New York City Rental Guide · Arts & Happenings

Fall Into Brooklyn: Five Autumn Treats I Won’t Be Missing

When people ask me what it’s really like to live in a neighborhood, I don’t start with the subway lines. I start with what’s happening on a Saturday. Fall is when Brooklyn shows off: studios swing open, a 19th-century cemetery tells stories you never learned in school (and then puts on a show after dark), a whole avenue turns into a costume party, and a little theater on 14th Street revisits a play that was born in its own backyard. Here are five I’m going to this season, and why I think you should go too.

1. Gowanus Open Studios

When: Saturday, Oct. 17 & Sunday, Oct. 18, noon–6 p.m.
Where: 90+ studios and venues across Gowanus, roughly Pacific St. to 19th St. and Smith St. to Fifth Ave.
Cost: Free, no registration
Follow: artsgowanus.org · @artsgowanus

The story: This one turns 30 this year. It started in 1996 as GAST, the Gowanus Annual Studio Tour, when a small group of artists in one building at 543 Union Street opened their doors to the neighbors. Today the nonprofit Arts Gowanus runs it, and more than 400 artists, makers and venues take part. When the neighborhood was rezoned in 2021, Arts Gowanus negotiated permanently affordable studio space into the new waterfront buildings, and some of those studios open to visitors this year for the first time.

Why I go: You get to walk right into working studios and talk to the people making the work. Grab a map, pick a few blocks and wander. Don’t miss the “30 for 30” anniversary show at Union Channel (240 Third Ave.) or the Saturday makers’ fair at the Old Stone House. It’s also the best tour of a neighborhood in transition you’ll ever get: old warehouses, new rentals and a canal on its way back, all in one afternoon.

2. Shaping LGBTQ+ History at Green-Wood Cemetery

When: Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m.–noon
Where: Check in at The Green-House, 25th St. & Fifth Ave. (750 Fifth Ave.)
Cost: Free; reserve tickets in advance
Follow: green-wood.com · @historicgreenwood

The story: Green-Wood opened in 1838, and its 478 acres of hills, ponds and monuments were such a draw that it became one of the country’s biggest tourist attractions in the 1800s. Today it’s a National Historic Landmark and the resting place of artists like composer Leonard Bernstein and sculptor Emma Stebbins, who created the Angel of the Waters at Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain. For this program, Green-Wood teams up with History UnErased, a nonprofit that brings LGBTQ+ history into the classroom. You hop on the trolley to visit the graves of LGBTQ+ sculptors, painters and composers, then head to a classroom to make your own clay keychain, pendant or earrings inspired by them.

Why I go: These are stories that were hidden in plain sight for a long time, told in one of the most beautiful places in the city. One heads-up: it’s built for families, so every group needs at least one kid along (ages 5 and up is the sweet spot). Green-Wood also runs an adults’ Gay Green-Wood trolley tour during Pride, so keep an eye on its calendar.

3. Nightfall at Green-Wood

When: Thursday, Oct. 22 & Friday, Oct. 23, 7–10:30 p.m. (rain date: Saturday, Oct. 24)
Where: Green-Wood’s Main Entrance, Fifth Ave. & 25th St. (500 25th St.). Check-in starts at 6:30 p.m.
Cost: $70 general admission ($56 for members); $95 premium, which adds two drinks and a limited-edition Nightfall pin and sticker. 21+ only, and IDs are checked
Follow: green-wood.com · @historicgreenwood

The story: Once a year, Green-Wood stays open after dark and turns its winding paths into a grown-ups-only adventure. Back in 2018, Nightfall filled the cemetery with chamber musicians playing in candlelit catacombs, performers from Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, storytellers from The Moth and films from Rooftop Films. This year Green-Wood is teasing something new, with routes into “unfamiliar corners of the Cemetery” and a promise to returning guests that “this isn’t the event you remember.”

Why I go: A 478-acre landmark under the moon, with surprises around every bend. It’s the most atmospheric night out in Brooklyn. A few tips: it often sells out, so book ahead. Wear sturdy shoes and bring a flashlight, because there are hills, stairs and grass. And leave the costume at home, since masks and face paint aren’t allowed. Save those for the parade.

4. The Park Slope Halloween Parade

When: Saturday, Oct. 31. Line up by 6 p.m.; the parade steps off at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Starts at Seventh Ave. & 14th St., heads down Seventh Ave., turns left on 3rd St. and ends at the Old Stone House in Washington Park
Cost: Free; just show up in costume
Follow: parkslopeciviccouncil.org · @park_slope_civic_council

The story: The Park Slope Civic Council has thrown this parade every year since 1986, and it may be the largest children’s Halloween march around. This year’s theme is “The Haunted Forest of Brooklyn.” Shops along Seventh and Fifth Avenues hand out treats to kids in costume, and the parade ends at the Old Stone House, a reconstruction of a 1699 farmhouse that stood at the center of the Battle of Brooklyn in 1776.

Why I go: Thousands of tiny superheroes, dinosaurs and dressed-up dogs marching past brownstones lit up with jack-o’-lanterns. It’s Brooklyn at its most joyful. You don’t need kids to enjoy it: grab a spot along Seventh Avenue, cheer everyone on, then wander the side streets, where the brownstone decorating goes all out.

5. Torch Song Trilogy at Gallery Players

When: Part 1, International Stud, ran Sept. 28–29. Part 2, Fugue in a Nursery: Mon.–Tue., Nov. 16–17. Part 3, Widows and Children First!: Mon.–Tue., Dec. 7–8
Where: Gallery Players, 199 14th St., Park Slope
Cost: Each part is ticketed separately; see showtimes and prices on Ticket Tailor
Follow: galleryplayers.com · @galleryplayers

The story: Harvey Fierstein, a Brooklyn kid from Bensonhurst, wrote these three plays about Arnold, a drag performer looking for love and family on his own terms. They premiered one by one at La MaMa in the East Village in 1978 and 1979, came together as one evening in 1981, and opened on Broadway in 1982. There they ran for 1,222 performances and won the 1983 Tonys for Best Play and Best Actor, for Fierstein himself. Here’s the part I love: Fierstein was a founding member of Gallery Players, building sets and acting there before he was famous. The company, which has been in Park Slope since 1968, is presenting all three plays as part of its “Have You Heard?” reading series.

Why I go: I caught Part 1 in September, directed by my friend Ted Thompson, and I’m a huge fan. Ted is a great local talent with deep roots in this community, and it showed. I’m already counting down to the next two. Readings are stripped down and intimate, so it’s all about the writing, and this writing is funny, sharp and big-hearted. Seeing it a few blocks from where its author got his start is a very Brooklyn way to spend a weeknight.

Dates, times and details come from each organizer and can change. Check the event’s website before you go.

About Jason Mezydlo

Jason Mezydlo is Managing Sales Partner at Gordon Realty Partners and has worked in New York City real estate since 2012. A graduate of the Harrington College of Design with a BFA in interior design, he brings a designer’s eye to every search, helping clients see what a space can become before they sign. Jason began his career in commercial leasing, guiding small business owners through site selection, lease negotiation and space planning, before moving into Manhattan’s luxury rental market and home sales across Manhattan and Brooklyn. A longtime Brooklyn resident, he pairs market expertise with a deep love for the city’s history, art and architecture.

347.286.5797 · jason@gordonrealtypartners.com · JasonMezydlo.com · @JasonMezydlo
Gordon Realty Partners · 622 3rd Avenue, New York, NY · NYS Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Anything you think I’m missing? Let me know what’s going on in your hood →