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 One: October 1 to October 6
- Week Two: October 7 to October 13
- Week Three: October 14 to October 20
- Week Four: October 21 to October 27
- Week Five: October 28 to October 31
- Ongoing Events
Week One: October 1 – October 6
Ecopoetry with Uryoan Noel and Sarah Giragosian
Presented by: New York State’s Writers Institute
Location: University at Albany
Date: October 1
Time: 4:30 PM
Price: Free
Nine PINGO
Location: Nine Pin
Date: October 1
Time: 6 PM to 8 PM
Price: Free
Lifchitz Plays Lifchitz: 60 Years of Piano Music
Location: University at Albany
Date: October 1
Time: 7 PM
Price: $5 to $14
Farmers Market Nighttime Harvest Festival
Presented by: Guilderland & Washington Park Farmers Markets
Location: Warehouse District, 946 Broadway
Date: October 4
Time: 4 PM to 9 PM
Price: Free
AGC After Hours: All Hallow E'en Art Path 2024
Location: Albany Center Gallery
Date: October 4
Time: 5 PM to 7 PM
Price: Free
1st Fridays at 48 Hudson
Presented by: Historic Albany Foundation
Location: 48 Hudson – The Van Ostrande Radliff House
Date: October 4
Time: 5:30 PM & 6 PM
Price: Free
First Friday Capitol Tours
Location: New York State Capitol
Date: October 4
Time: 5:30 PM
Price: Free
First Friday at Opalka Gallery
Location: Opalka Gallery
Date: October 4
Time: 6 PM to 8 PM
Price: Free
Fern Walk at Ann Lee Pond
Location: Shaker Heritage Society
Date: October 5
Time: 9 AM to 11:30 AM
Price: Free; registration required
Albany Political Memorabilia Show and Sale
Location: Albany Airport Inn
Date: October 5
Time: 9 AM to 3 PM
Price: $3 for adults, free for students
Fall Foliage Hike
Location: Huyck Preserve
Date: October 5
Time: 10 AM to 11:30 AM
Price: $5 suggested donation
Smokey Bear Day
Location: Pine Bush
Date: October 5
Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Price: $5 suggested donation
Albany County Fall Fest & 5k
Location: Albany County Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail
Date: October 5
Time: 11 AM to 4 PM
Price: Festival free | 5K $10 for adults, kids race free
Fall Foliage Walk
Location: Thacher Park
Date: October 5
Time: 1 PM to 2 PM
Price: Free
Albany Nature Bus 2024
Location: Multiple Locations
Date: October 5
Time: Multiple times
Price: Free
14th Annual Albany VegFest
Presented by: Capital Region Vegan Network
Location: Albany Capital Center
Date: October 6
Time: 11 AM to 5 PM
Price: Free with $14 suggested donation
Van Schaick Mansion Extended Open House
Location: Van Schaick Mansion
Date: October 6
Time: 11 AM to 4 PM
Price: Free. $5 donation greatly appreciated
Culinary Crossroads: A Flavorful Journey Through New Netherland and Early New York with Culinary Historian Lavada Nahon
Location: New York State Museum
Date: October 6
Time: 2 PM
Price: Free
Week Two: October 7 – October 13
Adventures with Autism: Conversation with John Elder Robison
Presented by: New York State’s Writers Institute
Location: University at Albany
Date: October 7
Time: 7 PM
Price: Free
Holiday Market Preview
Location: Shaker Heritage Society
Date: October 8
Time: 4 PM to 7 PM
Price: Donation based
Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month with Angie Cruz and Lilliam Rivera
Presented by: New York State’s Writers Institute
Location: University at Albany
Date: October 8
Time: 4:30 PM
Price: Free
Nine Pin Trivia Hosted by Typhoid Mary
Location: Nine Pin Cider
Date: October 8
Time: 6 PM to 8:30 PM
Price: Free
Pecha Kucha
Location: Opalka Gallery
Date: October 10
Time: 6:30 PM
Price: Free
Morning Meander: Kings Highway Barrens
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 11
Time: 10 AM
Price: Suggested donation $5
Photos and Foliage
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 11
Time: 4 PM
Price: Suggested donation $5
Self-Guided Historic Cemetery Walking Tour
Presented by: Albany Diocesan Cemeteries
Location: Historic St. Agnes Cemetery
Dates: Varying dates between October 12 and October 14
Time: 8:30 AM to 4 PM
Price: Free
Path Through History 2024: Ten Broeck Mansion & Albany County Tour
Presented by: Ten Broeck Mansion
Location: Multiple Albany County Heritage Sites
Date: October 12
Time: 11 AM to 4 PM
Price: Free
Van Schaick Mansion Extended Open House
Location: Van Schaick Mansion
Date: October 6
Time: 11 AM to 4 PM
Price: Free. $5 donation greatly appreciated
Historic Trolley Tour
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 12
Time: 12 PM to 3 PM
Price: Free
Pumpkin Party on the Hill
Location: Historic Cherry Hill
Date: October 12
Time: 12 PM to 3 PM
Price: Free
Albany Twilight Market
Location: Washington Park Lakehouse
Date: October 12
Time: 5 PM to 9 PM
Price: Free
Cider Sunday
Presented by: Nine Pin
Location: Samascott Orchards
Date: October 13
Time: 11 AM to 5 PM
Price: $10
Navy Birthday aboard USS SLATER
Location: USS Slater
Date: October 13
Time: 10 AM to 4 PM
Price: $12 for adults, $10 for veterans and seniors, $8 for children, children under 5 free
Week Three: October 14 – October 20
SLATER Open for Tours
Location: USS Slater
Date: October 14
Time: 10 AM to 4 PM
Price: $12 for adults, $10 for veterans and seniors, $8 for children, children under 5 free
Free Family Day at the Albany Institute
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art
Date: October 14
Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
Price: Free
Discover the All Hallow E'en Art Path - Pumpkin Painting Day!
Location: Discover Albany Visitors Center
Date: October 14
Time: 11 AM to 2 PM
Price: Free
Symphony Side-by-Side: Presented by Albany Symphony and ESYO
Presented by: Albany Symphony Orchestra
Location: MVP Arena
Date: October 14
Time: 3 PM to 5:30 PM
Price: Free
Fox Trot
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 15
Time: 2 PM
Price: Suggested donation $5
Irish American Heritage Museum Film Club Presents "My Sailor My Love"
Location: Irish American Heritage Museum
Date: October 15
Time: 6 PM
Price: $5
Nine PINGO
Location: Nine Pin
Date: October 15
Time: 6 PM to 8 PM
Price: Free
Flights of Fancy
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 16
Time: 1 PM to 4 PM
Price: Suggested donation $5
Bringing Black History to Life: Marcus Kwame Anderson, Joel Christian Gill & David F. Walker
Presented by: New York State’s Writers Institute
Location: University at Albany
Date: October 16
Time: 4:30 PM
Price: Free
Nine Pin Yarn Swap
Location: Nine Pin
Date: October 17
Time: 6 PM to 8 PM
Price: Free
Fall Foliage Lunchtime Hike
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 18
Time: 12 PM to 1 PM
Price: Suggested donation $5
Film Screening: “Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock and Roll”
Presented by: New York State’s Writers Institute
Location: University at Albany
Date: October 18
Time: 7 PM
Price: Free
Autumn Fest
Location: Stuyvesant Plaza
Date: October 19
Time: 10 AM to 4 PM
Price: Free
Fall Finds: Family Scavenger Hunt at the Ten Broeck Mansion
Location: Ten Broeck Mansion
Date: October 19
Time: 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Price: Free
Overlooking the Geology. Ages 16+
Location: Thacher Park
Date: October 19
Time: 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
Price: Free
Observe the Moon & Stars
Location: Thacher Park
Date: October 19
Time: 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Price: Free
Diwali Festival of Light
Location: Empire State Plaza Convention Center
Date: October 19
Time: 3 PM to 9 PM
Price: Free
A Big Gay Market | October
Location: Washington Park Lakehouse
Date: October 20
Time: 10 AM to 3 PM
Price: Free
Van Schaick Mansion Open House
Location: Van Schaick Mansion
Date: October 20
Time: 1 PM to 4 PM
Price: Admission to grounds and cemetery is free, guided tours at 1:30 PM and 2:30 PM for $5 donation
Albany’s Hidden History: An Archaeological Journey Through Time
Location: New York State Museum
Date: October 20
Time: 2 PM
Price: Free
Week Four: October 21 – October 27
Themed Trivia at Nine Pin
Location: Nine Pin
Date: October 22
Time: 6 PM to 8 PM
Price: Free
Story Hour at the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza
Location: Nine Pin
Date: October 23
Time: 10 AM to 11 AM
Price: Free. Recommended for ages 0 to 4
Mystic Fair
Location: Empire State Plaza
Dates: October 23 & October 24
Time: 10 AM to 3 PM
Price: Free
Cider and a Pumpkin
Location: Nine Pin
Date: October 23
Time: 11 AM to 8 PM
Price: $10
Drag Me to Nine Pin
Location: Nine Pin
Date: October 24
Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Price: Free
The New Age of RNA: Thomas Cech
Presented by: New York State’s Writers Institute
Location: University at Albany
Date: October 24
Time: 7:30 PM
Price: Free
Halloween House Ball
Presented by: In Our Own Voices
Location: Lark Hall
Date: October 25
Time: 8 PM
Price: Free
Vintage Roundup
Location: 946 Broadway
Date: October 26
Time: 11 AM to 5 PM
Price: Free
PhanArt at the Palace Theatre
Location: The Palace
Date: October 26
Time: 11 AM to 5 PM
Price: Free
Trunk or Treat at Albany Rural Cemetery
Location: Albany Rural Cemetery
Date: October 26
Time: 4 PM to 5:30 PM
Price: Free
Tracking Cryptids
Location: Thacher State Park
Date: October 26
Time: 5 PM to 6:30 PM
Price: Free
10th Annual HOLLOWeen
Location: The Hollow Bar + Kitchen
Date: October 26
Time: 10 PM
Price: Free
Halloween Spooktacular
Location: NYS Museum
Date: October 27
Time: 11 AM to 2 PM
Price: Free
53rd Annual Festival of Nations
Location: Empire State Plaza Convention Center
Date: October 27
Time: 11:30 AM to 5 PM
Price: $5 for adults, $2 for children (3 to 12)
Community Trunk or Treat
Location: Shaker Heritage Society
Date: October 27
Time: 4 PM to 6 PM
Price: $5
Week Five: October 28 – October 31
Oxi Day aboard SLATER
Location: USS Slater
Date: October 28
Time: 10 AM to 4 PM
Price: $12 for adults, $10 for veterans and seniors, $8 for children, children under 5 free
Haiti in the Heart and Mind: Edwidge Danticat
Presented by: New York State’s Writers Institute
Location: University at Albany
Date: October 29
Time: 4:30 PM
Price: Free
Feisty Fishers
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: October 30
Time: 4 PM
Price: Suggested donation $5
Lead Belly: Man and Myth, Truth and Lies with Dom Flemons and Sheila Curran Bernard
Presented by: New York State’s Writers Institute
Location: University at Albany
Date: October 31
Time: 4:30 PM craft talk/7:30 PM conversation/Q&A
Price: Free
Trunk or Treat at Colonie Center
Location: Colonie Center Mall
Date: October 31
Time: 3 PM to 6 PM
Price: Free
Crossgates Malloween
Location: Crossgates Mall
Date: October 31
Time: 3 PM to 6 PM
Price: Free
Trick or Treat at the Palace
Location: Palace Theater
Date: October 31
Time: 4 PM to 7 PM
Price: Free
The E Block w/ Side-B and GoLeM
Location: The Hollow Bar + Kitchen
Date: October 31
Time: 7 PM to 11:30 PM
Price: $17
Ongoing Events
All-Hallow E’en Art Path
Presented by: Albany Center Gallery
Location: Quackenbush Square & Maiden Lane
Dates: October 1 to October 31
Time: On display 24 hours
Price: Free
Then & Now: Brian Cirmo
Location: Albany Center Gallery
Dates: September 6 to October 18
Time: 12 PM to 5 PM
Price: Free
Yoga Beginners Series
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art
Dates: Mondays, September 9 to October 28
Time: 12 PM to 1 PM
Price: Free for AIHA members, $10 for non-members
The Dark Side of Center Square
Presented by: Historic Albany Foundation
Location: New Scotland Spirits
Dates: Sundays, October 6 to October 27
Time: 11 AM to 12:30 PM
Price: $15
Eerie Albany Historic Ghost Tour
Location: Discover Albany Visitors Center
Dates: Sundays, October 6 to October 27
Time: 11 AM to 12:30 PM
Price: $15
Murder at Cherry Hill: A Dramatic Walk through a Harrowing Evening
Location: Historic Cherry Hill
Dates: Wednesdays through Saturdays, October 10 to October 26
Time: Tours at 5:30 PM & 7 PM
Price: $20; $15 for members
Manifestations: A Shaker Ghost Tour
Location: Shaker Heritage Society
Dates: Varying dates between October 12 and October 24
Time: 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Price: $15. $10 for members
Capitol Hauntings Tours
Location: New York State Capitol
Dates: Varying dates between October 2 and October 31
Time: 5 PM to 7 PM
Price: Free
EXHIBITION ON VIEW: The Nation’s Guest – Celebrating the Bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour
Location: New York State Capitol
Dates: September 13 to October 31
Time: 7 AM to 7 PM
Price: Free
2024 Shaker Holiday Market
Location: Shaker Heritage Society
Dates: Tuesdays through Sundays, October 9 to December 15
Time: 10 AM to 4 PM
Price: Free
