Empire State Building hosts Hocus Pocus nights from 30 October

Hocus Pocus Movie Night will take place at the Empire State Building in New York City on 30 and 31 October 2026. The Halloween programme places the film on the 80th Floor and includes access to the building's observation decks. Each date has an early and a late screening.

Hocus Pocus Movie Night runs on two October dates

The Empire State Building Observation Deck announced the event as a limited-time Halloween experience. The film will be shown on 30 October and 31 October, with two sessions scheduled on each day. The October programme details identify the building as the venue and place the screening on its 80th Floor.

For both dates, the early session allows arrival at 4.30pm and begins at 5.15pm. The late session allows arrival at 7.45pm and begins at 8.30pm. The programme also includes access to the 86th and 102nd Floor Observation Decks, connecting the film screening with the building's established visitor route.

The 80th Floor screening connects with the skyline decks

The 80th Floor is below the two observation levels named in the event programme. The 86th Floor has an open-air observation deck, while the 102nd Floor is enclosed behind floor-to-ceiling windows. That arrangement means the Halloween event combines an indoor film screening with two distinct viewpoints over New York City.

The building rises 1,454 feet from its base to its antenna above Midtown Manhattan. Its visitor experience includes a dedicated entrance and an interactive museum with nine galleries, according to the building background information. The 86th Floor also has an open-air outlook, making the event's floor sequence a specific part of the visit rather than a screening at a separate cinema.

What the October event adds to a New York landmark visit

The programme gives the Empire State Building a temporary film focus during the Halloween weekend. It is separate from the regular observation experience because the screening is held on the 80th Floor before visitors continue to the higher decks.

The same building has recently hosted a different event on its stairs and observation deck. On 6 October 2026, the Empire State Building Observation Deck Run-Up sent more than 200 runners up 1,576 stairs to the 86th Floor, showing how the landmark can serve as both a visitor attraction and an event venue.

Visiting Empire State Building: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Hocus Pocus Movie Night is scheduled for 30 and 31 October 2026, with an early and a late screening on each date.
• The film is shown on the 80th Floor, while the event programme includes access to the 86th and 102nd Floor Observation Decks.
• The building is in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and the event page identifies the 80th Floor as the screening venue.
• The visit includes several vertical levels, and the building's Run-Up route contains 1,576 stairs, a figure that indicates the scale of the tower's internal climb.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

The screening dates fall within the late-October travel period, while the observation decks remain the permanent part of the landmark visit.

Searching for Empire State Building on social platforms

These links open searches for Empire State Building on each platform.

Frequently asked questions about Empire State Building

When does Hocus Pocus Movie Night take place at Empire State Building?

The screenings take place on 30 and 31 October 2026, with two sessions on each date.

Where is Empire State Building and how do you get there?

It stands in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The event information identifies the building as the venue and the 80th Floor as the screening location.

What is Empire State Building?

It is a skyscraper and observation attraction rising 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan, with observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors.