A Pumpkin Shark and a Pumpkin Octopus Take Over the Aquarium

The Sea Change exhibit becomes the Sea of Illusions, five themed seascapes where marine animals hide, glow and change shape: Bioluminescent Ocean, Dark Abyss, Enchanted Kelp Forest, Color Connection and the Shape-Shifter Station. Hand-crafted pumpkin sculptures of a shark and an octopus stand outside for photos, and costumed performers lead bubble play. The illusions and the sculptures open at 10 AM and stay until 5 PM, and bubble play runs until 4 PM. Crafts, face painting, lawn games and carnival games fill the plaza from 11 AM to 4 PM. Ascarium runs on select October dates, and Halloween is the last day to see it.

Magic shows play at 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:30 PM and 4:30 PM, and Wildlife Theater's Augusta C. Lion holds her musical audition at noon and 3 PM. Children paint faces from 11 AM and build a marine puppet at the craft table, then carry it in the 1 PM, 2 PM or 3:30 PM costume parade with costumed performers and aquatic puppets. Sea lion presentations fill the Aquatheater at 11 AM, 1:30 PM and 4 PM, and storytelling runs at 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 2 PM and 3 PM in the Discovery Room. A self-guided scavenger hunt sends families after piranhas, wolf eels and spider crabs.

Gates open at 10 AM and last entry is 4 PM. Ascarium programming wraps at 4 PM, while the aquarium stays open until 5 PM for the illusions and sculptures. The entrance is at 602 Surf Ave, about seven minutes on foot from the W 8 St-New York Aquarium stop on the F and Q. Halloween is a peak date: $32.95 for adults, $27.95 for children 3 to 12, free for ages 2 and under. General visitors need a date-specific ticket in advance, and members need no reservation, only a membership card and photo ID. Parking is limited at $18 for up to three hours, and strollers are barred from the indoor exhibits and Aquatheater. The boardwalk and Nathan's are a short walk away for after the festival.