North Bergen Runs Halloween Twice, Once Uptown and Once Downtown

On Wednesday evening, a group will gather at the Braddock statue in Hudson County Park. They'll follow town historian Michael Maring into an 1892 story about a creature that frightened the area. It's the one October event on North Bergen's schedule that the listing says is open to everyone. Almost everything else this month is set up for residents, comes in two copies, and is split between the town's two recreation centers.

That split explains how Halloween works here. The township runs a costume giveaway at each end of town on different days, and a Halloween party at each end on back-to-back days. Braddock Park gets the events that belong to the whole town: the fair that ends today, the Thursday market and the walk about the beast.

A Walk in the Park About an 1892 Scare

The North Bergen Free Public Library's event page calls "Wild Beast of North Bergen" a walking tour. Maring will "step back into 1892 and follow the forgotten newspaper accounts of a mysterious creature, the landscape it was said to inhabit, and the fear it created." The library lists it for Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Registration is open, and the listing says the event is open to everyone. The township calendar puts the tour at 5:30 p.m. that same week, so check the time with the library before you head out.

There's some real newspaper history behind it. A Jersey City News page dated Dec. 27, 1892 reports an animal, called a wildcat or catamount, that people kept seeing and that followed a woodchopper. There was talk of sending out hunting parties. The digitized text doesn't name the woodchopper or clearly place those woods in North Bergen. Working out where the story happened is the reason to walk it with the town historian.

A New Jersey State Historical Commission grant pays for the program. The Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs administers it. It follows a ghost-story talk from Sept. 30, when historian Eric Nelsen spoke about Kearney House, its reputed tie to a British general in 1776, and how ghosts became part of its story. This fall, the library has been using local history as its Halloween programming.

Every Event Has a Twin

The Recreation Department runs the children's side of Halloween out of two buildings. The uptown center is at 6300 Meadowview Avenue. The downtown center is the North Bergen Recreation Center & Library at 1231 Kennedy Boulevard. Each event happens at both, and the order flips from one event to the next.

Both events require the same paperwork, a recent utility bill and a birth certificate, and both are for North Bergen residents only. Party registration opens Monday, Oct. 19, the same day as the uptown giveaway. You can register at either recreation center. That means a family can pick up a costume and sign up for a party in one trip with one set of documents.

The schedule continues past the kids' events. The Senior Center at 1441 45th Street holds its Halloween party on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The center is for North Bergen residents only.

The Porches Are Part of It Too

The township's Halloween Home Decoration Contest brings that same structure to people's front steps. Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Township Commissioners are offering monetary prizes for the best-decorated homes. To enter, email photos with your address and contact information to [email protected] or call 201-392-2000 by midnight on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. That's five days away.

It's a small contest. In 2024, the township advertised prizes of up to $100. Last year, according to the township's 2025 entry roundup, "an even dozen homes" entered. The top three received Visa gift cards, announced at the Trunk or Treat. The township published the entries so neighbors could go see them, and the streets show how far the contest reached:

• 87th, 85th, 79th, 78th and 74th streets, plus two homes on 80th Street
• Durham Avenue and Cottage Avenue
• 39th Street, 28th Street and Columbia Avenue

Nine of the twelve entries were on 74th Street or higher, or on Durham and Cottage. Three were well to the south. With only a dozen houses in the running, one new entry from a lower-numbered street changes the map.

The Field on 64th Street

The one town-wide gathering on the calendar is the Trunk or Treat. The township calendar lists it for noon on Saturday, Oct. 24, with no venue or registration details yet. Last year's 10th annual event was on Nov. 1, from noon to 2 p.m., at the North Bergen Recreation Center baseball field on 64th Street between Cottage and Durham avenues. That field sits between the two streets where several of last year's decorated homes were.

The 2025 rules give a good idea of what to expect. Residents decorated their cars and handed out candy, and registered their vehicles by phone at 201-392-2157. Children didn't need to register; they just showed proof of residency. The North Bergen Police Department's Community Police Unit gave out free pumpkin treats. The township credited Mayor Sacco, the Board of Commissioners, the police department and NB C.A.R.E.S. with putting it together. Moving the date from the first weekend in November to Oct. 24 puts this year's event a week before Halloween instead of after it. Until the township posts the 2026 venue, the 64th Street field is where it was last year, not a confirmed location for this one.

Thursdays at 90th and Bergenline, Through Oct. 29

Braddock Park is where both halves of town meet. The Hudson County Fair ran on the park's baseball field from Friday, Oct. 2, through today, Monday, Oct. 12. It opened at 6 p.m. on weekdays and at 4 p.m. on weekends and Columbus Day. When the rides leave, the James J. Braddock Park Farmers Market takes over the rest of the month. It runs Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial, at 90th Street and Bergenline Avenue inside the park. Lentini Farms sells produce, and local artisan vendors rotate through. The season ends Oct. 29, so three Thursdays are left: Oct. 15, Oct. 22 and Oct. 29. The Nicholas J. Sacco Foundation and Hudson County Commissioner Robert Baselice sponsor the market.

Hudson County describes the park as having an arboretum, nature trails, picnic areas and eight miles of walkways. That's plenty of room for a walk after the market. On Wednesday night, it's also the setting for Maring's tour of where the 1892 creature was said to roam.

If the market ends close to dinner, Bergenline Avenue is nearby. Casa Mateo Latin Bistro, a family-owned restaurant with an Ecuadorian-influenced menu, held its grand opening ribbon-cutting on July 1 at 7709 Bergenline Avenue.

The Rest of October, in Order

1. Wed., Oct. 14: Wild Beast of North Bergen walk, Braddock statue, 6:30 p.m. per the library
2. Thu., Oct. 15: Farmers market, 90th Street and Bergenline Avenue, 3 to 7 p.m.
3. Sat., Oct. 17: Decoration contest entries due by midnight
4. Mon., Oct. 19: Uptown costume giveaway, and party registration opens
5. Wed., Oct. 21: Downtown costume giveaway
6. Thu., Oct. 22: Farmers market
7. Sat., Oct. 24: Trunk or Treat at noon, venue to be announced
8. Thu., Oct. 29: Senior Center Halloween party in the morning, last farmers market in the afternoon
9. Fri., Oct. 30: Downtown kids' party, 1231 Kennedy Boulevard
10. Sat., Oct. 31: Uptown kids' party, 6300 Meadowview Avenue

The team at Alena Ciccarelli Properties follows North Bergen block by block, from the 80th Street porches to the field on 64th Street. If you're curious how the uptown and downtown sides of town differ beyond their Halloween calendars, we'd be glad to show you around. Arrange a Viewing.