HALLOWEEN AT FAENA NEW YORK: ENTER THE AFTERLIFE
Contributor - Jack Bartholet | Head of Events & Experiences • 10/15/26
Halloween in New York has no shortage of parties. The better question is where you want to spend the night.
This year, Faena New York has a particularly compelling answer. For two nights, October 30 and 31, the new West Chelsea hotel is leaning fully into the theatrical side of Halloween with a program built around Memento Mori, the ancient reminder to celebrate life while remembering its fleeting nature.
It is an appropriately Faena concept. The brand has long treated hospitality as something closer to cultural production, bringing together art, music, food, performance and design. Halloween is a particularly natural occasion to see what that approach looks like in practice.
THE LIVING ROOM GETS THE FULL TREATMENT
From 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM on both Friday and Saturday, The Living Room transforms for Halloween with theatrical performances, live music and DJ sets. General admission includes a premium open bar, while guests looking to settle in with their own group have the option of tables with bottle service and chef-selected canapés.
The entertainment changes each night. Friday features a live performance by Kat Cunning, the NYC singer, songwriter and actor known for a distinctive blend of pop, soul and theatricality, followed by a Faena DJ set. Saturday brings Sameya, the British-Moroccan singer and performer whose music draws from soul, R&B and pop, again followed by a Faena DJ.
For Four Hundred members, there is also an important access point worth flagging: tables in The Living Room may be reserved directly through Faena's Food & Beverage Team, who we regularly work with. Table minimums vary based on party size and placement within the room, making this a particularly useful option for groups who want to settle in rather than navigate a crowded Halloween party.
I like this as a Halloween option because you do not need to build the entire night around what comes next. Dinner, drinks, entertainment and dancing are all under one roof.
OR TAKE OVER THE SECRET ROOM
Then there is El Secreto: Afterlife, which takes the idea of a private Halloween party to another level.
On Saturday night, a group can take over El Secreto from 8:00 PM. to 2:00 AM for $55,000. The private experience includes a DJ, live entertainment, event photographer, premium beverages, passed canapés, caviar and an abundant seafood display.
The package goes well beyond the party itself. Guests receive a two-night stay in a Hudson One Bedroom Suite, an in-suite makeup artist, daily breakfast for two at La Boca, a Tierra Santa Healing House credit, a special welcome amenity and private car transfers within New York City or Brooklyn.
This is the sort of offering where Faena's hospitality philosophy becomes particularly clear. The party is not simply an event booked at a hotel. The hotel itself becomes the event.
For a group looking to host a Halloween celebration without dealing with the logistics of sourcing a venue, entertainment, food, beverage, glam and transportation separately, El Secreto offers a remarkably turnkey version of the night.
START AT LA BOCA
For those who want a more traditional dinner before joining the revelry, La Boca by Francis Mallmann provides an obvious first stop.
The Argentine restaurant will be serving dinner alongside live music, making it easy to begin the evening around a table before moving into The Living Room. Mallmann's cooking brings another layer to the experience, connecting Faena New York back to the Argentine roots of the brand.
I particularly like this as a Halloween itinerary because it avoids the usual New York scramble. Rather than figuring out dinner, then a party, then transportation across Manhattan, the evening has a natural progression within the property.
STAY FOR THE NIGHT
Faena has also created a Halloween package for guests who would rather not leave the building until morning.
The A Faena Halloween offer includes two general admission tickets to The Living Room on either October 30 or 31, a Halloween-inspired welcome amenity and daily breakfast for two at La Boca. The package is available for stays between October 29 and November 1, subject to availability.
There is something particularly appealing about the idea of a Halloween hotel stay in New York when the hotel itself is the destination. Dress upstairs, head downstairs for dinner, spend the night dancing, then take the elevator back to your room.
No coat check strategy required. No late-night car service scramble. No debate about where to go next.
HALLOWEEN, THE FAENA WAY
What interests me most about Faena's Halloween programming is its sense of scale. There is an option for the couple who wants a glamorous night out, a table for a group of friends, a private celebration with an extraordinary budget, or a full hotel stay built around the occasion.
And the setting matters. Faena New York brings the brand's distinctive combination of hospitality, art, design, music and performance to West Chelsea, creating a setting where the hotel itself becomes part of the evening.
That makes Memento Mori more than a Halloween theme. It is an invitation to lean into the night, dress accordingly, have the second cocktail, stay for the next DJ set and enjoy the fact that, for a few hours, the hotel has become its own little universe.
For Halloween in New York, that is a compelling place to disappear.
Contributor — Jack Bartholet | Head of Events & Experiences
Jack effortlessly transitions from the entertainment industry to the world of luxury hospitality and travel, bringing a rich background of collaboration with celebrated artists and extensive personal travel experiences. When not consulting, he can be seen onstage with cabaret and theatre performances. Jack's enduring passion centers on fostering a sense of belonging for LGBTQ travelers wherever their journey takes them.
