These Astoria, LIC Streets Are Going Car-Free For Halloween

ASTORIA, QUEENS — There's never been a better Halloween to be a kid in Northwest Queens, where several streets and plazas will open up for trick-or-treating and special activities.

Three spots in Astoria and Long Island City — plus another in Sunnyside — were included in Monday's announcement of the city's first-ever "trick-or-streets": an expansion of the Open Streets program that will bring car-free Halloween festivities to dozens of locations around the city.

Amid the fun, there's a serious basis for the program: Oct. 31 is consistently the deadliest day of the year for child pedestrians, with 54 children being fatally struck by drivers on Halloweens between 2004 and 2018, according to a Washington Post analysis.

Here are the details about each local street joining the fun this Halloween:

31st Avenue Open Street (Astoria)

Astoria's hallmark Open Street will have three straight days' worth of programming, starting with "Halloweekend" festivities on Saturday and Sunday from 1-6 p.m. — followed by regular trick-or-treating from 4-8 p.m. on Halloween itself.

The weekend events, spanning from 33rd to 35th streets, will feature "trick or treating, costume contests for people and pets, crafts, pumpkin painting, tarot readings, haunted photo booths, refreshments, live music, and more," organizers said in a news release.

Costume contests will be held at 2 p.m. both days, with prizes for best child, adult and pet costumes announced an hour later — as judged by local businesses. Signups will open at 1 p.m. both days.

The Astoria Food Pantry will also be on hand to collect cold-weather essentials and pantry items, while the nonprofit Room to Grow will collect donations of new or gently used baby and toddler items. Other vendors will include a pop-up by Bold P-Nuts (Saturday), a craft table by Astoria Craft Mamas (Sunday) and live music by Kate Keller (Saturday).

This is the third straight year that the 31st Avenue Open Street will host Halloween events, though this year's festivities will be more extensive than ever before, organizers say.

"What began as a safe way to celebrate Halloween at the height of the pandemic has evolved into a tradition that affirms the importance of public spaces in bringing our community together," said Erin Dennis, a lead organizer for this week's event.

45th Road, 21st to 23rd streets (Court Square)

This rowhouse-lined block around the corner from Trader Joe's will be opened up from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday for a Halloween block party, courtesy of the Court Square Civic Association.

Trick-or-treating and a bouncy castle will be on tap, organizers say.

12th Street Plaza (Long Island City)

From 4-6 p.m. Monday, the little pedestrian plaza on 12th Street near 44th Avenue will host a family-friendly trick-or-treating event with "arts and crafts, candy, and lots of fun," the city says.

39th Avenue, Barnett Avenue to 48th Street (Sunnyside)

The section of 39th Avenue, designated a "Bike Boulevard" last year, will have an unspecified "Halloween Street Closure," the city said.

Click here for a full list and map of Trick-or-Streets locations.