The Town of Oyster Bay's Family Fall & Halloween Festival takes over Marjorie R. Post Community Park at 451 Unqua Road this Saturday, October 24, from 1 to 4 p.m. Halloween itself falls on the following Saturday. That leaves a full week between the pumpkin patch and trick-or-treating, and the Massapequa Public Library has filled the weekdays with Halloween programs.
Most of those programs need registration, and some open for sign-ups only a few days ahead. If you have kids in Massapequa, plan this week by registration dates first and event dates second.
Why the festival lands so early this year
For the past three years, the Town has held the festival on the Saturday before Halloween. In 2024 and 2025, that Saturday came only a few days before the holiday. This year it comes a full week before.
| Year | Festival date | Halloween fell on | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Saturday, Oct. 26 | Thursday | 5 days |
| 2025 | Saturday, Oct. 25 | Friday | 6 days |
| 2026 | Saturday, Oct. 24 | Saturday | 7 days |
The 2024 and 2025 dates come from the Town's 2024 announcement and 2025 announcement. Both years used the same 1 to 4 p.m. window at the same park.
In a typical year, the festival ends up as the last big stop right before trick-or-treating. This year it opens the season instead, and whatever your family does next has to fit around school nights.
What's at Marjorie R. Post on Saturday
The Town of Oyster Bay's announcement lists:
- A U-Pick pumpkin patch where children pick their own pumpkins, while supplies last
- Halloween games and giveaways
- Inflatables
- A Halloween hayride
- Food trucks with specialties for purchase
Admission is free, and the event runs rain or shine. In the Town's announcement, Supervisor Joseph Saladino singled out "pumpkin picking and our popular Halloween hayride" and added, "Remember, costumes are encouraged!"
The pumpkin patch is first come, first served, so if a pumpkin matters to your little one, aim for 1 p.m. rather than 3:30. The food trucks charge, but everything else is free. With Halloween a week away, costumes can come out now and get worn again next Saturday.
The weekday programs run on sign-up dates
The Massapequa Public Library runs Halloween programs at both of its branches, Bar Harbour and Central Avenue. They're spread across four weekdays between the festival and the holiday, and most of them require registration. Some open for sign-ups only a few days ahead, so the date that matters most may be days before the program itself.
| Program | Who it's for | When and where | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| BH Mini Haunted Houses | Grades K to 5 | Mon., Oct. 26, 7 to 8 p.m., Bar Harbour Auditorium | Required |
| BH Halloween Special | Ages 18 months to 5 years, with an adult | Tue., Oct. 27, 10 to 11 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Bar Harbour Auditorium | Opened Oct. 20 at 9 a.m., library card required |
| Teen Minecraft Adventure: Haunted Mansion | Grades 6 to 12 | Tue., Oct. 27, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Central Avenue Children's Room | Required |
| Teen Halloween Party | Grades 6 to 12 | Wed., Oct. 28, 6 to 8 p.m., Bar Harbour Auditorium | Required, closes Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. |
| CA Halloween Story Time | Ages 3 to 5 | Fri., Oct. 30, 10:30 to 11 a.m., Central Avenue Children's Room | Opens Fri., Oct. 23 at 9 a.m., library card required |
The early-childhood listings also say non-residents may register two days before the program. Residents with a library card get a head start of several days, and that head start is what families who sign up promptly are using.
Friday morning is the one to watch
Registration for CA Halloween Story Time opens tomorrow, Friday, October 23, at 9 a.m. That's the morning before the festival, and you'll need a library card. According to the library, children should come in costume for Halloween stories, songs and activities, and "after storytime we'll trick or treat throughout the library." The listing also asks families to "have your child bring a trick-or-treat bag to hold their goodies."
For preschoolers, that makes Friday, October 30, a low-key costume run the day before the main event, in a warm building, at 10:30 in the morning.
The BH Halloween Special for toddlers opened for registration on Tuesday, October 20, at 9 a.m. The library describes it as A Time for Kids "back with a one hour program that has a story, craft, songs and activities." It's built for kids and their adults together, so plan to take part alongside your child.
Monday's "haunted houses" are edible
At BH Mini Haunted Houses, kids make treats. The library's description reads, "Melinda from Them's the Breaks will help your child get ready for Halloween by making these yummy treats." Melinda Space is a chocolatier, and she and Bill Space run the East Meadow confectionery business. The Herald described one of her children's classes as kids building candy kabobs and decorating milkshake-style treats.
Two details from the library listing matter for parents. The program carries a food allergy and sensitivity alert, so keep that in mind when you register. And adults must stay in the building, with no drop-offs.
For teens, the week builds to Wednesday
The middle-school and high-school programs work as a short sequence of their own. On Tuesday night at Central Avenue, Teen Minecraft Adventure: Haunted Mansion asks players to "find ingredients in the cursed mine, brew potions, and then go to battle against witches and their minions."
Wednesday is the main teen night at Bar Harbour. From 5 to 6 p.m., the Teen Advisory Board meets in BH The Loft to "help the teen librarians decorate for the Halloween party," and attending earns one hour of community service credit. The Teen Halloween Party follows in the Bar Harbour Auditorium from 6 to 8 p.m. The library promises "ghoulish goodies, monstrous music, and a creepy craft."
So a teenager who registers for both can decorate the room at 5 p.m., go to the party at 6, and come home with a service hour. Party registration closes Tuesday, October 27, at 5 p.m.
How the two Saturdays fit together
Laid out in order, Massapequa's Halloween week looks like this:
- Fri., Oct. 23, 9 a.m. Story Time registration opens.
- Sat., Oct. 24, 1 to 4 p.m. Family Fall & Halloween Festival at Marjorie R. Post Community Park.
- Mon., Oct. 26, evening. Mini Haunted Houses treat-making at Bar Harbour.
- Tue., Oct. 27. Toddler Halloween Special in the morning, Minecraft Haunted Mansion at night, and the 5 p.m. deadline for Teen Halloween Party registration.
- Wed., Oct. 28, 5 to 8 p.m. Teen Advisory Board decorating, then the Teen Halloween Party.
- Fri., Oct. 30, 10:30 a.m. Halloween Story Time and trick-or-treating inside the Central Avenue branch.
- Sat., Oct. 31. Halloween.
Families who also follow the Village of Massapequa Park's costume parade in Brady Park should know the Village's October 2026 calendar did not list a parade date as of mid-October. Last year's parade ran on Sunday, October 26, 2025, with registration at noon and the parade and judging at 1 p.m. If you'd like to add it to your week, check the Village calendar again before Sunday.
The costumes go on at Marjorie R. Post this Saturday and come back out for trick-or-treating seven days later. In between, the dates to remember are Friday, October 23, at 9 a.m. for Story Time and Tuesday at 5 p.m. for the teen party.
Fall weekends like this one are part of why I love raising my family in Massapequa. If the season also has you wondering what your home might be worth heading into winter, Christine Biordi is happy to put together a free home valuation, with no pressure and plenty of time for a pumpkin patch first.
