Tweens and teens have a loaded October in Brooklyn: the Brooklyn Museum has the first major manga exhibition in the Americas, a roller rink returns to a museum rooftop, an anime orchestra and two internet comedians take over Kings Theatre, sumo wrestlers land at the Navy Yard, and the Nets tip off at Barclays. Everything below runs in date order, with prices and ages as the organizers state them.
Empire Skate of Mind | Crown Heights
Through Sunday, April 11 | Wednesday–Friday 2–5pm, Saturday–Sunday 10am–5pm | Brooklyn Children’s Museum rooftop, 145 Brooklyn Avenue | $15 museum admission plus $10 to skate with rental skates, $8 with your own | Ages 3 and up
The museum’s rooftop roller rink is back, named for the Empire Roller Rink that stood less than a mile away on Empire Boulevard from the 1940s until 2007 and gave the world roller disco. Helmets and wrist guards are required and provided; rollerblades are not allowed.
Art of Manga at the Brooklyn Museum | Prospect Heights
Through January 31, 2027 | Great Hall, first floor, 200 Eastern Parkway | Timed tickets $21 for ages 13–19, $12 for ages 4–12, $30 adults | General admission is free for everyone 19 and under
More than 600 original drawings, and the first major exhibition in the Americas to treat manga as an art form — ONE PIECE, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Inuyasha, BLEACH and Rose of Versailles among them, alongside the mangaka who drew them. Costumes are allowed under the museum’s own guidelines. General admission stays free for teens, but this show needs its own timed ticket on top. Everything a family needs to plan the visit is in our guide to Art of Manga.
Teen programs at the Brooklyn Public Library | Branches borough-wide
Monthly after-hours Teen Takeovers, plus weekly teen programs at individual branches | Branches across Brooklyn | Free | Teens, ages stated program by program
Every branch runs its own teen slate, and the one worth knowing by name is Teen Takeovers: free after-hours evenings at selected branches, built around art making, movie nights, open mics, poetry slams and video games. October dates were not posted as of September 27, so filter the library’s own calendar to Teens and your nearest branch. Teens wanting a bigger role can apply to the Branch Council, which plans those nights for a stipend and community-service hours.
BAM TeenSpace | Fort Greene
Thursday, October 15 | 3–5:30pm | The Adam Space at BAMcafé, Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Avenue | Free | Ages 13–18, grades 9–12
A free monthly after-school program with the arts programming curated by teens, for teens — pizza, a raffle, and room to show off whatever they have been working on. October’s session is themed around Halloween and Day of the Dead. First-time attendees have to complete the RSVP form before turning up.
Dan and Phil: Hard Launch World Tour | Flatbush
Thursday, October 15 | 7:30pm, doors 6:30pm | Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Avenue | Ticketed | Under 14s must be accompanied by someone 18 or over
Dan Howell and Phil Lester have been on YouTube since most of their audience was in elementary school, and they are bringing the live show to Flatbush. The billing promises oversharing and scream-laughing; the theatre sets no age minimum beyond the under-14 chaperone rule. Expect a room full of teenagers who have followed them for a decade.
Open House New York Weekend | Citywide
Friday, October 16 – Sunday, October 18 | More than 300 sites in all five boroughs | 158 drop-in sites are free with no ticket; most ticketed tours $7, on sale Friday, October 2 at 12pm | All ages
Once a year, buildings that are usually closed open their doors, and more than 110 of this year’s sites are new. In Brooklyn, the Navy Yard, Brooklyn Army Terminal and MADE Bush Terminal all have new tours, and on the Friday the recycling machinery at the Sunset Park Materials Recovery Facility runs for visitors. Ticketed tours sell out fast; the lineup has a Family Friendly collection to start from.
Brooklyn Navy Yard Annual Open House | Brooklyn Navy Yard
Saturday, October 17 | 12–5pm | Enter at Building 77 | Free; RSVP encouraged
One day a year the Yard opens its 300-acre campus to the public as part of Open House New York Weekend. Studios working in fashion, design and technology give behind-the-scenes access, which is a concrete way to show a 14-year-old that things still get made in Brooklyn. Free; RSVP is encouraged.
Wheels of NYC, Fall Edition | Brooklyn Navy Yard
Saturday, October 17 | 12–6pm, rain or shine | Agger Fish Warehouse, Building 269, Brooklyn Navy Yard | General admission about $49 all-in; children 12 and under free | All ages
More than 120 classic and contemporary cars, plus apparel, design and collectibles, a large hands-on kids’ zone and food from city restaurants. Watch the age line: 12 and under is free, so most teenagers pay full price. There is no parking inside the Yard, and it is the same Saturday as the Open House a few buildings away.
My Hero Academia In Concert | Flatbush
Saturday, October 17 | 7pm, doors 6pm | Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Avenue | Ticketed | No age restriction; the series is rated TV-14
Ten years of My Hero Academia, with a live band playing Yuki Hayashi’s score against footage from all eight seasons, from Deku’s first steps to the final battles. The theatre lists no age minimum and flags the TV-14 rating. If one October night is going to land with an anime-obsessed 13-year-old, this is the one.
Riders Ready: The Science of BMX | Crown Heights
Opens Saturday, October 17 | Museum hours | Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue | Included with $15 general admission | All ages
A new hands-on exhibit built around BMX: bike setup, track design, how a helmet actually works, and the physics of speed, energy, balance and friction. It opens the same month as the rooftop rink, so one $15 admission now buys a considerable amount of wheels.
Brooklyn Nets Opening Night | Prospect Heights
Wednesday, October 21 | 7:30pm, doors 90 minutes earlier | Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue | Ticketed | All ages
The Nets open the regular season at home against the Charlotte Hornets. If a full-price opener is a stretch, the preseason home game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, October 8 is the cheaper way into the building. Either way it is a walk or one stop from most of our neighborhoods.
Coraline in Concert | Flatbush
Saturday, October 24 | 7:30pm, doors 6:30pm | Kings Theatre, 1027 Flatbush Avenue | Ticketed | For all ages, per the listing
Laika’s stop-motion Coraline, from Neil Gaiman’s 2002 novel, plays on the big screen while a live orchestra performs the full score. A girl finds a hidden door to a fantasy version of her life, and staying there comes at a frightening price. A week before Halloween, it is the right kind of spooky.
Sumo + Sushi | Brooklyn Navy Yard
Sunday, October 25, the all-ages day | Duggal Greenhouse, 63 Flushing Avenue | Doors one hour before each show | Ticketed, tiers from viewing-only to front row | Friday and Saturday shows are 21+
Konishiki, the first wrestler born outside Japan to reach ōzeki, hosts an evening of live exhibition matches, sumo history and ritual, with sushi included on the higher tiers. Only the Sunday shows admit under-21s. Show times and prices live on the organizers’ own ticket page; there is no parking at the Yard and rideshares stop outside the Sands Street Gate.
Hereafter Hours at Green-Wood | Greenwood Heights
Friday, October 30 | 6–8pm | Green-Wood Cemetery | $45, $36 for members | Not recommended for children under 10
An after-dark walking tour past monuments and mausoleums lit against the night sky, ending inside the Catacombs, which rarely open to the public. Bring a flashlight and proper shoes; the route is hilly, grassy and uneven. Green-Wood is an active cemetery, so masks and costumes are not permitted and guests wearing them will not be admitted.
Halloween in Brooklyn | Borough-wide
All month, through Saturday, October 31
Every free Halloween event in the borough, updated weekly through October 31, is in our 2026 Halloween guide. For the night itself, our guide to the best trick-or-treating streets in Brooklyn picks the blocks for candy and decorations in 14 neighborhoods, from Brooklyn Heights to Bay Ridge.
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