NIA serves twice the thrills with its Spooktacular and Halloween Festival events

 It was double the fun as NIA Community Services Network hosted two Halloween events.

The annual Spooktacular Street Festival was held on 11th Avenue between 66th and 67th streets Oct. 25. The following day, they also hosted their Halloween Festival at Owl’s Head Park on Colonial Road and 68th Street.

Guests enjoyed music, treats, festive crafts, a haunted house, dancing, a family-friendly concert, and a costume contest.

Children dressed in popular costumes, including characters from KPop Demon Hunters, superheroes, princesses and scary classics.

“We are so proud to bring Halloween spirit to our community and create spaces where families can celebrate, connect, and simply enjoy being together,” said Michael A. Bové, NIA president and Mary Anne Cino, NIA CEO in a statement. “Seeing thousands of children and parents come out with so much joy and creativity reminds us why this work matters. We are deeply grateful to our partners, sponsors, elected officials, and the incredible NIA staff and youth performers who helped make this weekend possible.”

Owl’s Head Park was transformed into a Halloween lover’s dream for the NIA’s annual harvest. Photos courtesy of NIA Community Services Network

For Spooktacular, NIA teamed up with the NYC Department of Transportation. It was in partnership with State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, and councilmembers Justin Brannan, Alexa Avilés and Susan Zhuang. The Halloween Festival was in partnership with Gounardis, Brannan, and Avilés.

“Both events were filled with families in costume enjoying snacks, music, live entertainment, pumpkin decorating, and so much more,” wrote NIA on its Facebook page. “Shout out to the NIA Youth Programs from PS 247, IS 281, PS 212, PS 176, and PS 179 for their amazing Halloween-themed performances. Thank you to the @NYPD 68th Precinct for helping keep both events safe, and to all of our generous sponsors for their continued support.”

The annual Spooktacular was a hit in Dyker Heights. Photos courtesy of NIA Community Services Network

NIA Community Services Network was founded in 1981 and is a not-for-profit community service organization dedicated to addressing issues that impact youth, families, and seniors.

Photos courtesy of NIA Community Services Network