Halloween Fun Includes Scary Stories, Trunk Art, Sugar Skulls, Boo Bowling, Cemetery Tour

Sometimes Queens is so diverse it’s scary. Upcoming Halloween events include everything from senior events to youth events; cemetery fun to casino fun; and food-making to mask-making. And let’s not even begin to discuss all the great neighborhoods for trick-or-treating. To aid decision-making, the Queens Tourism Council suggests the following activities because they combine enjoyment with safety, enrichment, and even some sweet treats. They appear on the jump page.

Get in the mood tonight, October 30th, with an evening of Gaelic ghost stories at the New York Irish Center. Members of the Long Island City venue’s Golden Footprints senior drama club will present time-honored, chilling tales from the Emerald Isle with a dramatic flair at 7:30 pm. Plus, award-winning playwright and actor Jimmy Kerr, who hails from Northern Ireland, and County Kilkenny native Jo Kinsella, winner of the First Irish Theatre Festival Achievement Award in 2012, will add their spice.

Tomorrow (October 31st), revelers will show off their creative sides by turning their car trunks into Halloween displays in the Victorian Monumental Park Section of the Maple Grove Cemetery from 4 pm to 6:30 pm. Candy will be provided thanks to a $500 donation from the Melrose Credit Union, and the Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery will accept canned foods to pass on to local pantries.

Meanwhile at 3 pm in Long Island City, Z Hotel will host a costume party for youngsters with peanut-free candy and an array of unique games, including ring toss on witch hats, pin the skull on the skeleton, and boo bowling. At 4 pm, Flushing Town Hall will put on its annual Halloween Re-Mixed party, which also pays homage to All Saints Day and Día de los Muertos. Hands-on amusement is the emphasis, and participants can bake Mexican sugar skulls and make costumes.

To avoid trick-or-treating, go to the Museum of the Moving Image for a special screening of the 1982 thriller Poltergeist on the Kaufman Arts District venue’s big screen at 7:30 pm. Or head to Resorts World Casino New York City at 8 pm for a huge, adult party featuring a competitive costume contest and celebrities from radio station 92.3 AMP.

The merriment continues on November 1st at Flushing Cemetery. The Queens Historical Society and the Voelker Orth Museum will cosponsor a walking tour that focuses on the history, horticulture, and notable permanent residents.

Addresses: New York Irish Center, 10-40 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City; Maple Grove Cemetery, 127-15 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens; Z Hotel, 11-01 43rd Avenue, Long Island City; Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Boulevard, Flushing; Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Avenue, Kaufman Arts District; Resorts World Casino New York City, 110-00 Rockaway Boulevard, South Jamaica; and Flushing Cemetery, 163-06 46th Avenue, Flushing.

Photos: It’s in Queens