On Saturday, October 24, Brooklyn Botanic Garden invites the young and young-at-heart to celebrate the Halloween season with Ghouls & Gourds, a family celebration at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Against the dramatic backdrop of the Garden’s fall foliage on Cherry Esplanade, Ghouls & Gourds is a whimsical and wonderful celebration of autumn and all that comes with it. Wear your craziest costume and come prepared to have a blast!

Visitors will be treated to magical sights and sounds, including three different stilt-performing ensembles—Mortal Beasts & Deities, The Brooklyn Jumbies, and The Shinbone Alley Stilt Band! Get up and dance to live musical performances featuring the fierce Brooklyn-Mexican rock of Pistolera, Gato Loco’s brash psycho-mambo, Baby Soda’s swingin’ retro jazz, Terry Dame’s Science Music Road Show, and more. Fabulous entertainment will be presented in the round at the Hayloft, including the miniature divas of Phydeaux’s Flying Flea Circus of Fate, StreetMule’s groovy Australian didgeridoo; the Mettawee River Theatre’s woodland creatures, and much more.

Kids will get up close and personal with a variety of critters both real and imaginary—with an entomologist and her bugs at Dr. Rutledge’s Insectorium, composting demonstrations with adorably icky worms, and, just for toddlers, a pretend petting zoo. Other hands-on activities will include antennae making, a potato pal workshop, and brussels sprout bowling! New this year, in the Discovery Garden kids will have the chance to make and take home their very own all-natural monster repellent! Bookworms can wiggle over to check out the Children’s Book Barn, where there will be readings and book signings by children’s book authors and a pop-up book shop from Community Bookstore. Capping off the day will be a drum circle led by Brazilian percussion band Maracatu NY, and everyone will be invited to join a herd of stilt walkers and giant puppets in Brooklyn’s zaniest costume parade.

2015 GHOULS & GOURDS AT BBG SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

PLANET PUMPKIN

Noon–1:00 BABY SODA
Playful and swingin’ retro jazz
1:00–1:15 MUSICAL INTERLUDE WITH SALIEU SUSO
Sweet sounds of the West African kora
1:15–2:15 PISTOLERA
Brooklyn-style Mexican rock fronted by fierce bandleader Sandra Lilia Velasquez
2:15–2:30 MUSICAL INTERLUDE WITH SALIEU SUSO
Sweet sounds of the West African kora
2:30–3:00 THE BROOKLYN JUMBIES + SAMBA NOVO
A high-octane Afro-Caribbean dance party on stilts
3:00–3:15 MUSICAL INTERLUDE WITH SALIEU SUSO
Sweet sounds of the West African kora
3:15–4:30 GATO LOCO
Not your average brash psycho mambo band
THE HAYLOFT

Noon–12:15 PHYDEAUX’S FLYING FLEA CIRCUS OF FATE
Tiny acrobats hit the big top.
12:15–1:00 TERRY DAME’S SCIENCE MUSIC ROAD SHOW +
MORTAL BEASTS & DEITIES STILTDANCERS
A flock of stilt-walking birds swoop and strut to music by some of the world’s most interesting handcrafted instruments.
1:00–1:15 PHYDEAUX’S FLYING FLEA CIRCUS OF FATE
Tiny acrobats hit the big top.
1:15–2:00 METTAWEE RIVER THEATRE COMPANY
Woodland creatures invite you to their throwback hootenanny.
2:00–2:15 PHYDEAUX’S FLYING FLEA CIRCUS OF FATE
Tiny acrobats hit the big top.
2:15–3:00 STREETMULE
Awesome Australian didgeridoo by groove-master Mark Mueller
3:00–4:00 THE SHINBONE ALLEY STILT BAND
Dixieland jazz and silly shenanigans
Noon–4:00 BUG DAY AFTERNOON

DR. RUTLEDGE’S INSECTORIUM AND PETTING ZOO
Come one, come all! Pet a hissing cockroach, feed a hornworm, and meet an entomologist!

BAD BUG TATS
Get inked with an Asian long-horned beetle tattoo from the USDA’s beetle busters.

ARTHROPOD ANTENNAE
Craft your very own freaky feelers and become an insect for the day.

SQUIRMY WORMIES
Enjoy these wiggly worms and behold their compost-creating skills.

Noon–4:00 EDGY VEGGIES

BRUSSELS SPROUT BOWLING
Try your hand at this crazy cruciferous game of skill.

POTATO PEOPLE
Create your own little spud pal.

POTATO PEOPLE RESORT AND SPA
Drop off your new creation for a play date in potato paradise.

YOU LOOK RADISHING!
Veg out at one of our selfie photo stations.

Noon–4:00 CRAZY CRITTERS

POINT AND CLUCK
Snap a photo of your chickeny self.

PRETEND PETTING ZOO FOR TODDLERS
Come play in our imaginary menagerie.

TRANSFORM INTO A WILD THING
Put on a giant puppet and transform into a beastly creature.

MAKE YOUR OWN MONSTER REPELLENT!
Create a satchel of dried flowers and leaves known to scare away creepy invaders.
(This activity will take place in the Discovery Garden.)

Noon–4:15 CHILDREN’S BOOK BARN
Featuring the Community Bookstore Pop-up Shop

Get an autograph and enjoy readings from local children’s book illustrators and authors, including
Author-illustrator Selina Alko
Author-illustrator Sean Qualls
Author Lauren Thompson
Author-illustrator Melanie Hope Greenberg
Author Diane Muldrow
Author-illustrator Huy Voun Lee
Author-illustrator Nina Crews
Author-illustrator Dimitrea Tokunbo
Author Kate Hosford
Author-illustrator Javaka Steptoe
Author-illustrator Deirdre Gill
Author-illustrator Jason Chin
Author-illustrator Johan Olander
Author Robert Kimmel Smith

Check out BBG’s books for families: Gardening with Children, The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-ups, and The Kid’s Guide to Exploring Nature.

4:30–5:30 Costume Parade & Drum Circle
Brazilian percussion corps Maracatu NY leads our celebrated costume parade and dy-no-mite drum circle! Join in the fun and carry larger-than-life puppets, make raucous music, shake your bag o’ bones, or just show off your costume for all to see!

Ghouls & Gourds activities will take place rain or shine on Cherry Esplanade. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors over 65. Admission for children under 12 and BBG members is always free.