NYC this weekend, Oct. 24-25: early voting opens, Diwali takes over Times Square, and the subway changes to know

It is a busy weekend to get around New York City. Saturday is the first day of early voting and the last day to register, Times Square hosts a free Diwali festival, and several subway lines are cut or rerouted for track work. Here is what to know for Saturday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 25.

Early voting starts, and registration closes

Poll sites open for early voting on Saturday and Sunday, the first two of nine early voting days that run through Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the city Board of Elections at vote.nyc. Saturday is also the last day to register, and the deadline for the Board of Elections to receive an early mail or absentee ballot application online or by mail, as The Park Sloper notes. Your early voting site may not be the same as your Election Day site, so check findmypollsite.vote.nyc. Hours, races and the five charter questions are in our early voting guide.

Diwali at Times Square, Saturday

The free Diwali at Times Square festival, now in its 11th year, is set for Broadway between 46th and 48th streets. The organizer's run of show starts with a Diwali bazaar at 11 a.m. and a procession at 12:30 p.m., followed by multicultural performances, an awards ceremony, a diya lighting synchronized with the lighting of the One Times Square tower, and a closing concert. No ticket is required. Secret NYC notes the event includes a kids zone and that the city has partnered with the festival since 2024. Expect heavy crowds around Duffy Square through the evening. Our event listing has the details.

Street closures

The city Department of Transportation's weekly traffic advisory lists these event closures, at the discretion of the NYPD:

• Saturday, Manhattan: Sixth Avenue between 34th and 42nd streets for the Sixth Avenue Autumnfest street fair.
• Saturday, the Bronx: the Grand Concourse between 161st Street and Walton Avenue, plus 161st Street between the Grand Concourse and Walton Avenue, for the 9th annual Bronx DA Walk, Run, Roll to End Domestic Violence.
• Sunday, Brooklyn: a Day of the Dead parade in Sunset Park, forming on Fifth Avenue at 59th and 60th streets, marching up Fifth Avenue from 59th to 43rd Street, with a festival on 44th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

DOT also lists overnight work this week on several bridges, including full overnight closures of the Third Street Bridge over the Gowanus Canal on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Subway changes

These are the biggest planned changes in the MTA's service alerts feed for the weekend. Most run from late Friday night or early Saturday until Sunday night or early Monday; check mta.info or the MTA app before you leave.

• 4: no trains between 149 St-Hostos and 125 St all weekend. Free shuttle buses run between 149 St-Hostos and the 3 Av-138 St 6 station, and the MTA says Metro-North will cross-honor 4 riders in the Bronx.
• 5: on Saturday, no trains between Bowling Green and E 180 St. The 2 makes 5 stops in the Bronx and the 4 makes 5 stops in Manhattan.
• J and M: no J between Myrtle Av and Broad St, and no M between Myrtle Av and Delancey St-Essex St, from early Saturday until Sunday night. Free T432 shuttle buses run between Myrtle Av and Delancey St-Essex St; the MTA suggests the A, C or L to cross between Brooklyn and Manhattan.
• G: no trains between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts and Church Av; trains run every 20 minutes between Bedford-Nostrand Avs and Hoyt-Schermerhorn.
• F: Coney Island-bound trains run express from Jay St-MetroTech to Kings Hwy.
• E: Jamaica Center-bound trains run via the F from W 4 St-Wash Sq to 21 St-Queensbridge.
• 7 and N: no 7 at Flushing-Main St, with free T321 shuttle buses from Mets-Willets Point, and no N at Coney Island-Stillwell Av, with shuttle buses from 86 St, on Saturday and Sunday.
• 1, A and C: downtown 1 trains skip 125 St through 103 St, and uptown C trains skip 72 St through 116 St on Saturday.

Weather

The National Weather Service forecasts a partly sunny Saturday with a high near 61, a clear night around 43, and a sunny Sunday near 65, with Monday warming to about 69. Light winds throughout.