It may be the month for all things eerie but there's nothing scary about the costs of these free and frugal events scheduled for October! October brings harvest fairs, fall festivals, and of course, plenty of ways to celebrate all things Halloween in Albany County. Scroll on for free and frugal events happening each week of October!
- Week 1: Oct. 1 - Oct. 7
- Week 2: Oct. 8 - Oct. 14
- Week 3: Oct. 15 - Oct. 21
- Week 4: Oct. 22 - Oct. 28
- Week 5: Oct. 29 - Oct. 31
- Ongoing Events
Week 1: October 1 – October 7
Buffalo Moon Fall Artisan Market
Location: Lakota’s Farm
Date: October 1
Time: 9 AM to 5 PM
Price: $2. Children 5 and under are free!
Albany VegFest 2023
Location: Albany Capital Center
Date: October 1
Time: 11 AM
Price: Free!
Family History Day
Location: New York State Museum
Date: October 1
Time: 11 AM to 3 PM
Price: Free!
Arthur Brooks & Lori Goldston Concert
Location: Shaker Heritage Society
Date: October 4
Time: 7 PM to 9 PM
Price: Suggested donation $10
Presidential Wreath Laying at the Grave of Chester A. Arthur
Location: Albany Rural Cemetery
Date: October 5
Time: 11 AM
Price: Free
10th Annual Bunshaft Lecture and UAlbany Speaker Series:
Leland Melvin, astronaut, NFL player, and educator
Presented By: New York State Writers Institute & UAlbany College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering
Location: UAlbany Performing Arts Center
Date: October 5
Time: 7 PM
Price: Free!
October Yoga
Location: Pine Hollow Arboretum
Dates & Times: October 6 at 6:30 PM
October 7 at 9:30 AM
Price: Free. Must register in advance. Donation welcome.
Film Music Festival Symposium: Scoring Work in Showbusiness
Presented By: Albany Symphony Orchestra and NYS Writers Institute
Location: UAlbany Performing Arts Center
Date: October 7
Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Price: Free!
Path Through History: Albany County History Tour
Presented By: Ten Broeck Mansion
Location: Various locations in Albany County; suggested starting point: Ten Broeck Mansion
Date: October 7
Time: 11 AM to 4 PM
Price: Free!
The Art of Bonsai 2023
Location: Albany Center Gallery
Date: October 7 and October 8
Time: 12 PM to 5 PM
Price: Free!
Week 2: October 8 – October 14
Free Day at the Albany Institute
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art
Date: October 8
Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
Price: Free!
Cider Sunday
Presented by: Nine Pin and Samascott Orchards
Location: Samascott Orchards
Date: October 8
Time: 11 AM to 5 PM
Price: $10. Free for children 9 and under.
Discover the All Hallow E’en Art Path Family Tour
Presented by: Discover Albany and Albany Center Gallery
Location: Meet at Discover Albany Visitors Center
Date: October 9
Time: 10:30 AM to 12 PM
Price: $8 for adults, $5 for children aged 3 to 12, free for children 2 and under
Albany Symphony Orchestra Movie Music Concert
Location: MVP Arena
Date: October 9
Time: 3 PM
Price: Free!
Holiday Market Preview
Location: Shaker Heritage Society
Date: October 10
Time: 4 PM to 7 PM
Price: $5
Harvest Fest
Location: Empire State Plaza
Date: October 11
Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Price: Free!
The Great Brooklyn Novel
Presented by: New York State Writers Institute
Location: UAlbany
Date: October 12
Time: 4:30 PM Craft Talk, 7:30 PM Reading/Q&A
Price: Free!
Schoharie County Harvest Fair
Location: Old Stone Fort Museum
Date: October 14
Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
Price: Free, Accepting Donations.
Smokey Bear Day
Location: Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 14
Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Price: Free! Suggested donation $5
Pumpkin Party on the Hill
Presented by: Historic Cherry Hill and Albany Barn
Location: Historic Cherry Hill
Date: October 14
Time: 12 PM to 3 PM
Price: Free!
Autumn Fest
Location: Stuyvesant Plaza
Date: October 14
Time: 12 PM to 3 PM
Price: Free!
Phantasmagoria
Location: Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site
Date: October 14
Time: 6:30 PM
Price: Free!
Week 3: October 15 – October 21
Fox Trot
Location: Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 15
Time: 11 AM
Price: Free! Suggested donation $5
The Rathbones of Albany: The Tragic Story of John Wilkes Booth’s Last Victim
Location: Albany Rural Cemetery
Date: October 15
Time: 2 PM
Price: $23.18
Nine Pin Trivia hosted by Typhoid Mary
Location: Nine Pin
Date: October 17
Time: 6 PM to 8:30 PM
Price: Free!
Owls and Hors D'oeuvres
Location: Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 19
Time: 6 PM to 7:30 PM
Price: Free! Suggested donation $5
Fall Birding
Presented by: Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy
Location: Basic Creek Reservoir
Date: October 21
Time: 7 AM to 10 AM
Price: Free, accepting donations
Seed Swap and Winter Sowing Workshop
Presented by: Shaker Heritage Society and Historic Albany Foundation
Location: Shaker Heritage Society
Date: October 21
Time: 10:30 AM to 12 PM
Price: Free!
Fall Finds: Family Scavenger Hunt
Location: Ten Broeck Mansion
Date: October 21
Time: 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Price: Free!
Fall Foliage Hike
Location: Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 21
Time: 11 AM
Price: Free! Suggested donation $5
Autumn in the Arboretum
Location: Pine Hollow Arboretum
Date: October 21
Time: 11 AM to 3 PM
Price: $10 for adults, $5 for children, children under 2 are free. $25 for group of 4.
Family Crafting: Origami at The Myers Residence
Location: Underground Railroad Education Center
Date: October 21
Time: 1 PM to 7 PM
Price: $10
Cider Monster Mash
Location: Nine Pin
Date: October 21
Time: 1 PM to 7 PM
Price: $10
Week 4: October 22 – October 28
Psychic-Medium Michele Lyons Polito
Location: Albany Rural Cemetery
Date: October 22
Time: 2 PM
Price: $23.18
Cider and a Pumpkin
Location: Nine Pin
Date: October 23
Time: 11 AM
Price: $10
Brilliant and Difficult Friends
Presented by: New York State Writers Institute
Location: UAlbany
Date: October 24
Time: 4:30 PM
Price: Free
Mystic Fair
Location: Empire State Plaza
Date: October 25 and October 26
Time: 10 AM to 3 PM
Price: Free!
Bram Stoker's Dracula with Prof. Jarlath Killeen
Presented by: Irish American Heritage Museum
Location: Online
Date: October 26
Time: 5:30 PM
Price: Free
Spooky Lantern Walk
Location: Pine Hollow Arboretum
Date: October 27
Time: 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Price: $5 per person, ages 2 and under are free
Cider Maze
Presented by: Nine Pin Cider
Location: Samascott Orchards
Date: October 27
Time: 5 PM to 10 PM
Price: $20 in advance, $22 at the door
Van Schaick Mansion Annual Halloween Party
Location: Van Schaick Mansion
Date: October 27
Time: 6 PM to 8 PM
Price: $7 for adults, $5 for children
Almost Full Moon Hike
Location: Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 27
Time: 6:30 PM
Price: Free! Suggested donation $5
Music for the Masses - 80s New Wave Halloween Party
Location: City Beer Hall
Date: October 27
Time: 10:30 PM to 1:30 AM
Price: Free!
Free Day at the Albany Institute
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art
Date: October 28
Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
Price: Free
Family Day | Happenin' Halloween
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art
Date: October 28
Time: 10 AM to 4 PM
Price: Free
Full Moon Cemetery Tour
Location: Old Stone Fort Museum
Date: October 28
Time: 10 AM
Price: By donation
Hounds of Halloween 2023
Presented by: Downtown Albany BID
Location: Downtown Albany
Date: October 28
Time: 11 AM to 2 PM
Price: Free!
Shakespeare: The Remix
Location: Capital Repertory Theatre
Date: October 28
Time: 11 AM
Price: $11 for adults, $9 for children 17 and under
Halloween Ride! Albany Rural Cemetery
Presented by: Albany Bicycle Coalition
Location: Albany Rural Cemetery
Date: October 28
Time: 11:15 AM
Price: Free!
Full Moon Hike
Presented by: Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy
Location: Bender Melon Farm Preserve
Date: October 28
Time: 4:15 PM to 6:30 PM
Price: Free, accepting donations
Trunk or Treat at Albany Rural Cemetery
Location: Albany Rural Cemetery
Date: October 28
Time: 4 PM to 5:30 PM
Price: Free!
Albany's First Halloween House Ball
Presented by: In Our Own Voices
Location: Hilton Albany
Date: October 28
Time: 9 PM
Price: Free!
City Fear Hall
Location: City Beer Hall
Date: October 28
Time: 10 PM
Price: Free!
9th Annual HOLLOWeen Bash
Location: The Hollow Bar + Kitchen
Date: October 28
Time: 10 PM
Price: Free!
Week 5: October 29 – October 31
A Big Gay Market
Location: Washington Park
Date: October 29
Time: 11 AM to 3 PM
Price: Free
Free Day at the Albany Institute
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art
Date: October 29
Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
Price: Free
Discover the Pine Bush
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 29
Time: 1 PM
Price: Free, suggested donation $5
Book Talk | Fidelia Bridges: Nature into Art with Katherine Manthorne
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art
Date: October 29
Time: 2 PM to 3 PM
Price: Free
Community Trunk or Treat
Location: Shaker Heritage Society
Date: October 29
Time: 4 PM to 6 PM
Price: Free
Hallowe'en Film Club - You Are Not My Mother
Location: Irish American Heritage Museum
Date: October 30
Time: 6 PM
Price: $5
Séance: Photographs by Shannon Taggart
Location: Opalka Gallery, Russel Sage College
Date: October 31 (on display through December 9)
Time: 12 PM to 5 PM
Price: Free
Crossgates Malloween
Location: Crossgates
Date: October 31
Time: 3 PM to 6 PM
Price: Free
Mall-O-Ween
Location: Colonie Center Mall
Date: October 31
Time: 4 PM to 6 PM
Price: Free!
Trick or Treat at the Palace
Location: Palace Theatre
Date: October 31
Time: 5 PM to 8 PM
Price: Free
The Haunted Hall presented by The Cohoes Paranormal Society
Location: Cohoes Music Hall
Date: October 31
Time: 7 PM
Price: $10
Ongoing Events
All-Hallow E’en Art Path
Presented by: Albany Center Gallery and Discover Albany
Location: Various locations between Albany Center Gallery and Discover Albany Visitors Center
Dates: Daily from October 1 to October 31
Times: On view 24 hours
Price: Free!
Hispanic Heritage Month Exhibition
Location: New York State Capitol Building
Dates: Monday through Friday from September 18 to October 13
Times: 7 AM to 7 PM
Price: Free!
New York State Capitol Hauntings Tours
Location: New York State Capitol Building
Dates: Wednesday through Friday from October 4 to October 20
Monday through Friday from October 23 to October 31
Times: Tours at 5 PM & 6 PM
Price: Free!
City Séance Ghost Tours
Presented by: Capital Repertory Theatre and Discover Albany
Location: Meet at Discover Albany Visitors Center
Dates: Various dates between October 4 and October 27
Time: 7 PM to 9 PM
Price: $25
The Dark Side of Downtown Tour
Presented by: Historic Albany Foundation and Discover Albany
Location: Meet outside of McGeary’s Irish Pub
Dates: Various dates between October 6 and October 26
Time: Various times
Price: $20
2023 Shaker Holiday Market
Location: Shaker Heritage Society
Dates: Daily excluding Monday from October 10 to December 17
Time: 10 AM to 4 PM
Price: Free. Donations welcome
Stories and Spirits at the Shaker Cemetery
Location: Shaker Heritage Society
Dates: October 11, October 15, October 19, October 24
Time: Various times
Price: General Admission is $10, Member Admission is $5
Murder at Cherry Hill Tours
Location: Historic Cherry Hill
Dates: Wednesday through Saturday from October 12 to October 28
Time: Tours at 5:30 PM & 7:00 PM
Price: General Admission is $20, Member Admission is $15
Fahrenheit 451: Three Events
Presented by: New York State Writers Institute
Location: UAlbany
Dates: October 13, October 20, October 26
Time: 7 PM
Price: Free!
Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY Presents: Skeleton Crew
Location: Capital Repertory Theatre
Date: Thursday through Sunday, October 19 through October 29
Time: Varies
Price: General Admission is $22.50, Student/Senior Admission is $17.50
