Carl Schurz Park Halloween Howl + Healthy Hound Fair

Carl Schurz Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that looks after the Yorkville park, holds its annual dog costume event, the Halloween Howl & Healthy Hound Fair, on Sunday, October 18, from 1 to 3 p.m. It is set on the basketball/hockey court and along John Finley Walk.

The draw is the costume parade itself. More than 200 dogs in elaborate outfits walk before a panel of judges drawn from the fashion world. The Conservancy bills it as one of its must-see events of the year, and it works just as well for spectators as for owners who bring their own dog in costume.

The same afternoon, the park also runs its Harvest Festival, from 1 to 3 p.m. A pumpkin patch on Gracie Oval, at East End Avenue and East 88th Street, lets families pick a pumpkin and decorate it while supplies last. There are also arts and crafts, tattoos, a stroll along the Spooky Trail, and a family concert in the playground by Patrick and the Rock-a-Silly Band. Combining the two makes an easy fall Sunday outing, especially if you have children or a dog in tow.

The Conservancy says its events in the park are free and open to all. For Japanese readers living on or visiting the Upper East Side, it is a relaxed, neighborhood-scale way to see how New Yorkers celebrate Halloween with their pets. Carl Schurz Park sits along the East River, with John Finley Walk running beside the water, so you can add a walk by the river before or after the event.