1,000 Jack O'Lanterns Take Over Governors Island For Halloween

GOVERNORS ISLAND, NY — More than 1,000 Jack O'Lanterns will take over Governors Island later this month for "Halloween in the Harbor," the island's Trust announced this week.

Spooky season on the island returns with a variety of Halloween activities lined up: 5,000 pumpkins in a family-friendly pumpkin patch beginning Oct. 19, 1,000 Jack O'Lanterns lit up over the last two weekends in October along Colonels Row; and free trick-or-treating October 26 at Nolan Park's historic homes.

"Everyone is invited to our car-free oasis to crunch through the autumn leaves, go trick-or-treating at our front porches, and pick out the perfect pumpkin to take home," Merritt Birnbaum, the executive director of the Friends of Governors Island, said in a statement.

"Governors Island gives New Yorkers the chance to experience a true 'small town Halloween' feeling without leaving the big city," Birnbaum said.

Nolan Park's Pumpkin Point will feature 5,000 pumpkins for Halloween-lovers to browse, the Trust for Governors Island said. Children's arts and crafts activities, pumpkin painting and a costume design workshop will also be available.

The pumpkin patch is open Oct. 19-20 and 26-27, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Oct. 24-25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free trick-or-treating is slated for Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.

"The fall season is just as vibrant as the summer on Governors Island," Clare Newman, the president of the Trust for Governors Island, said in a statement. "We invite New Yorkers and visitors alike to take a short ferry ride and experience the colorful fall foliage, seasonal programs for all ages, and all that Governors Island has to offer through October 31."