Nutley's busiest stretch of the season runs from late October to mid-December, and most of it isn't run by the township. A family on Hillside Crescent turns their backyard into a haunted ballroom. Another family on Gerard Road hosts the town's largest toy drive. A father and his sons fill a church on Vincent Place for a December concert. The common thread is Nutley Family Service Bureau, which has served the town since 1913. It runs a Trunk or Treat on the last Sunday in October, receives toys from the Gerard Road drive, and the December concert raises money for it.
Hillside Crescent opens first
Kelly and David Rinik have decorated their Nutley home for Halloween for four years, TAPinto Nutley reported on Oct. 11. The display includes props and paint. This year's theme is a Haunted Ballroom drawn from Disney's Haunted Mansion ride. Projectors in the backyard show figures singing and dancing. There's a piano player whose fingers move, fog coming out of an organ, and two dancers planned for a platform. On the walk back to the yard, the photos change as you pass them.
The family has also decorated for Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, Easter and July Fourth in recent years. They're skipping Christmas this year. "There are many reasons, too cold, too expensive and too time consuming," Kelly Rinik told TAPinto, adding that "this year we went real big on Halloween."
The display at the family's Hillside Crescent home is free, and TAPinto's story has the full address. A QR code takes donations through Venmo for anyone who wants to give. Once the family says it's finished, hours are:
- Sunday through Thursday: 5 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday: 5 to 10 p.m.
The opening date depends on the weather. As of the Oct. 11 report, the family expected to finish about two weeks before Halloween and said they'd be ready no matter what. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so Saturday hours apply on the 31st and the ballroom stays open until 10 p.m.
That means the ballroom should be open six nights a week, with Fridays off, for about two weeks before the township's own Halloween party, which lasts one evening.
Sunday, Oct. 25, changes hands at 2 p.m.
On the last Sunday before Halloween, one community event ends just as another begins.
- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Nutley Farmers Market holds the last day of its 17th season on Booth Drive. The market runs between the high school, the library and the Park Oval, and the season started June 14.
- 2 p.m. The Community Advisory Board of Nutley Family Service Bureau holds its Trunk or Treat, according to the save-the-date announcement on TAPinto Nutley.
The NFSB event is still new, but it has grown fast. The 2024 Trunk or Treat drew about 400 guests, and local businesses and organizations contacted NFSB about taking part in this year's event well before the announcement went out in May. The same advisory board runs NFSB's movie nights and coffeehouse events, all aimed at introducing the organization to more of the town. The published announcement doesn't give a street address, so check with NFSB for the location before you head out.
The weekday programs in between
The Nutley Public Library fills the days between that Sunday and Friday, according to its October 2026 program list:
- Monday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.: Halloween sign-making with a Cricut, for adults.
- Wednesday, Oct. 28, 10:30 a.m.: Halloween Story Time. It's open to all ages with no registration, and costumes are encouraged.
The township's Friday night
The Nutley Parks and Recreation Department holds its Spooktacular Halloween Celebration on Friday, Oct. 30, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Recreation Department, 44 Park Ave. It includes a hayride, Halloween music, snacks and drinks.
This event has requirements the neighbor-run events don't. Residents have to pre-register through their Community Pass account and show valid proof of residency at the door. Children must be with a responsible adult the whole time. The party is canceled if the weather is bad. Questions go to the Recreation Department at 973-284-4966, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. "Our goal is to create a family environment for residents to come together and spend quality time with one another," Commissioner Mauro G. Tucci said in the township's listing.
If Friday's weather cancels the party, Saturday is Halloween itself, and Hillside Crescent is open until 10 p.m.
November, briefly
Early November has two ticketed evenings, both in the first week:
- Wednesday, Nov. 4, 6 to 10 p.m.: The Nutley Hall of Fame marks its 25th anniversary at Nanina's in the Park with 11 inductees. Admission is $50.
- Thursday, Nov. 5, 6 to 8 p.m.: Parks and Recreation's Princess Ball in the 44 Park Ave. gym, for children 12 and under. Resident tickets are $35 for one parent and one child, plus $25 for each additional child, according to TAPinto Nutley.
Saturday, Dec. 12, has two neighbor-run events
The season's two biggest neighbor-run events are on the same Saturday, and both send support to NFSB.
From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the Chieffo family hosts a block party and toy collection at their home on Gerard Road. TAPinto Nutley calls it the township's largest holiday toy drive. The family has collected more than 1,800 toys over past years for children at Clara Maass Medical Center, Nutley Family Service Bureau and other pediatric care programs in the region. TAPinto plans to list local drop-off spots closer to the date, and the family's advice for now is to buy toys when you see them on sale.
At 7 p.m., the Šebek Tenors perform "Winter Harmonies: A Holiday Concert for Hope" at Vincent United Methodist Church, 100 Vincent Place. The concert benefits NFSB's annual appeal, TAPinto Nutley reported on Oct. 12. Christian, Eric and Zachary Sebek are a family ensemble, and last year's concert was standing room only. Zachary described it as sharing the stage "with my father and brother." Eric explained why they keep coming back:
"Growing up in Nutley, I know how much NFSB means to our community. It's an honor to give back through something we love."
The two events overlap for half an hour. The concert program draws on operatic, theatrical and holiday favorites. The annual appeal helps fund NFSB's mental health counseling, social service programs and its food pantry, which serves hundreds of local families throughout the year.
Where NFSB fits in the rest of the year
The Bureau also has a physical presence downtown. Its shop is at 160 Chestnut Street, and a new donation center behind it at 15 Hamilton Place started taking donations on Friday, Aug. 28, according to a listing on TAPinto Nutley. That's where gently used items go when you clear out a closet to make room for holiday decorations.
The township dates that aren't announced yet
The township hasn't published its 2026 holiday schedule. Last year's dates show the general pattern, but they are 2025 dates only, from the township's November 2025 holiday announcement:
- The 63rd annual Santa's Arrival was the Friday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, 2025, at the Nutley High School Park Oval, 300 Franklin Ave. Gates opened at 1 p.m. and admission was free.
- The Holiday Christmas Tree Lighting and Hanukkah Celebration was Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, at Municipal Plaza, 1 Kennedy Drive.
- The Santa Ride made more than 25 stops around town on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025.
- The Treasure Chest Adopt-a-Family program, run by the Department of Public Affairs and Health with the Board of Education, served 250 to 300 children ages 3 to 18 who are enrolled in Nutley schools.
Wait for the township's 2026 announcement before planning around any of these.
Hanging your own lights this season, and wondering what your house is worth these days? I'm glad to help. I'm a fourth-generation local and I follow Nutley's streets closely. Reach out to Donna Keena to get your free home valuation, and I'll give you a clear, local read on your home whenever you're ready.
