road, Melville, NY 11747
631-697-0626
Sunday, October 18th, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Free event
Pick and decorate pumpkins at this free event, which will also feature hay rides, pony rides, a petting zoo, an inflatable obstacle course, crafts, vendors, and more fun for kids.
Pumpkin Decorating Party at Montauk Public Library – FREE!
871 Montauk Highway, Montauk, NY 11954
631-668-3377
Saturday, October 24th, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Free event
Design and decorate a free pumpkin to take home! Halloween refreshments will be served. Reservations must be made ahead of time.
Madison Theatre’s Halloween Fun Festival at Molloy College - FREE!
1000 Hempstead Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY 11571
516-323-4444
Saturday, October 24th, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Free event
Free admission includes trick or treating from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM at the Molloy College residence halls, bounce houses, face painting, a scarecrow park, pumpkin and mask painting, a haunted house, marshmallow roasting, and cupcake frosting!
The 1880 Haunted Halloween Festivities at Old Bethpage Village Restoration
1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage, NY 11804
516-572 8400
Saturday, October 31st - Sunday, November 1st, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Call for ticket pricing
Carve your very own jack-o-lantern at this festive event that transports you back to the 1800s! Young children should be accompanied by an adult.
Long Island Aquarium's Halloween Party and Brunch
431 East Main Street, Riverhead, NY 11901
631-208-9200
Sunday, November 1st, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
$21 per child age 3-12, $27.95 per child/adult age 13 and up
Paint a pumpkin in the haunted aquarium, which will have a haunted house, safe trick or treating, an author reading, spooky storytelling, and a 3D printer demo. Kids age 12 and under in costume will get 50% their admission price!