Bed-Stuy's Halloween Map Turns 20. The Car-Free Blocks Run on Neighbors.

"Everyone, come on out and enjoy trick-or-treating in Bed-Stuy by following the orange balloons!" That was how Bed-Stuy Patch announced the 6th Annual Bedford-Stuyvesant Halloween Trick-or-Treat Blocks Map in October 2012. In 2012 you could pick up paper maps at The Royal Rib House on Halsey Street and at a store on Fulton Street at Tompkins Avenue. Trick-or-treating ran from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., rain or shine.

Count forward from that sixth edition and this Saturday's map is the twentieth. The Eventbrite listing is titled "20th Annual Bed-Stuy Trick-or-Treat Block Map" and runs Saturday, October 31, from 4:30 to 8 p.m. In two decades the map has grown into most of a neighborhood-wide Halloween, and the city's own list shows that it's still run block by block, by the people who live on those blocks.

Where the Map Started

The 2012 route was small. Participating blocks were Jefferson Avenue, Putnam Avenue, Hancock Street and Halsey Street, each between Throop and Tompkins. Balloons marked the route, and you picked up the map at a rib house.

That stretch is still the core. Brooklyn Bridge Parents' 2026 trick-or-treating guide lists Putnam Avenue, Monroe Street and Quincy Street between Throop and Tompkins as classic Bed-Stuy trick-or-treat blocks. It credits the Bed-Stuy Halloween Blocks group with making the decorated-block map for 20 years.

The closest link between 2012 and 2026 is on Jefferson Avenue. This year, NYC DOT closes Jefferson Avenue between Throop and Tompkins to cars from 4:30 to 8 p.m., under the Jefferson Avenue TNT Block Assoc. One of the map's original blocks now has a city permit, and its hours match the map's to the minute.

What the City's List Shows in 2026

DOT's Trick-or-Streets program is in its fifth year. According to Brooklyn Bridge Parents, DOT's Brooklyn list has 57 events this October, 40 of them on Halloween. Seven of those Halloween closures fall under the guide's Bed-Stuy heading. Each DOT entry names a partner organization, and in Bed-Stuy those partners are mostly the neighbors.

Five of the seven closures list a block association or a neighbors' group as partner. One is run by a merchants association and one by a business improvement district. Other neighborhoods lean more on institutions. On the same list, Dumbo's Washington Street and Pearl Street Plaza are both run by the Dumbo Business Improvement District.

The pattern runs east of the classic blocks too. The 500 Bainbridge Street Block Association runs "Halloween on B Street" on Bainbridge between Saratoga Avenue and Thomas S. Boyland Street from noon to 7 p.m. The DHS Block Association runs Decatur Street between Saratoga and Howard avenues from 2 to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Hour by Hour

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so trick-or-treating can start in daylight and run past dark. Because each group set its own hours, Bed-Stuy's car-free time adds up to a 12-hour day that builds toward the map's evening window.

1. 8 a.m. Macon Street and Verona Place go car-free and stay that way until 8 p.m. These two get the longest window of any Bed-Stuy closure on DOT's list.
2. Noon. Tompkins Avenue between Gates and Halsey opens under the Tompkins Avenue Merchants Association until 7 p.m., and Bainbridge Street's block party starts on the eastern side.
3. 3 p.m. Jefferson Avenue between Patchen and Malcolm X opens until 7 p.m. At Marcy Avenue Plaza, the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID runs a free Candy Scavenger Hunt with candy, books, tote bags and raffle prizes. It's for costumed children 12 and under who come with an adult.
4. 4 p.m. The Halsey, Ralph & Howard Community Garden at 774 Halsey Street hosts a free Halloween Candy Giveaway until 7 p.m., according to NYC Parks.
5. 4:30 p.m. The core window opens. Jefferson Avenue between Throop and Tompkins and Madison Street between Nostrand and Bedford go car-free until 8 p.m., and the 20th annual map runs over the same hours.

DOT says Trick-or-Streets events can be delayed or canceled, so check the city's Trick-or-Streets page Saturday morning before setting out.

The Map Itself

The group publishes under the Bed-Stuy Halloween Blocks organizer page on Eventbrite. As of this week, the 20th annual listing gives Saturday's date and the 4:30 to 8 p.m. window, and still shows the location as TBD. That's typical for a route made of residential blocks rather than a single venue, and the Eventbrite page is the place to check for the final details.

The schedule hasn't changed much since 2012. The start time is still 4:30, and the end has moved only from 7:30 to 8 p.m. This year, two of the city's car-free closures, Jefferson Avenue between Throop and Tompkins and Madison Street, match that 4:30 to 8 p.m. window exactly.

The Candy Supply Starts Earlier

At least one block started collecting candy a week early. On Saturday, October 24, Saint James Place between Gates and Greene avenues hosted Beats for Treats from noon to 7 p.m., with DJs Chill and Jo Vill playing from 2 to 7 p.m. Brooklyn Paper reported that organizers asked attendees to bring candy or other treats for neighborhood kids, and asked visitors to respect the block and its residents.

The library branches are running warm-up events too, and two of them are tonight, Thursday, October 29:

• Macon Library, 361 Lewis Avenue, hosts a family Halloween movie night from 5 to 7 p.m. All ages are welcome, and costumes or festive attire are encouraged.
• Bedford Library, 496 Franklin Avenue, holds Campfire Stories outdoors in its side yard from 6 to 7 p.m., with stories and s'mores for all ages.

Friday is the last day to stock up before the closures start Saturday at 8 a.m. on Macon Street and Verona Place, the first segments on the list to go car-free.

The map is drawn on Bed-Stuy's brownstone blocks. If you're considering a townhouse or co-op on one of these streets and want to talk through what owning on a block association's block involves, the advisors at Howard Hanna NYC are glad to walk you through it. Schedule a Call.