Fall-ing in Love

Leaves+change+color+in+Central+Park.

Sarah Patt

Leaves change color in Central Park.

Liv Chai, Staff Writer

There is no better way to commence the midterm season than with fall festivities.Take a breather and inhale the ridiculous amount of pumpkin and spice headed your way by partaking in all the festive events the city has to offer.

Pumpkins are a must to fully embrace the season, and trust us when we say the city won’t fall short on its fair share of pumpkin celebrations. On Oct. 29 head over to Central Park to participate in pumpkin carving, hear spooky stories, make Halloween crafts and watch the “Pumpkin Flotilla”, an army of 50 pumpkins floating across the Harlem Meer at twilight. See your spooky creations eerily float across the water and enjoy the changing leaves in Central Park.

If you simply want to appreciate the pumpkins without having to go through the extensive process of carving them, try the New York Botanical Gardens. They will be displaying the biggest gourds from all over the country along with adorable scarecrows.

With fall comes the most exciting holiday of the year — Halloween. If you’re interested in a good bloodcurdling scream, join fellow horror movie fiends at the 2017 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. Running from Oct. 12 to Oct. 15, the movies will be played at various venues all over Brooklyn. Ticket prices range from $13 to $18, so make sure to snag them in time to properly delve into the Halloween spirit with the screenings, food and drinks and Q&As with filmmakers.

Of course, the bone-chilling rush of haunted houses and daunting corn mazes cannot be forgotten this time of year. These activities are not only limited to the suburbs thanks to the Queens County Farm, where you can spook yourself silly while enjoying all sorts of nostalgic feelings.

For those with a green thumb, check out the Brooklyn Grange Farm. The world’s largest rooftop soil farm, it spans 1.5 acres across two roofs. The farm hosts a wide array of activities including cooking events and fabric dye workshops.

Another fall activity is Photoville, an incredible photo festival under the Brooklyn Bridge in Dumbo. The festival is free and has food, beverages and a multitude of talks and activities to attend.

The highly anticipated Open House New York also takes place in October. The annual event allows the public to peruse usually off-limits landmarks for one weekend. From the lush Lowline Lab — a subterranean park in an old streetcar station — to the iconic New York State Pavilion, OHNY will offer you a new perspective on the city’s history and a special taste of its monuments. For film buffs, the New York Film Festival will be running from Sept. 25 to Oct. 11. Catch the event and check off attending the highly revered event before it ends.

The changing of the seasons brings a new array of things to see and do. Don’t fall in the trap of a monotonous school year and make time for these affordable and intriguing events.

Email Liv Chai at [email protected].