New York’s family-friendly Halloween staple features new pumpkin sculpture garden, kids’ dance party, expanded candy trail, Dinosaur Safari, and more.

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Halloween magic returns to the Bronx Zoo this fall as Boo at the Zoo, a beloved family tradition for decades, brings exciting new experiences to guests of all ages. Running weekends from Sept. 27 through Oct. 26, plus Monday, Oct. 13, this daytime Halloween celebration combines seasonal festivities with incredible animals throughout the 265-acre park.

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This year’s expanded celebration introduces exciting new elements, including an impressive pumpkin garden featuring four giant animal-themed installations, a high-energy Boo Dance Party following each costume parade, an expanded candy trail with multiple treat stations, and new Halloween-themed lawn games in the Boo Play Space. Boo at the Zoo is included with Bronx Zoo admission and is free for members.

Families can also enjoy costume parades, face painting, Halloween crafts, mind-reading and magic shows, animal-themed storytelling, and more, creating a full day of festive fall fun unique to the Bronx Zoo. Guests will also have the chance to experience the zoo’s newest exhibit, World of Darkness, and take a final walk among more than 60 life-sized, animatronic dinosaurs and pterosaurs at Dinosaur Safari before it closes on Nov. 2

Throughout the celebration, visitors can enjoy a full day of Halloween-themed activities designed for all ages, including:

• Costume parade: Enjoy costumed entertainment with Halloween-themed puppets at Astor Court at 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m., followed by the NEW Boo Dance Party with music and bubbles.
• Trick or Truth Maze: Find your way through a themed seasonal maze.
• Pumpkin carving demos: Watch expert artists create giant animals and intricate scenes from pumpkins at Dancing Crane Pavilion, including speed carving demonstrations at 11:30 a.m and 2:30 p.m.
• Candy Trail: Collect palm-oil-free candy along the expanded trail, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. (one turn per family for children only).
• Digital scavenger hunt: Explore the zoo in a tech-enabled adventure for Halloween-themed surprises.
• Creepy crawly mystery wall: Touch and feel mysterious textures while learning about animals at Giraffe Corner
• Boo at the Zoo mural: Help fill in a community mural celebrating wildlife and Halloween fun.
• Extinct Animal Graveyard: Learn about species lost to history in a playful, seasonal setting.
• Boo Play Space: Enjoy Halloween-themed lawn games for the whole family.
• Wildlife Theater: Live, animal-themed stage shows with actors and puppets for the whole family to enjoy.
• Spooky stories: Animal-themed storytelling featuring folktales from around the world at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.
• Magic & mind-reading shows: Animal-inspired illusions at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m.
• Face painting: Transform into a spooky or sweet creature with free face painting from 11-3 p.m. for children ages 3+
• Halloween crafts: Decorate your own spooky animal puppet to carry in the parade.

Guests can experience the zoo’s newest exhibit, World of Darkness, and enjoy Harvest Glow, a family-friendly fall celebration featuring hundreds of intricately carved, illuminated pumpkins. They will also have a final chance to walk among life-sized animatronic dinosaurs at Dinosaur Safari before it closes.

WCS members enjoy free access to Boo at the Zoo, but should secure their timed tickets in advance, as weekends sell out early. Membership includes year-round admission to all five WCS parks (Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and New York Aquarium) while supporting wildlife conservation efforts worldwide. View membership options.

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The Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo, located on 265 acres of hardwood forest in Bronx, NY, opened on Nov. 8, 1899. It is world-renowned for its leadership in the areas of animal welfare, husbandry, veterinary care, education, science and conservation. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is the flagship park of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) which manages the world’s largest network of urban wildlife parks including the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium. Our curators and animal care staff work to save, propagate, and sustain populations of threatened and endangered species. We have educated and inspired more than 400 million visitors at our zoos and aquarium since our opening and host approximately 4 million guests at our parks each year – including about a half-million students annually. The Bronx Zoo is the largest youth employer in the borough of the Bronx, providing opportunity and helping to transform lives in one of the most under-served communities in the nation. The Bronx Zoo is the subject of THE ZOO, a docu-series aired world-wide on Animal Planet.

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