Fall is finally breezing through Manhattan!
While the season does translate to the unavoidable beginning of school, weird "fall flavors" and chillier weather, there is so much going down in NYC to help appreciate the last bit of warm weather left.
Squeeze out as much outdoor fun as you can because before you know it, you'll be dreading to even step out of your apartment and trek to the subway once winter invades your life.
Manhattan never fails to give us the best events all year-round, so there's no surprise that its lineup of fall shindigs are going to be anything but boring.
Fire up your phone calendar, because you're going to have a tight schedule for this autumn season.
And as always, enjoy all that Manhattan has to offer... except for the Columbus Day Parade. Let's just pretend that's not happening (if you can somehow avoid that whole area).
Whether this fall is warm and pumpkin spicy or bone-chilling and spooky, have a wonderful season in NYC!
1. Explore the world
The beauty of NYC is the ease it provides us to become globetrotters simply by stepping into another borough or neighborhood. Satisfy your wanderlust here in the city without the hectic airports, long flights, and the living hell that is your checked bag not appearing at the baggage claim.
This time of year, you can trek through the city streets to discover Germany. Head to Zum Schneider for Munich on the East River for a true-blue Oktoberfest experience running from now until Octtober 8th. Keep the German beer flowing, devour tons of wiener schnitzel, and sing along with servers and Oompah music band members dressed to the neins.
You’d be uber crazy to miss the ultimate Oktoberfest!
Brush up on your Portuguese for this trip to Broadway at Passport to Portugal. TimeOut New York and TAP Air Portugal are inviting you to experience the tastes, sounds, and views of Portugal just a subway ride away.
At The Mezzanine from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on October 5th, you’ll have the honor of growing the biggest food baby from enjoying traditional cuisine and wine from the best areas of Portugal served all night long. You even get a chance to win a trip for two to the beautiful country itself!
This is the one time you’ll be rushing to Times Square this fall. Celebrate Diwali, “The Festival of Lights” with your South Asian neighbors on Saturday October 7th from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Catch vibrant cultural dance and music performances, a Bollywood show, an epic Diwali bazaar, and mouthwatering Indian cuisine for completely free!
2. Become a cinephile
Fall is the perfect season to stay in, snuggle up and catch a great movie. NYC is fully aware you’re easing into hibernation for the winter. So, of course it has the most highly acclaimed film festivals lined up this fall for the perfect season’s sleep.
The New York Film Festival is in its 55th year bringing you yet another lineup of film marvels. With some of the best work from local and international directors and actors, you can’t miss this year’s, running until Sunday, October 15th. Tickets for screenings sell out fast, so get yours quick!
Latin soul is easy to find here in NYC. Thanks to HBO, we get a 14th year of the community’s best cinematic work from October 11th-15th at the Latino Film Festival. Hailed the premier Latino film fest in the country, the festival has seats just for you at live screenings of indie and studio film premieres.
At Cinépolis Chelsea on West 23rd Street, get single tickets for just $16 per screening, or grab fest passes, because why would you just see one of these greats?!
Because good puppers deserve their own film event, too, catch the New York Dog Film Festival, running on Sunday, November 5th at 12 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. Just down the street from the Latino Film Festival at the School for Visual Arts Theatre, you’ll get to see the best work celebrating the love and support of our furry friends.
Plus, you can even speak with an adoption rep. to get your very own pup!
3. Chow down
If food, food, and more yummy food is what comes to mind when you think of NYC, food festivals are a must. Thanks to NYC, our bellies are always full, and we are not complaining!
The New York City Wine and Food Festival is finally back to fill us with the best cuisine. And when all the funds go straight to No Kid Hungry, you’re definitely going to want to eat to save a life. To top it off you can even take a baking class with frick'n Martha Stewart! Grab endless and delicious food from October 12th-15th.
While Martha Stewart may be your professor for a few hours, eating up those tasty treats plus a whole meal is way better with a good movie. Why settle for expensive AMC popcorn when you can head to the NYC Food Film Festival?
Enjoy the best food-related docs and shorts, paired with dishes served on-screen. Ironically, this will go down at AMC Empire 25 in Times Square, but hey, at least you get what you pay for!
Food is always better with music to dance along to. And NYC is the best place to grab a little bit of everything. At Drom’s SoulGood on Wednesday, October 11th at 7 p.m., you get delicious food and drinks to help you jam to live R&B and soul bands—the perfect soundtrack to you stuffing your face!
4. Party it up
Take advantage of the comfortably warm weather this fall. Before you're hit with blistering winds and packed subway trains, appreciate the last bit of time left to have an amazing night out. NYC has exactly what you need to party before mini-dresses become a bad idea.
Sitting down is not allowed at this party! At A La Calle Block Party, join your fellow Hispanic neighbors and Ballet Hispánico on Sunday, October 1st from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. for dancing, live music, art activities, and flavor-packed food for completely FREE. Even join in on a dance class, and get the chance to win awesome prizes at this vibrant celebration of Hispanic culture.
Keep the party vibes going and sneak into the most glitzy party of the season. This is your (no-longer) secret invite to 102 Norfolk St.'s The Back Room Speakeasy Dance Party on October 2nd from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. for a glam night of dancing and flowing champagne.
At the party, hosted by swing band Svetlana & The Delancey Five, you might even get to Charleston with your girl Martha Stewart, who, according to its website, frequents the bar. There's no cover, but don't forget to ask for the password before you head over there for the night!
Take your night out to the next level with a New York Club Crawl. Let an expert party host guide you to 3-4 venues—a mix of NYC's best bars, lounges, rooftops and nightclubs—all in one night, starting at 8 p.m.
And since you're getting tons of drink specials, they're hooking you up with a limo or a car service for the night! So, you're heading to the club like a celeb, skipping the long ass lines, and strutting past those judgemental bouncers. The party keeps going until 4 a.m., but you'll never want the vibes or your buzz to end.
5. Chill with...the living dead?!
Fall isn't fall without the perfect Halloween celebration or two. And you're clearly doing something wrong if you skip out on Halloween. So, here's exactly what you should be doing to celebrate one of the most necessary and spookiest holidays of the year.
It's totally cool to pee your pants at least once a year, and this is where it's allowed to go down. You'll be running through SoHo's Blood Manor at 163 Varick Street, a 5,000 square-foot maze with the creepiest creatures, like killer clowns and Leatherfaces, across tons of themed rooms.
This haunt gets super long lines, especially since Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Hart made it so popular, so opt for the RIP tickets to be haunted—and hunted—even quicker. I'd also suggest bringing an extra pair of pants.
If you're looking for some real spooks this season, head to The Porterhouse at Fraunces Tavern. One of the oldest bars in New York and a national historic landmark, Fraunces is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the state. Come chug down a beer with five people—and two cats—who lost their lives within this Revolutionary-era tavern. Bring your friends for one hell of a night.
But you can't do Halloween without dressing up in your spookiest costume. Celebrate the holiday at NYC's 44th Annual Village Halloween Parade on October 31st from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. along with over 200,000 zombies, ghouls, and puppets.
Either join the monster mash on a float or watch on the sidelines with your soul mates for this spooky event starting at Sixth Avenue and Canal Street and running up Sixth Avenue from Spring Street to 16th Street. Skip the subway, and fly over on your broom stick to see live bands and artists from the NYC area.
I'd go Cady Heron-style and wear my best corpse bride costume, but if being a Playboy bunny for just one night is your dream, go for it!