Halloween 2012 Events in the Hudson Valley

Halloween observances are in full swing in the tradition-rich cluster of Westchester’s riverfront communities.

Easily the nation’s capital of Halloween fright and delight, these villages carry on legendary names of yore—Irving’s Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown among them—as they serve up an array of events, activities, competitions and commemorations that are fast becoming legends in their own right.

For a decade and a half, the not-for-profit Historic Hudson Valley has been at the center of holiday tricks and treats, starting early and maintaining a full slate of attractions for extended weekends through Halloween. Nearby, historic Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, final resting place of Washington Irving, beckons visitors with day and night tours of its picturesque grounds. Meanwhile, the Lyndhurst mansion, with a setting so somber it’s served as backdrop for gothic tales in film, similarly offers daylight and evening tours.  

Historic Hudson

Leave the kiddies home for Horseman’s Hollow, a darkly spooky retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Do the same for anyone with heart or respiratory concerns, a history of seizures, claustrophobia or other chronic health conditions. This is, the sponsors note, Sleepy Hollow’s premier haunted attraction.

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze puts more than 5,000 individually hand-carved, illuminated jack o’ lanterns on display as you stroll an 18th-century riverside setting.

At the Old Dutch Church, storyteller Jonathan Kruk brings Washington Irving’s Legend to life as he dramatically re-creates the Headless Horseman, Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones and Katrina Van Tassel from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Come in costume to Legend Celebration, a daytime feast of magicians, ghost stories, games, puppeteers and hands-on fun like scarecrow-making.

Lyndhurst

Costumes are also in vogue at Lyndhurst After Dark, a self-guided tour of the house for ages 6 and up. An adult must accompany children under 18. Daytime visits to Lyndhurst are also on tap, as Historic Tours with a Halloween Twist promise guided tours “where history and hysteria meet.”  

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

If you’re up to walking more than a mile on stairs, unpaved roads and hills, consider a daytime or lantern-lit evening jaunt through the cemetery’s rich art, architecture and history.

Friday, Oct. 12 — Monday, Oct. 15

The Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze, Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton on Hudson
Friday, 6:30 and 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 6:30 and 10 p.m.; Sunday, 6:30 and 9 p.m.; reservations, $12, $16.  

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Route 9, Sleepy Hollow, guided day/evening tours
Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m., midnight; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m.; reservations, $19.99, $24.99.

Horseman's Hollow, Philipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow
Saturday, Sunday, 7 and 9:30 p.m.; reservations, from $20.

Scarecrow Making   Patriot’s Park, Tarrytown
Saturday, 10:30 a.m.

Irving's Legend, Old Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow
Friday, 6:15, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m., Saturday, 5, 6:15, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m., Sunday, 5, 6:15 and 7:30; reservations, $12, $16.

Legend Celebration Washington Irving's Sunnyside
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; tickets, $8-$14.

Lyndhurst After Dark  Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Thursday, Oct. 18, starting at 5 p.m.; reservations, $25.

TarryHollow: Walking Through Time, Patriots Park, Tarrytown
Sunday, 1 p.m., reservations, $19.99.

Historic Tours with a Halloween Twist  Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
Saturday, Sunday and Monday, beginning at 10 a.m., reservations, $18.

Friday, Oct. 19 — Monday, Oct. 22

YMCA Halloween Masquerade Ball  Trump National Golf Club, Briarcliff Manor
Friday, cocktails, dinner, dancing, auctions start at 7:30.

Spooktacular Halloween Celebration   Main Street and Broadway, Tarrytown
Friday, 5 to 9 p.m.;  www.tarrytownthirdfriday.com

The Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze, Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton on Hudson
Friday, 6:30 and 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 6:30 and 10 p.m.; Sunday, 6:30 and 9 p.m.; reservations, $12, $16.  

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Route 9, Sleepy Hollow, guided day/evening tours
Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m., midnight; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m.; reservations, $19.99, $24.99.

Horseman's Hollow, Philipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow
Friday-Sunday, and Thursday (Oct. 25), 7 and 9:30 p.m.; reservations, from $20.

Irving's Legend, Old Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow
Friday, 6:15, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m., Saturday, 5, 6:15, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m., Sunday, 5, 6:15 and 7:30; reservations, $12, $16.

Lyndhurst After Dark  Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Thursday (Oct. 25), starting at 5 p.m.; reservations, $25.

Rag- A-Muffin Parade   Patriot's Park, Tarrytown
Saturday, 2 p.m.   October 20th

Third Annual Halloween 10K Run Sleepy Hollow
Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; registration, $30/$35

Legend Celebration Washington Irving's Sunnyside
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; tickets, $8-$14.

Historic Tours with a Halloween Twist  Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
Saturday, Sunday and Monday, beginning at 10 a.m., reservations, $18.

TarryHollow: Walking Through Time, Patriots Park, Tarrytown
Sunday, 1 p.m., reservations, $19.99.

Window Painting   Broadway, Tarrytown
Wednesday, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Oct. 17; registration closes Oct. 21.

Friday, Oct. 26 — Halloween, Wednesday, Oct. 22

The Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze, Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton on Hudson

Friday, 6:30 and 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 6:30 and 10 p.m.; Sunday, 6:30 and 9 p.m.; reservations, $12, $16.  

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Route 9, Sleepy Hollow, guided day/evening tours
Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m., midnight; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m.; reservations, $19.99, $24.99.

Horseman's Hollow, Philipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow
Friday-Sunday, and Thursday (Oct. 25), 7 and 9:30 p.m.; reservations, from $20.

Irving's Legend, Old Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow
Friday, 6:15, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m., Saturday, 5, 6:15, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m., Sunday, 5, 6:15 and 7:30; reservations, $12, $16.

Haunted Hayride   Village Hall, Tarrytown
Friday and Saturday, 7-11 p.m.; Sunday, 7-10 p.m.; tickets, $20.

Lyndhurst After Dark  Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Thursday, Oct. 25, starting at 5 p.m.; reservations, $25.

Legend Celebration Washington Irving's Sunnyside
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; tickets, $8-$14.

TarryHollow: Walking Through Time, Patriots Park, Tarrytown
Sunday, 1 p.m., reservations, $19.99.

Historic Tours with a Halloween Twist  Lyndhurst, Tarrytown
Saturday, Sunday and Monday, beginning at 10 a.m., reservations, $18.

Village Halloween Parade   Patriot’s Park, Tarrytown
Saturday, 6 p.m. 

Got a great costume? Enter a photo in our Greatest Costume in America contest—details coming Oct. 15.