Halloween · Park Slope · Updated October 19, 2026
Nine places near the children’s parade, plus ours twelve minutes past the finish. Here is which doors welcome kids.
At 6:30 PM on Saturday, October 31, 2026 the Park Slope Civic Council’s children’s Halloween parade sets off from 7th Avenue and 14th Street, marches north to 3rd Street and finishes at the Old Stone House. We timed the walks and read every room’s own rules on children, hours and bookings, ours included.
- Route from the Park Slope Civic Council, read October 19, 2026
- Nine neighbors’ own sites read the same day
- Walks timed to the route and to the Old Stone House
- Rules on children quoted as printed
- 100% gluten-free menu at 148 5th Avenue
Marina Charny, Owner, The Beer Garage
A bar near the Park Slope Halloween Parade has a different job from most bars on a Saturday night. The Civic Council calls its parade “perhaps the largest children’s Halloween march”, so the people looking for a drink afterward often have a witch, a dinosaur and a stroller with them. The useful question is not just how close a room is, but whether it lets the children in.
So on October 5, 2026 we read the Civic Council’s own parade pages, then the hours, booking and house-rules pages of nine places within nine minutes’ walk of the route, and timed each walk in Google Maps. Our Park Slope bar at 148 5th Avenue is in the table too. It is the farthest of the ten from the finish, and we have not published a policy on children.
Right where the parade turns, Mockingbird at 213 7th Avenue serves no alcohol at all and says children are welcome, and Bar Louise a few doors away takes reservations and stays open until 1:00 AM. For a family dinner, The Dram Shop on 9th Street, six minutes from 7th Avenue, prints a kids menu, a changing table and “Kids Eat Free Saturdays” from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. At the finish, The Gate and LoFi are two and three minutes from the Old Stone House.
Our bar, The Beer Garage at 148 5th Avenue, is a twelve-minute walk north of the Old Stone House, and every dish on its menu is gluten-free. Our regular Saturday hours run from 1:00 to 11:00 PM, and as of October 19 we had posted no Halloween plans and no policy on children.
Halloween is a hard night for a child who cannot eat gluten, because almost nothing in the candy bag can be trusted. Our Park Slope menu is headed “100% gluten-free”, so a family can order anything on it, from the oysters to the escargot, without a single question about fryers or flour.
That is the Park Slope kitchen only. Our West Village bar runs a standard kitchen, and draft beer is brewed from barley unless the label says otherwise, so the gluten-free promise covers the food, not every tap.
The Park Slope Halloween Parade 2026: start, route and finish
All of this comes from the Park Slope Civic Council, which runs the parade, as its pages read on October 5, 2026 and again on October 19, 2026. The 2026 theme is “The Haunted Forest of Brooklyn”, and an orange and black vintage Ford leads the way.
| What | As the Civic Council prints it |
|---|---|
| Date and start | Saturday, October 31, 2026, 6:30 PM, at 7th Avenue and 14th Street |
| Marching | Come by 6:00 PM to line up |
| Route | North on 7th Avenue to 3rd Street, left on 3rd Street |
| Finish | The Old Stone House and Washington Park, with spooky music from the Brooklyn Conservatory |
| Listed time | 6:30 to 8:00 PM |
| Theme | “The Haunted Forest of Brooklyn” |
| History | Every year since 1986 |
Two details shape the evening. The march is early and short, an hour and a half on the Civic Council’s listing, so families are looking for food and a seat at about 8:00 PM, not at midnight. And it finishes at the Old Stone House on 3rd Street, a short walk from the bars of 5th Avenue, which is where most grown-ups in costume will head next.
Bar near the Park Slope Halloween Parade: ten rooms by walk to the route
Sorted by the walk from each door to the nearest point of the route or the finish. The children column quotes each room’s own site; “not mentioned” means we found nothing about children on the pages we read.
| Room | Walk to the parade | Saturday hours, as printed | Children, as printed | Booking, as printed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mockingbird, 213 7th Ave | 1 minute, 112 feet, to 7th Ave and 3rd St | 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM | Says “children are welcome”; under-21s in evening bar hours at the staff’s discretion. Serves no alcohol | Parties of 2 to 8, up to three weeks ahead |
| Bar Louise, 221 7th Ave | 1 minute, 177 feet, to 7th Ave and 3rd St | 1:00 PM to 1:00 AM; kitchen and backyard to 10:00 PM | Says it serves “the adults of the neighborhood” | Reservations and walk-ins |
| Park Slope Ale House, 356 6th Ave | 2 minutes, 479 feet, to 3rd St and 6th Ave | 11:00 AM to midnight | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| The Gate, 321 5th Ave | 2 minutes, 0.1 mile, to the Old Stone House | 2:00 PM to 2:00 AM | Not mentioned | Not mentioned; a side patio and sidewalk seats |
| LoFi, 341 2nd St | 3 minutes, 0.2 mile, to the Old Stone House | 1:00 PM to 1:00 AM | Not mentioned | Walk in; groups of up to 25 by form, no minimum spend |
| The Dram Shop, 339 9th St | 6 minutes, 0.2 mile, to 7th Ave and 9th St | 11:00 AM to 1:00 AM; kitchen to 12:30 AM | Kids menu, changing table, Kids Eat Free 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM; children with an adult at all times | Only for groups of 10 or more |
| The Commissioner, 247 5th Ave | 6 minutes, 0.3 mile, to the Old Stone House | Noon to 2:00 AM | Not mentioned | Reservations link on its homepage; a Halloween night with “Bring your best costume” |
| The Double Windsor, 210 Prospect Park W | 8 minutes, 0.4 mile, to 7th Ave and 14th St | Not printed on its homepage or house rules | Kids sit with their adult and never at the bar; no strollers, no high chairs | “We do not take reservations” |
| Union Hall, 702 Union St | 9 minutes, 0.4 mile, to the Old Stone House | Bar 1:00 PM to 4:00 AM; kitchen to midnight | Not mentioned; valid physical ID for all shows | Group reservations by request; Halloween-night shows listed for October 31 |
| The Beer Garage, 148 5th Ave | 12 minutes, 0.5 mile, to the Old Stone House | 1:00 to 11:00 PM, our regular hours | Not published; call 718-576-3409 | OpenTable, or call |
Only three of the ten print anything about children, and they cover the range. Mockingbird welcomes them and serves no alcohol. The Dram Shop feeds them for free on Saturday afternoons and keeps a changing table. The Double Windsor lets them in under house rules strict enough to read before you go: no strollers, no high chairs, and never a child at the bar. Of the others, only Bar Louise hints at an answer, by describing itself as a bar for the neighborhood’s adults.
Start, middle, turn and finish: the nearest rooms
The parade covers eleven blocks of 7th Avenue, from 14th Street to 3rd Street, then runs west along 3rd Street, across 6th and 5th avenues, to the Old Stone House. Each part of it has its own nearest doors.
The start, 7th Avenue and 14th Street
Marchers line up here from 6:00 PM. The Double Windsor on Prospect Park West is eight minutes away; it takes no reservations and asks that children stay seated with their adult. From this corner our own bar is a thirty-one-minute walk, so it is not a place to wait before the start.
The middle, 7th Avenue and 9th Street
The F and G trains stop at 7th Avenue and 9th Street, and The Dram Shop is six minutes away on 9th Street, between 5th and 6th avenues. Its own FAQ lists pool, darts, board games, a backyard garden and sidewalk seats.
The turn, 7th Avenue and 3rd Street
Mockingbird and Bar Louise sit a few doors apart on 7th Avenue, right at the turn, and Park Slope Ale House is two minutes away where the route crosses 6th Avenue. From this corner our bar is eighteen minutes away on foot.
The finish, the Old Stone House
The parade ends at the Old Stone House at 336 3rd Street, in Washington Park. The Gate is two minutes away on 5th Avenue, LoFi three on 2nd Street, The Commissioner six, Union Hall nine and our bar twelve. Two of them had posted Halloween-night plans when we checked on October 19, 2026, and both are grown-up nights: The Commissioner says “Bring your best costume and join us on Halloween!”, and Union Hall lists a costume contest at 9:00 PM, a Halloween show at 10:00 PM and a dance party at 11:59 PM on October 31.
Our bar on parade night, honestly
What we offer is short and specific. The Beer Garage Park Slope is at 148 5th Avenue, with its entrance on Douglass Street, a twelve-minute walk up 5th Avenue from the Old Stone House. Its whole menu is printed under “100% gluten-free”, which matters on a night built around candy. We take OpenTable bookings, and on a regular Saturday we are open from 1:00 to 11:00 PM, three hours past the end of the parade.
What we lack is just as plain. We are not on the route; we are the farthest of the ten rooms from the finish. We have not published whether children are welcome, so a family should call 718-576-3409 before walking up. As of October 19 we had posted nothing about Halloween night, and the room is a sports bar, so the screens may be showing a game.
Our suggestion: watch the march, follow it to the Old Stone House for the music, then walk up 5th Avenue to us for a gluten-free dinner before 11:00 PM. For other evenings in the neighborhood, see our guides to a group birthday in Park Slope and bar snacks and wings in Park Slope.
Which room for which family
Four rooms, four kinds of evening, each described from its own site or, for us, our own menu and homepage.
Mockingbird, 213 7th Avenue. At the turn of the route, for a family with small children.
- Best for an alcohol-free stop where children are welcome: no alcohol served, bookings for 2 to 8 up to three weeks ahead, open until 10:00 PM on Saturdays.
- Skip if you want a beer or a cocktail with alcohol; it pours none.
The Dram Shop, 339 9th Street. Six minutes from 7th Avenue, for dinner before the march.
- Best for feeding everyone early: a kids menu, Kids Eat Free on Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, a changing table, and pool and darts.
- Skip if you are a small group hoping to book; it takes reservations only for parties of 10 or more.
The Gate, 321 5th Avenue. Two minutes from the Old Stone House, for the grown-ups after.
- Best for a beer at the finish: Brooklyn’s oldest craft beer bar by its own account, with more than 50 beers, a side patio and sidewalk seats, open until 2:00 AM.
- Skip if you need to know about children before you arrive; its site does not say.
The Beer Garage, 148 5th Avenue. Our own bar, twelve minutes north of the finish.
- Best for a gluten-free family dinner after the parade: every dish on the menu, an OpenTable booking, and three hours before closing.
- Skip if you want to stay on the route; we are a walk away, and we close at 11:00 PM.
Every room here except Mockingbird serves alcohol, and the adults in costume still need ID to order. The rules for children differ door by door: The Dram Shop wants them with an adult at all times, The Double Windsor wants them seated and away from the bar, and Mockingbird leaves under-21s in its evening hours to its staff. Where a site says nothing, ask at the door before the stroller comes in.
Before you go: five warnings
It is an early, short march. Marchers line up by 6:00 PM, the parade starts at 6:30 PM and the Civic Council lists it until 8:00 PM. Plan dinner for before or right after, not late.
Leave the stroller outside The Double Windsor. Its house rules allow no strollers and offer no high chairs, and children may not sit at the bar.
Small groups cannot always book. The Dram Shop takes reservations only for 10 or more, and The Double Windsor takes none. Mockingbird recommends booking ahead, especially for weekend brunch.
The rules change after dark. The Dram Shop’s FAQ says minors need an adult with them after 8:00 PM, and Mockingbird lets its staff decide on under-21s during evening bar hours.
Call us before you bring the children. We have not published a policy on children or any Halloween plans, and we close at 11:00 PM on Saturdays. The number is 718-576-3409.
Find your room
Two questions, sixteen answers, all taken from the tables above.
1. Where on the route will you be?
2. Who is with you?
The Double Windsor, 210 Prospect Park West. Eight minutes from the start. Children are allowed if they stay seated with their adult; no strollers, no high chairs, no reservations.
The Double Windsor. Seat yourself and order at the bar or the food window; there is no table service and no booking.
The Beer Garage, 148 5th Avenue, after the march. From the start we are thirty-one minutes away, so follow the parade to the Old Stone House first; from there we are twelve. Every dish on our menu is gluten-free.
The Dram Shop, 339 9th Street. It books groups of 10 or more, and it is six minutes from the route at 7th Avenue and 9th Street.
The Dram Shop. A kids menu, a changing table and Kids Eat Free on Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, six minutes from 7th Avenue and 9th Street.
The Dram Shop. Pool, darts and a backyard garden, open until 1:00 AM on Saturdays.
The Beer Garage, after the finish. Walk with the parade to the Old Stone House, then twelve minutes north on 5th Avenue to our fully gluten-free menu.
The Dram Shop. It books groups of 10 or more; smaller groups walk in. LoFi, near the finish, books groups of up to 25.
Mockingbird, 213 7th Avenue. Right at the turn, it serves no alcohol and says children are welcome. Book for 2 to 8 up to three weeks ahead.
Bar Louise, 221 7th Avenue. Reservations and walk-ins, open until 1:00 AM, with the kitchen and backyard until 10:00 PM.
The Beer Garage, 148 5th Avenue. Eighteen minutes from 7th Avenue and 3rd Street, and every dish on our menu is gluten-free. Book on OpenTable or call 718-576-3409.
Mockingbird. It books parties of 2 to 8 and offers private hosting packages for larger groups.
None of the four bars near the finish says. The Gate, LoFi, The Commissioner and Union Hall print nothing about children, so ask at the door. Mockingbird, back at 7th Avenue and 3rd Street, says children are welcome.
The Gate, 321 5th Avenue. Two minutes from the Old Stone House, with more than 50 craft beers and a side patio, open until 2:00 AM.
The Beer Garage, 148 5th Avenue. Twelve minutes north on 5th Avenue, with a menu that is gluten-free from top to bottom. We close at 11:00 PM.
LoFi, 341 2nd Street. Three minutes from the Old Stone House; groups of up to 25 book by form, with no minimum spend.
How we checked
On October 5, 2026 we read the Park Slope Civic Council’s parade post and event listing, then each room’s own website: hours, reservations, FAQ and house-rules pages. Rules on children are quoted from those pages; where a site said nothing, the table says “not mentioned”. The Commissioner’s homepage announced a Halloween night for October 31. On October 19, 2026 we read the parade pages and every room’s site again. The route, times and rules on children were unchanged; Union Hall had added Halloween-night shows, and for The Dram Shop we now give the bar’s Saturday close, 1:00 AM, as its FAQ prints it, with the kitchen closing at 12:30 AM.
Walks were timed in Google Maps walking mode from each door to the nearest corner of the route, or to the Old Stone House for the rooms near the finish. For our own bar we used our homepage and our Park Slope menu. No venue paid to appear.
Twelve minutes from the finish, every plate gluten-free
The Beer Garage Park Slope, 148 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217, entrance on Douglass Street. Open from 1:00 PM on Saturdays; from 3:00 PM Monday to Thursday, 2:00 PM Friday and 1:00 PM Sunday. We close at 10:00 PM, or 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday.
In Manhattan on Halloween? Our West Village bar is eight minutes from the big parade on 6th Avenue; see our guide to the bar near the Village Halloween Parade.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good bar near the Park Slope Halloween Parade?
At the turn onto 3rd Street, Bar Louise at 221 7th Avenue takes reservations and is open until 1:00 AM. At the finish, The Gate at 321 5th Avenue is two minutes from the Old Stone House and open until 2:00 AM. For a family dinner, The Dram Shop on 9th Street has a kids menu, and The Beer Garage at 148 5th Avenue serves a fully gluten-free menu twelve minutes from the finish.
When and where is the Park Slope Halloween Parade in 2026?
On Saturday, October 31, 2026 at 6:30 PM. It starts at 7th Avenue and 14th Street, goes north on 7th Avenue to 3rd Street, turns left on 3rd Street and ends at the Old Stone House in Washington Park. Marchers should arrive by 6:00 PM, and the Park Slope Civic Council lists it from 6:30 to 8:00 PM.
Which places near the parade welcome children?
Mockingbird at 213 7th Avenue says children are welcome and serves no alcohol. The Dram Shop at 339 9th Street has a kids menu, a changing table and Kids Eat Free on Saturdays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Double Windsor allows children seated with an adult but no strollers. The other rooms we read do not say.
Where does the Park Slope Halloween Parade end?
At the Old Stone House at 336 3rd Street, in Washington Park, where the Brooklyn Conservatory plays spooky music. The Gate is two minutes away, LoFi three, The Commissioner six and Union Hall nine.
Is there an alcohol-free place on the parade route?
Yes. Mockingbird at 213 7th Avenue, about a minute from the turn onto 3rd Street, is a beverage lounge that serves no alcohol, with non-alcoholic cocktails, coffee and food. It is open until 10:00 PM on Saturdays and takes reservations for 2 to 8 people.
Is The Beer Garage in Park Slope open on Halloween night?
Our regular Saturday hours in Park Slope are 1:00 to 11:00 PM, and October 31, 2026 is a Saturday. We had not posted Halloween plans or a policy on children when this page was checked again on October 19, so call 718-576-3409 before you come.
The verdict
A bar near the Park Slope Halloween Parade is easy to find; one that suits a family at 8:00 PM takes a little reading. Mockingbird and The Dram Shop are the clearest about children, Bar Louise and The Gate are the grown-up stops at the turn and the finish, and The Double Windsor is fine for families who leave the stroller at home.
Our bar is where we would bring a gluten-free family after the music at the Old Stone House: a twelve-minute walk up 5th Avenue to a menu with nothing to check. Call first about the children, and come before 11:00 PM.
Sources and references
- Park Slope Civic Council: its Halloween Parade 2026 post and event listing, read October 5 and October 19, 2026.
- The Beer Garage: beergarageny.com (Park Slope hours and address) and the Park Slope menu, read October 5 and October 19, 2026.
- Mockingbird FAQ, Bar Louise, Park Slope Ale House, The Gate and LoFi, read October 5 and October 19, 2026.
- The Dram Shop FAQ, The Commissioner, The Double Windsor house rules and Union Hall, read October 5 and October 19, 2026.
- Google Maps walking mode, from each door to the nearest corner of the parade route or to the Old Stone House, timed October 5, 2026.
Marina Charny
This guide is for Park Slope families and neighbors who want somewhere to sit down after the march on 7th Avenue, and who would rather know the rules on children before they reach the door. Corrections are welcome on 718-576-3409.
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