BEST HALLOWEEN EVENTS IN BROOKLYN: A DAD'S PERSPECTIVE

Our Brooklyn editor, a dad of two, gives his top recommendations for kids' Halloween events and activities in Brooklyn based on the experiences of his 10-year-old son.

My son, Russell, who is now 10, will hopefully remember a Brooklyn childhood of numerous Halloweens that allowed him to live out his sartorial fantasies and alternate personas.

At 4, dressed as the Red Power Ranger, he first encountered the oversized evil puppets known to hang around Brooklyn Botanic Garden's annual Ghouls and Gourds event. This year's Ghouls and Gourds promises a festival of fright with costumes, music, contests, workshops, author readings, and the joy of autumn. October 29, 12-6pm. All ages. $15; $10 seniors and students; free children younger than 12.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 900 Washington Avenue, Crown Heights.

When Russell turned 8, he was inspired by his curiosity about all things Goth and horror movies seen at friends' houses-certainly not at ours-to dress up as a punk-rock zombie. He and pal Emily, who was decked out as a high school cheerleader, headed to Prospect Park, where the Haunted Walk scared the beeswax out of them, especially the very scary park volunteers who looked like they'd crawled out of a grave over at Green-Wood. The pair recovered just in time for a festival on the Nethermead lawn, with games, activities, and seasonal pleasures. This year, experience the Haunted Walk on October 29, 12-3pm. FREE.

Prospect Park Nethermead, Prospect Park Southwest and 16th Street entrance, Windsor Terrace.

This year, Russell might sit out Halloween altogether and, he has declared, "buy candy at the supermarket with allowance money." His little sister Charlotte, meanwhile, will be visiting Prospect Park Zoo's Boo at the Zoo, where spooky activities like face painting, crafts, a haunted barn, a costume show, and encounters with the scariest of animals will make her shiver with delight. October 29, 10am-5pm. All ages. $8; $6 seniors 65 and older; $5 children ages 3-12.

Prospect Park Zoo, 450 Flatbush Avenue, Flatbush.

More Fun

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