The Ultimate Halloween Guide, NYC Edition

Lions, Tigers, and Bears Oh My!

Halloween, the craziest and arguably most fun holiday of the year is coming! Are you ready for the scariest night of the year? Do you have something epic planned for the holiday? Do you have a costume picked out? If not you’ve come to the right place. Just think of this as your go to guide for this Halloween and many more to come.

First let’s find you the perfect costume…

For those of you who have some money to spend:

1. Juicy Sweatsuit/Ugg Boots 

Throw it back to early 2000s with the Juicy Sweatsuit trend and UGG boots. Most likely you will have these items in your closet, but if you don’t you can get a great deal on some online or at discount stores. This costume will keep you extra cozy and get everyone feeling nostalgic. Plus, don’t we all need an excuse to wear those old out of style things we still have in our closet.

2. Any Popular Food Item

Who doesn’t love food? This is a great way to get creative with your costume and do some DIYs if you’re into that. Plus your costume will be totally unique because most people won’t think to come as certain food items and your costume will have your own personal touches if you made it yourself! To make these costumes, you are probably going to need to buy a few basic clothing pieces to get started and then you should head over to your local craft store (Michaels for example) and get some crafting supplies!

3. Harley Quinn

I promise you, this is going to be a hot costume this Halloween given that the Suicide Movie just came out two months ago. Margot Robbie did an amazing job pulling off this role and looked gorgeous while doing it. Party City and Spirit Halloween both have some great Harley costumes!

4. Wonder Woman, Batman, or Supergirl Costume

For this, you could definitely go all out and wear the whole costume, this is a classic, and with the increase in popularity in superheros in recent years, this would definitely be a hit. If you feel like you like the idea but want to tone it down a bit, I would suggest buying the sequin corset and maybe a mask or cape and then just wearing a black skirt, shorts, pants and some cute shoes. You will feel dressed up without actually being all that dressed up.

5. Great Gatsby-esque Flapper Girl

Although The Great Gatsby is not as popular as it once wasquite as popular as it was after Baz Luhrmann’s 2012 adaptation, this is still a viable Halloween costume. This would be great if you are going to a club, masquerade,  or Gatsby themed party (which still exist). This is also great for people who don’t really want to dress up in a “Ccostume,” because this style could actuallyalso be worn to a normal party.  

FYI: Most of these costumes can be found at your local Party City or Spirit Halloween online and in stores (http://www.partycity.com and https://www.spirithalloween.com) or at most other stores that have Halloween merchandise (such as Ricky’s NYC). The nearest Party City to campus is the one in Union Square and there is also a Ricky’s NYC on 8th Street.

And for those of you who don’t have any cash or need a costume idea last minute:

1. Risky Business

If you haven’t seen this movie, well you should, go watch it right now,. iIt’s a classic, and I promise you everyone will know your costume if you come in wearing thise. All you need is a few simple items: an oversized or regular size white long sleeve button down shirt, long white socks, black spandex shorts, and some black ray ban (or fakeban) Ray Ban sunglasses, all of which you can probably find in your wardrobe ( — or your dad’s, brother’s, or boyfriend’s). I would definitely say tThis costume is very versatile: it can either be sexy or average (it just dependsdepending on how you accessorize it and the size shirt size you pick).

2. School Girl

Most likely you will have a circle skirt or plaid skirt in your closet somewhere (and if you’re like me and went to a school with a uniform you probably have an abundance). If not, you could always find one someplace cheaply likeat Forever 21. In addition to the skirt you should look for a white button down shirt, some knee high socks or tights, and wear either sneakers or heels. If you want to accessorize I would add , add in thingsaccessories like glasses (if you wear real ones use those or if you don’t wear glasses you can always buy some cheap fake ones), a hair bow, some suspenders, a tie, andor a blazer.

3. Professional Athlete

For this all you really need is a jersey from a baseball, hockey, football, or basketball team that you could probably find in your closet, borrow from a friend, your brother, dad, or boyfriend and some black spandex shorts. Depending on the sport I would add in some accessories: black face paint for football, a baseball hat, some basketball sneakers, and knee socks, etc.

4. Biker

What you’ll need: a bandana (these are super popular right now so most likely you will have one of these in your closet already or can pretty much find them anywhere), temporary tattoos from your local drugstore (or flash tattoos if you wanna get fancy), a leather jacket (if you have one great! If not head to your local Forever 21 for a super cute cheap one), a band tee (Brandy Melville has a ton of these), leather pants (Forever 21 should have these), and some black boots or heeled booties.  

5. Typical College Costumes: The Solo Cup, The “Walk of Shame”, Social Media Websites, and Mean Girls.

These are all costumes that are very relevant to college life and are greatperfect if you’re into picking out a funny costume. All of these work on their own, but they are also greatfun if you have a group of people. My favorite is the “Walk of Shame” one because let’s be real, that’s a normal occurrence in college.

Fun Halloween Events in the City and Nearby

1. Webster Hall “Webster Hell: The Official NYC Halloween Parade Afterparty”

If you live on Third Ave or Union Square this is an event you won’t want to miss. Held at the well-known Webster Hall nightclub that’s been around forever is the annual hHalloween bash. This is a great event for people wanting to dress up, go to a party and really have some fun. If you aren’t into the creepy people mosh pit scene this probably isn’t for you, but if you are, then you should buy tickets. Tickets sell out fast so make sure to get a group of your friends together and buy your tickets now (this event is a great excuse to do a group halloween costume!). Link: http://www.websterhall.com/halloween/

1. “Fright Fest” at Six Flags Great Adventure

Who doesn’t like theme parks and rollercoasters? Six Flags, one of the biggest theme parks around is hosting their annual Fright Fest in October to celebrate Halloween! This is an event you must go to during your time at NYU and the great part about it is itsand there’s no excuse not to since the event spans multiple weekends in October. So if you still really want to go out on Halloween you can still go to thisFright Fest the weekend before. The trip to Six Flags is a little bit of a hike ( roughly 1.5 to 2 hrs) but is totally worth it. You can dress up if you want and not feel out of place because most people will go dressed up. Also, try buying your tickets in advance. To find out more information about Fright Fest click this link: https://frightfest.sixflags.com/greatadventure/

3. Artisanal Sweet Treats Bazaar

Even though you can’t go trick or treating anymore, you still can enjoy something sweet. This event is happening on 100 77th street in NYC on October 23. All the food will be fall/hHalloween themed so make sure to bring your money and your sweet tooth! You can buy tickets here: ticketFind TicketsTickets Availableartisanal-sweet-treats-bazaar.eventbrite.com and there is also a facebook page if you want to check out more information.

4. The Masquerade Ball – A Sexy Venetian Halloween Affair

For all you 21 and over, this is a masquerade themed halloween party at Stage 48 in NYC that will be held on October 28! There will be a DJ, a huge dance floor, and tons of awesome decorations. Masks and cocktail attire for this event are a must and their will even be a best mask award given out at the end. You can buy tickets here: ticketFind TicketsTickets Availableivymasquerade.eventbrite.com. And there is also a facebook page for the event if you want to look up more information.

5. The Halloween Parade NYC

Last but not least you have to go to the Halloween Parade! It’s a completely free event that runs up 6th Avenue beginning down at Spring Street and it starts at 7 pm. So all you freshman in Lipton Hall should consider going to this! It’s right in your backyard. This is a great way to see all the awesome costumes of people around NYC as well as walk in the parade yourself (if you so choose).