NYC's Packed Weekend: Halloween Parade, Marathon, Early Voting and Daylight Saving

Gothamist published a practical guide on October 26, 2026 for New Yorkers facing one of the busiest weekends of the year. Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31, when the 53rd annual Village Halloween Parade steps off at 7 p.m. from Canal Street and 6th Avenue, heading north along 6th Avenue to 15th Street. The theme this year is Body and Soul, with performance artist Joey Arias serving as grand marshal. Anyone in costume can march for free, while a $125 ticket allows participants to skip the line. Spectating along the route is also free, though crowds are expected to be large. A and C subway trains will be rerouted in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and the parade will be broadcast live on Spectrum News NY1 at 8 p.m.

On Sunday, November 1, more than 50,000 runners will take part in the TCS New York City Marathon, marking the 50th anniversary of the five-borough course. The race begins at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge on Staten Island, winds through Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, and finishes in Central Park. Professional races start at 8 a.m. and the first mass waves begin at 9:10 a.m., with over 2 million spectators expected along the route.

Early voting in the midterm election runs through Sunday, November 1, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, November 3. Polling sites are closed Monday. Daylight saving time also ends Sunday at 2 a.m., turning clocks back to 1 a.m. and pushing Sunday's sunset to around 4:52 p.m. The earliest sunset of the year — 4:28 p.m. — will arrive between December 3 and 12.