The Fall Festival is set to open at Lakeside at Prospect Park's LeFrak Center on October 8 and run through November 1, with a free pumpkin patch, a $5 corn maze, carnival games, and a paid haunted house. The festival is scheduled to operate on weekdays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on weekends from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The festival's centerpiece is the Haunted Hotel at Lakeside, a roughly 7,680-square-foot zombie-themed immersive attraction offering 25-minute walk-throughs for small groups, according to Lakeside Sports and Entertainment, LLC. The continuous walkthrough features live performers and atmospheric effects and is recommended for ages 13 and up, per the same operator. Admission runs $35 per person Tuesday through Sunday, with a discounted $20 Monday Special rate, while entry to the pumpkin patch itself remains free.
Beyond the haunted attraction, the festival follows a pay-as-you-go structure: additional pumpkins are available, corn maze access runs $5, and carnival games are available on the midway, the operator's site notes. Brooklyn Eagle also reports the festival includes a pumpkin painting station, a sports area, tarot readings, and food and drinks. The $35 All-Access Festival Pass includes one play at each carnival game but does not include Haunted Hotel entry, which must be booked separately.
New Operator Behind the Seasonal Pivot
The transformation reflects a broader shift at LeFrak Center under new management. Prospect Park Alliance selected Ekstein Development Group as the venue's new recreational operator in July 2025 following a competitive request-for-proposal process, while Purslane was picked to run the venue's cafe, according to Prospect Park Alliance. Marketing manager Jordan Ekstein noted that Halloween weekend, October 31 to November 1, will double as both the festival's final weekend and the opening weekend of the winter ice skating season, per Shore Fire Media.
Before pivoting to fall programming, the center ran its Glide & Groove summer series, featuring roller skating and live performances by indie bands including Jukebox the Ghost and The Happy Fits, the same release states. LeFrak Center operates roller skating and boating from spring through fall before switching over to ice skating each winter.
A Venue With a Bigger History
The $74 million LeFrak Center project opened in 2013 and remains the largest capital improvement in Prospect Park since its 19th-century creation, according to NYCEDC.
The Second United Lenape/Lunáapeew Nations Pow Wow in September 2025 was the first formal pow wow in the park since 1972, as Hoodline previously reported. Just days before the Fall Festival's opening, LeFrak Center is scheduled to host the Third United Lenape/Lunáapeew Nations Pow Wow on October 3–4. The back-to-back bookings underscore the venue's dual role as both a community gathering space and a commercial recreational operation.
More Fall Programming Across the Park
Prospect Park Alliance's broader autumn lineup extends beyond Lakeside, including October Fall Migration Walks hosted in partnership with the Brooklyn Bird Club on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays starting at Grand Army Plaza, according to the Alliance. The park also offers weekend introductory birdwatching walks at the Boathouse for those looking to extend their fall outing beyond the festival grounds.
The pricing structure, free pumpkin patch entry alongside $35 haunted house passes, reflects LeFrak Center's balancing act as a public park asset managed with Prospect Park Alliance and a revenue-generating recreational venue. Families can choose whether to purchase tickets for attractions such as the Haunted Hotel, depending on budget and appetite for scares.
