As the orange sun set over the city skyline  Oct. 17, squeals of excitement filled the air at the Boston Common during the city’s fourth annual Fall-o-Ween Children’s Festival. Dragons, pumpkins and princesses dashed from the carousel to the zombie maze, racing to get a spot in the long lines for the festive activities. 

“It really kicks off the season [and] gets everyone in the mood for the holidays,” said Rosie LaTorre, a resident of South Boston who dressed up her son as a colorful piñata.

Mayor Michelle Wu partnered with the City of Boston’s Parks and Recreation Department to host the free event. Attendees were entertained with outdoor games and food, including an alpine slide, bounce house, tetherball, a ventriloquist and live music.

Sisters-in-law Samantha Finn and Kristin McDonnell believe the city makes it easy for their kids to have fun. 

“It brings families together. The atmosphere, being outside,” McDonnell said. “[Boston] is pretty kid accessible, you can walk anywhere to any part of Boston and the city always has some event.”

Vendors like Raising Canes, New England Dairy Council and Polar Beverages lined the sidewalks. Local public service agencies including the Boston Fire Department and early development labs from local hospitals and universities also set up tables at the event. 

Kathryn Ward, research coordinator for the Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University, recruited participants for an infant study being conducted by the Interdisciplinary Health, Body Composition, and Neuroscience Lab at Northeastern. 

“We picked this event because we knew there would be a lot of families, kids with siblings, parents, people who know young kids,” Ward said. “It’s a great way to get the word out and reach our target audience.”

The study — which is still collecting data — tracks cognitive development, fine and gross motor skills and body composition during the first three years of a child’s life. 

“I think it’s awesome. I love working with kids, it’s so rewarding, and to be able to come out here and teach people and see everyone have a really good time is awesome,” said Andrew Oldenborg, a third-year behavioral neuroscience major at Northeastern. Oldenborg is currently a clinical research assistant for his co-op at Boston Children’s Hospital.  

Oldenborg and his team staffed a table promoting friendly community engagement and shared clinical research from their cognitive neuroscience lab at the hospital.

“I think a lot of what we are talking about today is how little kids might have anxiety and things [that] make them nervous and how we can approach those fears in ways to overcome them,” Oldenborg said. “We have a bunch of tips and tricks, why we might be feeling scared, why our hearts are racing, why we might feel nervous or anxious … especially around Halloween time there are a lot of things that scare us.”

Nathan Smith, commonly known as Park Ranger Nate, taught his favorite facts about the preserved bats, owls and birds he had on display at the Parks and Recreation table, which attracted curious questions and intense stares from visitors. Cathy Baker-Eclipse, interim commissioner for Boston Parks and Recreation, helped out at the table. 

For her, the festival is a great way to celebrate the fall season and enjoy the park in a different way. She encouraged Boston residents to continue to be active and explore the local parks that the city offers. 

“Go out and explore all the parks and playgrounds in the city, we have such [a] diversity of parks, there’s something for everyone,” Baker-Eclipse said. “If you want a quiet space to sit and read a book, we have those. If you want to go on a hike, you can go and take a hike, [and] there’s everything in between.”

Gabriel Sanon, fire education coordinator and a firefighter of 25 years, represented the Boston Fire Department, teaching kids about fire safety and fire prevention. A local Boston fire team unit came with a fire truck to show the kids all of its components.

At its core, the Fall-o-Ween Festival was an evening of education and fun, bringing lifelong friends and extended family together to learn more about what the city offers. 

“My favorite part is seeing all the people,” Sanon said. “I feel like it was a great turnout and we [had] a wide diversity of people come out, and I love that.”