Nassau County - Long Island, New York

Mangano Announces “1880 Halloween” At Old Bethpage Village Restoration

 Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announced today that Old Bethpage Village Restoration will celebrate a traditional Halloween, as it would have been enjoyed by Long Island families in the late 19th Century. An “1880 Halloween” will take place on Saturday & Sunday, October 29th - 30th, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

“I invite everyone to Old Bethpage Village Restoration to celebrate Halloween and to experience what life was like on Long Island two centuries ago,” said County Executive Mangano.

Nineteenth century Halloween festivities featured the telling of ghost stories and mischief making of all kinds, including removing gates and tipping over sheds and outhouses. Taking from Irish and English traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house-to-house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today's "trick-or-treat" tradition. Young women believed that, on Halloween, they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple parings, or mirrors.

The Village’s festivities will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and will include:

  • The reading of Irish and American ghost stories, including children’s stories,
  • Carving of Jack-O-Lanterns, an old Irish custom,
  • Hearing the tales of our local grave digger,
  • Participating in our 19th century Monster Hunt throughout the Village,
  • Listening to the tale of Washington Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow and its famous Headless Horseman,
  • Visiting the haunted habitats of Old Bethpage Village,
  • Playing children’s games
  • Enjoying fresh apple cider at the Noon Inn.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration provides visitors with a unique and wonderful opportunity to step back in time and experience life in a recreated mid-19th-century American village set on more than 200 acres. Hours are Wednesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Entrance fees are $7 for children aged 5 - 12 (those under 5 are free), seniors and volunteer firefighters; and $10 for adults. Old Bethpage Village Restoration is located at 1303 Round Swamp Road in Old Bethpage; for more information, call 516-572-8400.

For more information about the Parks Department, visit www.nassaucountyny.gov/parks or call 516-572-0200.