Bay Ridge is bubbling over like a witch’s cauldron with things to do! A cider festival, costume parties, and a haunted stroll make for some lively nightlife, or if you will, fright-life this weekend.
On Friday (or Saturday, or Sunday) shamble over to Longbow Pub and Pantry (7316 Third Ave. between 73rd and 74th streets) for the unofficial drink of the season — cider! Savor the crisp, apple-based brews of Naked Flock Draft, Stella Cidre, and Downeast Cider House’s Fall Blend, all on tap as part of NYC Cider Week. And the tavern has more in bottles, including Doc’s Framboise, Embark Northerner, and much more.
Then bust out the vampire fangs and fake blood for a trio of costume parties on Saturday. Swing over to the Kettle Black (8622 Third Ave. at 87th Street) at 9 pm for the bar’s annual Halloween costume party. Admission is a steep $60, but it includes an open bar and a costume contest with a whopping $300 grand prize. And if you leave empty-handed, you can creep a few blocks over to the Pour House of Bay Ridge (7901 Third Ave. at 79th Street) for its Halloween bash at 10 pm, with a costume contest and a DJ vamping up the volume. Or stalk to Three Jolly Pigeons (6802 Third Ave. at 68th Street) at 10 pm for yet another costume contest and plenty of spooky tunes from rock trio Full Disclosure.
This year All Hallow’s Eve falls on a Monday, so keep the weekend going with the haunted Halloween walk at Owl’s Head Park (67th Street at Colonial Road). The horror show starts at 3:30 pm, but you will want to hold out for the final — and most frightful — walk at 7 pm. A far tamer “fairy tale forest” is also an option for the easily-frightened.
Or for a boozy bash, hike over to the Grotto Italian Table (8901 Third Ave. at 89th Street) for a costume party at 6 pm. Best costume wins a $50 gift card to the Italian bistro, and second and third places each score a bottle of wine.
