Halloween is in October, but that doesn’t mean the spookiness has to stop in November. The New York Public Library is doing a pay-what-you-want Friday the 13th “Library After Hours” event at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in Bryant Park. It’s 21 and older only, and the theme is horror, superstition and mystery.
There will be music, storytelling and what the library is calling a one-night-only display of rare collections material exploring “the evolving identity of witches.” The musician Friedrich Heinrich Kern will also be there, performing on the lilting and slightly haunting glass harmonica.
The Queens Library, meanwhile, is starting the month with three big themes — honoring Veterans, Native American history and celebrating Diwali. It’s launching a collection of resources for vets at its St. Albans branch, hosting an Ojibwe dream catcher workshop at its Auburndale branch, and marking Diwali with dance performances and a sari-draping workshop at its Flushing branch, all in the first week of the month.
And then in Brooklyn, the Adams Street Library is opening a new exhibition called “Dumbo Before the Bridges” — a collection of old photos and artifacts found during a massive reconstruction project in 2019. The show gives a sense of what that waterfront neighborhood was like back before it was connected by bridge to Manhattan.
The Queens Library’s Jackson Heights branch is hosting a drag zumba class on Nov. 5. It combines the dance-based exercise class with a performance from the drag artist KokoMomo. A highlight of her recent work includes a performance as Mr. Krabs, the owner of the Krusty Krab restaurant from “SpongeBob SquarePants,” so expect some hilarious creativity.
If the idea of trying to dance in public makes you want to hide under a couch instead, the Library for Arts and Culture in Brooklyn is hosting the “Kill the Stage Fright” workshop on Election Day, Nov. 3. Actor Patryk Szwichtenberg will do his best to drag you out of your comfort zone and have you owning the stage.
There are also a ton of events for kids and teens, as always. The Brooklyn Heights Library is hosting the “2026 Period Convention,” where teens can learn about menstrual equity, and access to safe, affordable menstrual products for all people who need them.
There’s also a manga and comic art workshop, a gameboard design class, and an opportunity to learn about the diet of owls through pellet excavation in Queens, as well as a kids’ clothing swap and an all-ages archery event in Brooklyn. You can also check out family gardening in Harlem, Lenape art and paper craftiness in the Bronx, and free afterschool programming with homework help, snack and activities in Todt Hill on Staten Island.
In short, there are plenty of opportunities to stop by a branch, pick up a book (or four) and try something new in November.