Case Study: Building Community Through Play at Asphalt Screams
For over a decade, Asphalt Green has hosted Asphalt Screams, New York City’s favorite Halloween festival. Each year, Asphalt Screams welcomes thousands of New York City families, local Upper East Side partners, and city leaders for a night of movement and connection at Litwin Field.
While Asphalt Screams may be a single night, its purpose extends far beyond. As recently as 2024, over half of New Yorkers reported feeling lonely in citywide health surveys. The Department of Health now cites loneliness as maybe “as dangerous to our health as smoking and lack of physical activity,” citing risks of dementia, strokes, and mental health conditions. More than ever, recreational events have become not just entertainment, but a crucial tool for keeping our communities active, healthy, and connected.
From haunted mazes to spooky soccer and dance, Asphalt Screams highlights how free play opportunities can bring New Yorkers together, get us moving, and inspire us to find (or rediscover) a passion for play.
What Activities Does Asphalt Screams Offer?
Asphalt Screams is designed to get attendees of all ages, abilities, and skill levels moving. Our spook-tacular activities include:
- 4 bounce houses, including 2 bounce houses for our inclusive Everyone Plays Zone
- 3 rides, including 1 ride for our Everyone Plays Zone)
- 3 inflatable slides
- Soccer Darts
- 1v1 soccer
- Gaga
- Football
- Golf
- Tennis
- Arts and crafts
- Yard games
- Corn Maze (inflatable)
- Haunted Maze
- Street fair
These activities emphasize that the best events don’t just bring people together; they get us moving together. When events are designed to get every guest active, they become experiences we remember.
Events For All: Inclusion in Community Events
A key component of Asphalt Green’s mission to transform lives and build community through sports, fitness, and play for all is providing programming for New Yorkers of all abilities.
Three years ago, Asphalt Screams hosted its first-ever sensory hour, a reserved pre-event period for children with crowds, noise, and light sensitivities to participate in Scream activities in a sensory-friendly environment. In 2025, we welcomed just over 100 guests for sensory hour. In 2026, we expect to welcome more than a thousand.
This year’s Screams also features our first Everyone Plays Zone, led by Asphalt Green’s passionate and trained Inclusion team, to offer space for guests to cool down and receive extra support as needed.
Together, sensory hour and the Everyone Plays Zone reflect Asphalt Green’s commitment to moving inclusion practices forward in community recreation. Through Asphalt Screams, we aim to show that inclusive practices can enhance the experience for everyone, while ensuring that participants with support needs can experience the joy of play in spaces designed to help them thrive.
ASPHALT SCREAMS 2026 BY THE NUMBERS
10,000+
Expected guests
1000+
Sensory hour participants
20+
Local partners participating
1
Unforgettable day of sports, fitness, and play for all!
Building A Stronger New York City, One Event at a Time
From Asphalt Screams to Big Swim, Big Kick and Big Play Day, and more, our goal is to show that events can introduce New Yorkers to their neighbors and to the joys of living active, healthy lifestyles.
“In a world full of distractions, the magic of recreational events is getting our neighbors to be active and present with one another. My passion for building events like Asphalt Screams is rooted in their ability to give community members core memories and the opportunity to grow closer to each other.”
-Syane Clemente, Events Manager
We believe that when every New Yorker has opportunities to play, we’ll have a stronger and healthier city for all of us.
