In 1882, steamboats ferrying New Yorkers up from the city brought half a million people to a cluster of islands off New Rochelle. Every attraction on the islands was free. John H. Starin, the tugboat magnate and former congressman who owned the place, made his money on the boat fare. Within six years, yearly attendance passed a million.
Today that same ground is Glen Island Park. Westchester County keeps it open from 8 a.m. to dusk, year-round. This fall the county made an exception. Since September 11, the Autumn Glow Festival has kept the island lit Friday through Sunday nights until 10 p.m., and its run ends Sunday, November 1. That leaves three nights after this post goes up. The middle one is Saturday, October 31.
Glen Island was first built as a showcase of other cultures on the Sound, and this fall it's doing that job again.
Starin Built Five Islands Around Five Cultures
Starin bought the islands in 1879 and joined them into a summer resort. According to the Westchester County Parks page for Glen Island, the original design gave each culture its own island, with piers and causeways linking them. Secret NYC's history of the park lists what a visitor could walk past in one afternoon: a Chinese pagoda, a Dutch mill, and a German castle with a beer garden called Klein Deutschland, where the waiters wore Tyrolean dress.
The steamboats that built the resort also brought it down. Secret NYC reports that the 1904 sinking of the steamship General Slocum gutted the city's steamboat business and Starin's ferry traffic with it. Starin died in 1909, and the park closed soon after. The county bought the land in 1924, filled in the gaps between the islands, and put up the Glen Island Casino. The "casino" was an entertainment hall, and in the 1930s and '40s its ballroom hosted Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and the Dorsey Brothers.
A good deal of Starin's island is still standing. The county lists cannons, sculptures, and castles of coursed rubble stone with arched openings and round towers, all left from the resort. It also says the 1920s drawbridge, the bridge house, the seawall and the castles are all eligible for the Register of Historic Places.
What Kaleido Set Up on the Old Pleasure Grounds
Autumn Glow is produced by Kaleido Entertainment. The Yonkers Times announcement says the company has toured lantern festivals around the country for eight years and that this is its first time in Westchester. On the festival's site, organizers say the lanterns are made of Chinese silk cloth stretched over steel-wire frames and lit with LEDs. Some of the artisans who make them have more than 20 years in the trade. Some pieces tell Chinese legends and others show scenes from nature.
That puts Chinese lanterns on an island whose first owner built a Chinese pagoda as one of its original attractions.
Mommy Poppins' Oct. 6 visit guide describes the route as a waterfront trail. It passes a dragon tunnel, illuminated pandas, a field of pumpkin lanterns, moving lantern figures and a glowing butterfly you can walk into. The night also includes a Jumpin' Jamie puppet show. Food and the performance are under tents, and everything else is outdoors. The guide mentions dumplings, bao, steamed cakes, snacks, drinks and ice cream. News 12 Westchester covered the festival in early October, focusing on the handmade silk-and-LED lanterns.
The county signed off on the festival before it opened. Yonkers Times quoted County Executive Ken Jenkins:
"The lights and lanterns of the festival along the backdrop of Long Island Sound will bring residents and visitors alike to celebrate culture and community and I look forward to visiting the festival as one of many fun ways to enjoy Fall in Westchester."
What a Night on the Island Costs Now
Starin's islands were free once you'd paid the fare. Autumn Glow sells timed tickets through Fever. In August, the announced early-bird price started at $16. As of mid-October, Fever showed higher prices:
| Ticket type | Price as of mid-October 2026 | Booking fee |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, 13+ | $25.99 | $1.30 |
| Child, 4–12 | $18.99 | $0.95 |
| Senior 65+ or Military | $23.99 | $1.20 |
| Family Bundle, minimum four, per ticket | $20.99 | $1.05 |
| Adult Flex Pass with Wish Jar, any time | $35.99 | $1.80 |
| Child Flex Pass with Wish Jar, any time | $28.99 | $1.45 |
Children 2 and under get in free, according to the festival site. Prices may vary by session, so check your exact night at checkout.
Parking is the other cost. The festival's FAQ says paid event parking is $10. The Mommy Poppins guide called parking free. Plan on the festival's own figure. Glen Island's regular parking season doesn't apply here. The county charges $5 with a Park Pass and $10 without, but only on weekends in May and September and daily through Labor Day, which this year was Monday, Sept. 7.
Two ticket rules matter more in the final week than they did in September. The festival allows date changes up to 48 hours ahead and does not give refunds. By Thursday, every Friday session is already less than 48 hours away. Transfers are free in the Fever app. If your Friday plans fall through, handing the ticket to a neighbor will work better than trying to rebook.
Three Nights Left, and One Falls on Halloween
Fever lists six timed entries each night, at 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. Last entry is 9 p.m. and the gates close at 10. There's an on-site box office, but the festival warns that tickets may sell out before you get there. Its advance-booking advice carries more weight on a holiday Saturday. For the last weekend:
- Pick a session that leaves room. The festival's own site estimates an hour and a half in one place and about an hour in its FAQ. The 9:00 slot gives you one hour before the 10 p.m. close, so you'd skip the food tents or the puppet show.
- Plan around the weather, not for a rain date. The festival runs rain or shine and only reschedules if rare extreme conditions force a closure. Most of the route is outdoors along the water.
- Leave the dog home. Pets aren't allowed. Service animals are welcome.
- Know the route is easy going. The festival says the venue is ADA compliant, the lighting has no strobes, and there are seats to rest along the walk. Mommy Poppins describes the paths as paved and good for strollers.
- Ask staff about restrooms. The festival says there are restrooms on site. The county's schedule closed the park's West Grove restrooms in mid-October, and it uses portable toilets for special events.
There will be more than one lantern festival in New York this fall. A sister Autumn Glow is set at Mabee Farm Historic Site in Schenectady. The festival FAQ says it can't promise any extra dates beyond those already listed. For now, Sunday, November 1 is the last night Glen Island stays lit.
The Island Goes Back to Daylight Hours on Monday
When the festival closes, Glen Island goes back to its usual schedule of 8 a.m. to dusk, seven days a week. Admission requires a County park pass or a New York State driver's license with a Westchester address. The county calls it the second most-used park in its system after Playland. The water stays busy into November too, since the Pelham Community Rowing Association's regular season runs from August through November. The castles from Starin's resort are still standing, and you can see them any day the park is open.
At Rahhim Shillingford and Vision Alliance Realty, we follow what's happening in Westchester's county parks and along the Sound shore the way our neighbors do. If you're planning your own move across Westchester, Start Your VIP Home Search with an agent who keeps up with the calendar along with the listings.
