Exciting Events Around The Bronx: October 2023
EXCITING EVENTS AROUND THE BRONX: OCTOBER 2023
By Great Performances
Explore exciting community events around the Bronx this month.
THE BRONX VEGAN BAZAAR
Every Wednesday from 4:00pm to 9:00pm
August 23rd through December 27th
Wellness leaders and local vegans come together again to host at the Andrew Freedman Home in The Bronx.
The vegan food expo will feature more than 20 vegan vendors serving food, natural juices, delicious pastries, and just spreading wellness.
Our founding members consisted of a vegan chef, a seasoned food vendor, an award-winning event planner, a native Bronx DJ, community residents, and a common goal to spread wellness, food, and love to the Bronx.
With each experience our members grow along with the community.
38TH ANNUAL BRONX HALLOWEEN PARADE
Saturday, October 28th from 12:00pm to 5:00pm
The Bronx Community Board #2 proudly presents the Annual Bronx Halloween Day Parade.
This community-based event is heading into its 38th year and is a safe space for all children and adults to enjoy Halloween festivities. The parade, now deemed a city-wide event, has already been considered the second largest Halloween Parade in New York City.
After the parade, guests will gather at Bill Rainey Park to enjoy an artist showcase featuring surprise celebrity guests, politicians, marching bands, costume contests with cash prizes and distribution of candy for all!
New Parade Route:Southern Blvd. & Westchester Ave. heading South on Southern Blvd turning right onto Intervale Ave & concluding at Dawson St.
Join Us in on the fun!
FILM SCREENING: GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT
Thursday, October 5th at 7:00pm
Join us for a free screening of Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project directed by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson (2023).
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the Sundance U.S. Documentary Competition, this beguiling documentary portrait follows poet and activist Nikki Giovanni as she approaches 80. The film explores Giovanni’s Afrofuturist-feminist philosophical outlook as well as her poignant relationship with her family, her political audacity, and her poetic eloquence, all knit together with a constant eye and ear for its subject’s own aesthetic verve. Looking back at a personal life and history cast in the long shadow of American racism, and forward to hopeful, possible futures, Giovanni acts as our guide and narrator, with refreshingly unorthodox filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson refraining from traditional chronologies or talking-head conventions. Going to Mars is fueled by constant intellectual engagement and radical imagination in the search for emotional and political fulfillment in a world of disenfranchisement. An HBO Documentary Films release.
This free film screening is in partnership with the 61st New York Film Festival. Free registration is required; walk-ins will be accommodated if capacity allows.
Photograph by Mel Wright.
IN CONVERSATION: MICHAEL RICHARDS, NEW YORK, AND THE 1990S
Thursday, October 12th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Michael Richards was active in community and practice throughout the 1990s, a storied time in the New York City art world. Offering a personal portrait of Michael Richards and a chronology of his time in New York City, this dynamic conversation will animate Richards’s creative histories across The Bronx Museum, Bronx Council on the Arts, Longwood Arts Project, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Studio Museum in Harlem, REPOhistory artists’ collective, and more.
Panelists:
Nicole Awai, artist, Bronx Museum AIM Fellowship alum
Kinshasha Holman Conwill, Deputy Director Emerita of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and former Director of The Studio Museum in Harlem
Moukhtar Kocache, former Director of Programs and Services at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
Betti-Sue Hertz, Director and Chief Curator, Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University and former Director of Longwood Arts Project
This conversation will be moderated by Jakeya Caruthers, Assistant Professor, English and Africana Studies, Drexel University.
GARDENING TUESDAY AT THE FOODWAY!
Tuesday, October 17th from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Location: Concrete Plant Park (1370 Westchester Ave, Bronx, NY)
Join the Bronx River Alliance select Tuesdays from 10a-12pm for stewardship activities such as litter removal, weeding, mulching, watering & planting at different gardens along the Bronx River!
On Tuesday, October 17th, we will be stewarding the Foodway at Concrete Plant Park. We will meet volunteers at Concrete Plant Park (1370 Westchester Ave) Bronx, NY
Please wear clothing appropriate for outdoor weather and gardening/cleaning activities. We also recommend bringing snacks and a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated.
All gloves and tools needed will be provided by the Alliance.
FREE COMMUNITY PADDLING IN STARLIGHT PARK
Saturday, October 28th from 11:00am to 3:00pm
Location: Starlight Park
Join us on Saturday, October 28th, 2023, for a Free Community Paddle at Starlight Park from 11 AM to 3 PM. This is a great activity for beginners and families to join. Canoes will be available for partners and families, and kayaks will be available for solo paddlers.
BOO AT THE ZOO
Saturdays & Sundays
September 30th through October 29th
Our annual family-friendly Halloween tradition is back at the Bronx Zoo. Come dressed in your Halloween best and enjoy!
Activities Include:
- Spooky Stories to Ticket Your Spine (new!)
- Bones Tell a Story: Animal Skeletons (new!)
- Costume Parade
- Halloween Crafts
- Magic & Mind Reading
- Pumpkin Carving Demos
- Wildlife Theater: The Wildlife Witch’s Super Scary Halloween Show
PUMPKIN NIGHTS
Thursdays – Sundays, 6:00pm to 10:00pm
September 28th through October 29th
Bronx Zoo Pumpkin Nights, an ALL NEW nighttime family Halloween event, will take place on select evenings this fall! Follow an animal-themed illuminated jack o’lantern trail and learn about animal behavior after dark, plus enjoy games and treats.
Pumpkin Nights will feature gorgeous scenes of more than 5,000 illuminated pumpkins, together with atmospheric sounds and colored lights, to provide a festive family atmosphere as you follow a half-mile trail to holiday excitement right here in NYC.
NATURE’S WORKSHOP: NATURE CALLIGRAPHY
Sunday, October 1st from 11:00am to 12:30pm
Location: Crotona Nature Center in Crotona Park
Learn how nature influences the art of Chinese calligraphy and learn to write some words yourself. Learn the evolution of symbols representing the natural world. Give it a try using brush and paper to practice these symbols.
NATURE’S WORKSHOP: NATURAL DYES WORKSHOP
Sunday, October 15th from 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Location: Crotona Nature Center in Crotona Park
Join the Urban Park Rangers for the Nature’s Workshop series. Each program in this series explores its topic in-depth and allows you to develop a skill, participate in a hands-on project, and indulge your curiosity. Get inspired by the changing seasons and let the colors of fall flow in your artwork. The Urban Park Rangers will provide the supplies, all you need to bring is your creativity.
FORDHAM PLAZA
BRONX NIGHT MARKET
Saturday, October 28th from 1:00pm to 7:00pm
Location: 1 Fordham Plaza
RSVP required
The Bronx’s renowned cuisine and culture festival is back for its 6th season, bringing with it an array of flavors and cultural experiences that represent the city’s diverse heritage. As a beloved event, it’s a must-attend festival for any food lover in the Bronx. With an average of 4k patrons per event, the festival gathers at the Fordham Plaza, providing an exciting and unique experience.
This year’s festival is even bigger and better, offering a curated selection of local Bronx and NYC-based food, beverage, arts & crafts, and packaged goods vendors. These vendors come together to provide an incredible culinary journey, showcasing a wide range of cultures and flavors.
FALL-O-WEEN
Now through October 29th
Location: at the Garden
Make NYBG your pumpkin headquarters this fall! The tricks and treats of the season come to life with plentiful pumpkins, gourds, and ghouls—and all sorts of fun-filled activities to celebrate this season of frights and foliage! Day or night, there’s something for everyone as we offer special weekends of pumpkin parades and pumpkin carving face-offs, as well as the return of our popular beer sampling weekend, Bales & Ales! Evening events give kids (and adults!) the chance to show off their Halloween costumes in New York City’s most beautiful landscape, while you can savor the flavors of the season with artisan demos, food and drink talks, and so much more as autumn in the Bronx brings vibrant color to your backyard.
While you’re here, don’t miss your opportunity to capture picture-perfect fall photos at the Reflecting Pool and on the adjacent lawn, where you’ll find hundreds of pumpkins and gourds of all shapes, sizes, and colors!
THINGS TO BE REMEMBERED: INTERACTIVE ART PROJECT
Now through October 22nd from 10:00am to 6:00pm
Location: 4th Floor Rotunda of LuEsther T. Mertz Library
Take a moment to reflect. What have you witnessed or felt during your visit today? The adjacent display shows the remains of extinct plants, and reminds us what has been lost and what should be remembered. We invite you to add your sketches, notes, and thoughts to an always-evolving collective artwork that will remain on view for the duration of the exhibition.
…things come to thrive…in the shedding…in the molting…
extended through October 22nd
This summer, experience the seductive beauty of gardens through the eyes of celebrated contemporary artist Ebony G. Patterson. Known for her lavishly detailed mixed media installations, Patterson brings her signature style to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and NYBG’s landscape and galleries, in a major site-specific exhibition featuring breathtaking and provocative displays of art and nature.
Patterson’s work will captivate Garden visitors with the beauty of exotic flora and garden-inspired installations—from a monumental peacock sculpture to swarms of glitter-encrusted vultures. Inspired by her immersion in NYBG’s collections, Patterson’s work explores entanglements of race, gender and colonialism while inviting visitors to contemplate their own relationships with gardens and the natural world.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see one of the most exciting contemporary artists of our time transform one of the most stunning settings in New York City like never before. Ebony G. Patterson’s summer exhibition at NYBG is a must-see.
CITY OF FOREST DAY: HUNTER ISLAND HIKE
Saturday, October 14th from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Location: Section 2 Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park, Bronx
Celebrate City of Forest Day with NYC Parks! City of Forest Day is an annual day of activities across the city to raise awareness of the importance of the New York City urban forest. Join the Urban Park Rangers as we hike through one of these urban forests on Hunter Island!
THE HAUNTED ISLANDS OF ORCHARD BEACH
Saturday, October 28th from 5:00am to 6:30pm
Location: Orchard Beach Nature Center in Pelham Bay Park
The islands that surround Orchard Beach are shrouded in myth and legend. Join the Urban Park Rangers to find out what’s true and what’s myth when it comes to these historic places.
HIKE-TOBERFEST
Saturday, October 21st from 1:30pm to 6:30pm
Location: Van Cortlandt House Museum in Van Cortlandt Park
Broadway at West 246th Street, Bronx
Support the Park!
Hike-then-sip at VCPA’s Annual Hike-toberfest!
All registered hike participants will receive a VCPA Beanie!
All Hikes:
Are led by skilled guides;
Finish at approximately 4:00pm… please take note of start times;
Begin and end at the Van Cortlandt House Museum;
Require onsite check-in. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start time for your hike.
Oktoberfest:
Held from 4:00 to 6:00pm
German food by Loreley Restaurant & Biergarten;
Local beer, Alternative Medicine Brewing Company, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company and more, served with in VCPA souvenir mug by our good friends from the Bronx Beer Hall;
Lloyd’s Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Yard games on the Van Cortlandt House Museum lawn;
Live music;
Raffle tickets will be sold at the event for the chance to win terrific prizes!
NATURE’S WORKSHOP: NATURAL CORDAGE MAKING AND WEAVING
Sunday, October 22nd from 11:00am to 12:00pm
Location: Van Cortlandt Nature Center in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx
Each program in this series explores its topic in-depth and allows you to develop a skill, participate in a hands-on project, and indulge your curiosity. Learn how to make twine and baskets out of natural materials such as plants, bark and branches.
Did you know that Great Performances is headquartered in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx? We love being a part of the Bronx community, supporting other Bronx-based companies, and giving back to our community.
