| No. 2 |
Friday, October 23, 2026 |
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The Lovely Letter
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From LovelyNYC · New York, beautifully discovered
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Hello again.
It's Halloween week, and this year Halloween falls on a Saturday. Below: our full Halloween guide, a fortnight of concerts and festivals, and seven places that just opened, from a kaiseki room on Bryant Park to a SPAM musubi counter on the Upper West Side.
Anthony
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Commerce Street, a few blocks from the parade route: the West Village's crooked lanes are the place to be on October 31, in costume or not. See the street →
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Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Section A
Halloween in New York
Saturday, October 31
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7pm The Village Halloween Parade, up Sixth Avenue. Anyone in costume can march: line up at Canal St and Sixth Ave, 6:30–9pm.
All day A record 160 car-free trick-or-treat streets, from West 69th Street to Montgomery Place in Park Slope.
All month Candlelit ghost tours, a jack-o'-lantern blaze up the Hudson and the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow.
The full Halloween guide, with times, prices and trains →
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One change this year: Central Park's Pumpkin Flotilla on the Harlem Meer is cancelled.
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Section B
On the Calendar
Special events and concerts, October 23 – November 8
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Fri Oct 23
8pm |
The New York Pops: James Bond at 60
Steven Reineke conducts, with Tony winner Lena Hall singing Goldfinger, Skyfall and Live and Let Die at Carnegie Hall. |
Fri Oct 23
7:30pm |
Meshell Ndegeocello & Samora Pinderhughes
A night of words and music at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House, part of Hanif Abdurraqib's poetry series. From $35. |
| Sat Oct 24 |
Diwali at Times Square
The big Festival of Lights celebration on Broadway between 46th and 48th Streets. Free, no tickets. |
Sun Oct 25
7:30pm |
Poetry Overnight at BAM
BAM's first all-night poetry reading, until sunrise. Sleeping bags welcome. Free, first come, first served. |
Mon Oct 26
8pm |
Mac DeMarco at Carnegie Hall
Songs from his new album, Guitar, plus older favorites. Also Sunday the 25th; tickets are running low. |
Oct 27 – Nov 1
8 & 10pm |
Aaron Parks Trio at the Village Vanguard
With Ben Street and Billy Hart in the basement on Seventh Avenue South. Ethan Iverson's sextet follows, Nov 3–8. |
| Oct 28–31 |
Get Out in Concert, New York Philharmonic
Jordan Peele's film on the big screen at David Geffen Hall, with the orchestra playing Michael Abels's score live. A good Halloween-week date. |
| Sat Oct 31 |
Día de los Muertos, Brooklyn Army Terminal
A free community celebration under the arches in Sunset Park, with a shared ofrenda, crafts and live music. Listed times differ (11am–4pm or 2–7pm), so check with the host before you go. |
Sun Nov 1
1–5pm |
Día de los Muertos festival day, NYBG
Crafts, music, a cumbia class and a 2pm parade among the garden's calaveras and alebrijes. Included with the All-Garden Pass. |
Sun Nov 1
1–3pm |
Astoria Park Pumpkin Smash
Bring your jack-o'-lantern to the giant slingshot near Ditmars Blvd and 19th St. The pumpkins go to compost. |
Wed Nov 4
8pm |
Punch Brothers at Carnegie Hall
Chris Thile's bluegrass quintet plays its new album, The Unsung Adventures of Punch Brothers. |
| At the Met |
Designing the Gilded Age: Tiffany drawings
Drawings from Louis C. Tiffany's studios, from stained glass to whole interiors. Through February 7, included with admission. |
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Section C
Just Opened
New restaurants and bars, this month
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One Bryant Park · Midtown
A Japanese kaiseki room in the Bank of America Tower, with menus that follow Japan's 72 microseasons, and a 14-seat sushi counter inside. Opened October 15.
Naked Tomato · Williamsburg
Israeli chef Eyal Shani (HaSalon, Miznon) on the Williamsburg Wharf: tomatoes every way, pastas and schnitzel. Opened October 14.
Sakasama · Hell's Kitchen
A temaki hand-roll and sake bar on West 46th Street, a few doors from the theaters.
Bun Mee · Flatiron
San Francisco's Vietnamese-inspired bánh mì shop, on East 23rd Street in its first location outside the Bay Area.
Good Company · SoHo
Modern American comfort food and cocktails on West Broadway, from the team behind Yesterday's.
Kine Musubi · Upper West Side
The Hawaiian-style SPAM musubi pop-up finally has its own counter, on West 72nd Street, with vegan and shrimp versions too.
Lola's Rooftop · Midtown
A Mediterranean-leaning rooftop with seafood and cocktails above West 47th Street.
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Section D
A Day for Parade Weekend
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A Lovely Day in the West Village
Spend Halloween Saturday a few blocks from the parade route, then walk over to Sixth Avenue at 7:
| 9:00 AM | Breakfast at Buvette on Grove Street |
| 10:15 AM | The gardens at St. Luke in the Fields |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch at Via Carota (put your name down early) |
| 2:30 PM | Li-Lac Chocolates, Manhattan's oldest chocolate house |
| Sunset | Little Island, over the Hudson |
| 7:00 PM | The parade, anywhere on Sixth Avenue below 15th Street |
The full day, with a map →
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Section E
New on LovelyNYC
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Arriving in New York: JFK, LaGuardia and Newark to Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, nine routes drawn step by step, with how to pay. Forward it to anyone visiting.
New guides: Where to stay in New York · Three days for first-timers · A rainy day in New York
New photos this week, shared by the places themselves: Buddakan, Celestine, La Dong, Jungsik, Ivan Ramen, Leitão, St. Mazie, The Bonnie, MOGMOG and Fang Gourmet Tea.
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Know a place we should see, or an event worth sharing? Just hit reply.
Happy Halloween,
Anthony
LovelyNYC
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Dates and prices were checked with each organizer this week; plans change, so confirm before you go. New openings are from published reports and the restaurants' own pages. You're getting this because you signed up at lovelynyc.com.
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