He lost his head. We know exactly where to find the rest of him.
“Where can I see the Headless Horseman?” is the question we're asked most often, and the answer has two halves.
If you're here in October, he turns up all over the village — at street fairs and festivals, at the start of a 10k, in performances built around him. If you're here in April, he's standing perfectly still in the middle of Route 9, eighteen feet tall and eleven tons, and he isn't going anywhere.
Both count. Here's where to find him either way.
ANY TIME OF YEAR
Permanent, free, and available whenever you happen to be in town.
The Headless Horseman Statue — Route 9, Sleepy Hollow
Eighteen feet of laser-cut steel in the Route 9 median between Philipsburg Manor and the Old Dutch Church, showing the Horseman mid-throw and Ichabod Crane mid-flight. Designed by local artist Linda Perlmutter, built by Milgo/Bufkin, and unveiled on Halloween day, 2006. Its eleven tons of steel panels were chemically treated to oxidize to a deep cinnamon color. It stands a few feet from the spot where the pumpkin would have been thrown. In October the base is decorated with pumpkins and hay bales.
Approximate address: 362 North Broadway. This is the photo most visitors come for.
The granite monument at Philipsburg Manor — 381 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow
Directly across the street, a granite bas-relief by sculptor Michael Gressel shows Ichabod fleeing with the Old Dutch Church behind him. Presented to the village in 1974 by the Centennial Committee of North Tarrytown — the name the village carried until 1997. Quieter than the steel statue, and usually empty of other photographers.
The Headless Horseman Bridge and the Old Dutch Burying Ground — Sleepy Hollow
Not the Horseman himself, but the ground he's said to haunt. The bridge beside the Old Dutch Church is where Irving set the pumpkin-throwing, and a few steps away, in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, a cast-iron marker states the case plainly, while pointing toward the neighboring churchyard: the Headless Horseman "tethers his horse nightly among graves in this churchyard." It's part of New York Folklore's Legends & Lore series, placed by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation in 2019.
The churchyard here is not the same as Sleepy Hollow Cemetery next door, though the two adjoin and most visitors walk between them without noticing. See our Legend Landmarks guide for the rest of the story's real geography.
He's also the village logo
Sleepy Hollow doesn't keep the Horseman confined to its attractions. He's the official seal, and once you start noticing him you'll find him on the ordinary furniture of the village:
On the street signs. Many of the village's orange signs carry a small galloping Horseman tucked between the words "Sleepy" and "Hollow." Elm Street is the one visitors photograph most — an accident of naming, but a happy one if you like your horror history layered.
On the recycling bins. The blue curbside bins carry the village seal: the Horseman mid-throw, ringed by "Village of Sleepy Hollow," the date 1874, and the motto "Historic Past — Great Future." It is, as far as we know, the only municipal recycling program in America with a decapitated cavalryman on it.
On the ambulances. Two village ambulances are painted with full murals of the Horseman pursuing Ichabod Crane down both sides. You can't plan this one — but catching a glimpse of one is the most unexpected sighting in town.
AUTUMN: PERFORMANCES HE'S WRITTEN INTO
Ticketed productions designed around the Horseman. He's part of the show.
The Spirits of Sleepy Hollow Country — Philipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow
Illusionists Mark Clearview and Nick Wallace don't bring the Horseman on stage — they reach for him. Working with Sleepy Hollow's own dead, they call his spirit onto a spirit-writing slate, which is a different and arguably eerier proposition than a costumed rider. If you want contact rather than a sighting, this is the one. October weekends, 50 minutes, from $65, advance tickets only. Ages 10+.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Local Lore — Rockwood Hall, Rockefeller State Park Preserve
A lamplit walk to the Rockwood Hall foundation site, high above the Hudson with the bridge and the Manhattan skyline downstream. The evening starts with the lore that doesn't get told — stories from the Preserve's own ground, which most visitors have never heard — before turning to Irving and the real places that shaped his story. It ends with the Horseman, mounted, out of the dark. Select evenings, October 22 through November 1. Tickets through Rockefeller State Park Preserve.
Twilight Village at Sleepy Hollow — Philipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow
An after-dark wander through Philipsburg Manor with storytellers, fire performers, fortune tellers, a roving brass band, and a pop-up night market. Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel work the crowd. The Horseman's arrival is staged as a sound-and-light spectacle recreating the midnight ride — the set piece of the evening. Recommended for all ages. October weekends, from $25.
Sleepy Hollow Haunted Hayride — Douglas Park, Sleepy Hollow
A nighttime hayride through the park with the Horseman among the characters encountered along the route. Late October, organized by the Village. Timed advance tickets.
Irving's Legend — Sunnyside, Irvington
Storyteller Jonathan Kruk performs the tale outdoors on the grounds of Washington Irving's own house, with live organ and sound effects by Jim Keyes, a cast of shadowy supporting characters — and an appearance by the Headless Horseman himself. The story told properly, on the ground where its author lived, with the Horseman arriving in person. About 55 minutes, October weekends, from $40, ages 10+. Sells out every year.
The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze — Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson
At Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, eight miles north, the Blaze carves a Horseman among its 7,000 jack o'lanterns — but the encounter worth planning for is the Headless Horseman Hideaway, a pop-up bar you step into off the illuminated trail. Legend-inspired cocktails, German-style bites, and the Horseman himself circulating among the tables. Historic Hudson Valley encourages photographs with him, which makes this the rare sighting you can plan around rather than hope for. September 18 – November 8, 2026. Advance tickets required.
Sleepy Hollow Music Festival — Kingsland Point Park, Sleepy Hollow
He rides through in front of the main stage between sets. Saturday, October 3, 2026. Ticketed.
SUP Witches Festival — Kingsland Point Park, Sleepy Hollow
Known to appear at the costumed paddleboard festival on the Hudson. Saturday, October 10, 2026, noon–5 pm. From $8.
AUTUMN: FREE AND OUTDOOR, WHERE HE SIMPLY TURNS UP
Community events where the Horseman makes an appearance. Not on a published schedule, and he doesn't wait around.
Sleepy Hollow Street Fair — Beekman Avenue, Sleepy Hollow
The most reliable free photograph in the village. He holds a fixed position near Beekman and Route 9, outside Ganso Ramen. Sunday, September 20, 2026, 10 am–5 pm. Free.
Tarrytown Halloween Parade — Tarrytown
The region's largest Halloween parade includes a Horseman appearance. Late October; check the calendar for the 2026 date.
Sleepy Hollow High School Homecoming — Sleepy Hollow
The school's teams are the Horsemen, and the Headless Horseman has been known to attend the homecoming football game. Date varies with the athletic schedule. Not a tourist event, which is precisely its charm — this is the village's own Horseman, at the village's own game.
AUTUMN: AT THE STARTING LINE
Sleepy Hollow Halloween 10K — Beekman Avenue, Sleepy Hollow
He sends the costumed field off from the start on Beekman Avenue, and the course runs past the Old Dutch Church, the cemetery, and the Hudson River. Saturday, October 24, 2026, 9:30 am. Registered runners only, but the start is open to spectators — one of the better places to see him in motion.
CHOOSING YOUR ENCOUNTER
If you want a photograph. The statue on Route 9, any day of the year. Among events, the Street Fair is the most reliable — he's stationary, it's free, and there's no ticket to buy.
If you want a performance. Twilight Village and Irving's Legend.
If you have children. Twilight Village and the Street Fair. The Haunted Hayride is built for older audiences and genuine darkness.
If you want to be surprised. The Music Festival, the SUP Witches Festival, and the homecoming game. He arrives, he rides, he's gone.
If you're not here in October. The statues don't move. Neither does the bridge. Frankly, they photograph better without a crowd.
For everything else this season, see our guide to Halloween in Sleepy Hollow. Coming by train? See visiting Sleepy Hollow without a car.