By Edwin Martinez
07 Oct 2024, 08:25 AM EDT
There are only a few days left until New Yorkers celebrate Halloween, and taking advantage of the popular celebration, the Big Apple Department of Transportation is promoting more than 100 free events in different parts of the Big Apple, which seek to reduce the presence of cars.
This was announced by the City’s Transportation Commissioner, Ydanis Rodríguez, who announced that this October they will launch the third annual event called ‘Trick-or-Streets’, with Halloween themes, whose first activity was on Saturday, October 5. The DOT will feature the full list of Trick-or-Street events and a map of car-free streets on its nyc.gov/trickorstreets page.
“Trick-or-Streets’ is back and bigger than ever. We invite all New Yorkers to participate in an event this month!” said the official. “Our streets serve all New Yorkers, and Trick-or-Streets is a great example of how we can use them to bring joy and greater safety to so many children.”
New York State Senator Robert Jackson joined the call to participate and stressed that taking cars off the roads for a few weeks will have a positive impact and provide more spaces for children to have fun.
“The New York City Department of Transportation is casting a spell of car-free delight, transforming our streets into a Halloween wonderland. With vibrant, traffic-free playgrounds, NYC offers children a magical backdrop for festivities and fun,” said the New York politician. “The visionary ‘Trick-or-Streets’ initiative allows families to walk, play and connect safely, proving that our city can be lively and safe for everyone.”
Jessica Chornesky, executive director of NYC Kidsfest, said that the program will also serve so that using Halloween as an excuse, entire families can bring out their most creative side.
“We are thrilled to partner with NYC DOT to turn plazas and shopping corridors into fun-filled destinations for Halloween. “Children and their families can enjoy pumpkin patches, giveaways, live music and performances, interactive workshops, crafts, face painting, balloon animals and plenty of scary surprises,” Chomesky said. “These vibrant spaces will capture the spirit of the holidays while providing a safe and festive environment for everyone.”
Michael Partis, executive director of the Red Hook Initiative, predicted that the program will allow “Halloween carnivals” to take place throughout the city and stressed that they remain committed to creating new uses for roads and not just for cars.
“The Trick or Streets program is a continuation of our commitment to creating safe and accessible open spaces for the Red Hook neighborhood,” Partis said.
Some of the events are:
- Decatur Avenue Open Street, The Bronx – October 31, 2:30 pm to 9:30 pm produced by Street Lab
Fordham Plaza, The Bronx – October 26, 2 pm to 6 pm produced by Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
Berry Street Open Street, Brooklyn – October 27, 12 pm to 8 pm produced by the New York Horticultural Society
Kensington Plaza, Brooklyn – October 19, 12pm to 5pm produced by Broadway for Arts Education
W 9th Street Open Street, Brooklyn – October 26, 3 pm to 8 pm produced by Broadway for arts education
Audubon Avenue Open Street, Manhattan – October 26, 3 pm to 7 pm produced by NYC Kidsfest
Pell Street Open Street + Doyers Plaza, Manhattan – October 31, 3 pm to 8 pm produced by Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
165th Street Open Street, Queens – October 30, 3 pm to 7 pm produced by Street Lab
31st Avenue Open Street, Queens – October 31, 3 pm to 7 pm produced by the New York Horticultural Society