Virtual tricks and treats

This year Halloween will look different than ever before. Although COVID-19 has rendered it impossible to participate in many typical Halloween events, there are still dozens of fun things to do. Here is a list of a few options to make Halloween 2020 as great as any other year. 

Halifax walking ghost tour  

The Halifax Ghost Walk offers socially distanced walking ghost tours that begin at Citadel Hill and visit sites around the city. Although there is no tour available on Oct. 31, there is a tour option on Oct. 30, as well as other dates all throughout the month. This is a fun way to get into a spooky Halloween mood and spend safe time with friends.  

Zoom costume party  

Although an in-person costume party may not be possible this year, everyone can dress up in their best costumes and get together over video chat. To make the night more fun, play some games like Kahoot Halloween trivia or Heads Up charades. Tell your best ghost stories, create spooky backgrounds by decorating your spaces, or send a Halloween-themed snack recipe to everyone and make it together. Another option for a virtual party is to carve or paint pumpkins.  

Scary escape room experience  

Captured Escape Rooms and Trapped Halifax, both on Barrington Street, are open and available for one bubble at a time to experience. Escape rooms are a thrilling experience where a group of people solves puzzles in a room against a ticking clock. Bring a few friends and try it out as a safe alternative to typical Halloween events. 

Classic Halloween movie night 

If you haven’t seen all of the classic Halloween movies, this is your year to catch up! It could be something lighthearted like Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown or The Addams Family. It could also be a thriller night with some of the scariest movies like The Exorcist, The Conjuring, Halloween, or Hereditary. Whatever you decide, pair it with a creepy Halloween snack idea, like puff pastries that look like mummies or pizza bagels with ghost-shaped pieces of mozzarella.  

Virtual haunted house tour  

Don’t let the fact face-to-face events are at an all-time low stop you from experiencing all the thrills, jumps and scares of a haunted house this Halloween. There are several virtual haunted tours online, which include some of the scariest locations on the planet like the Paris Catacombs, the Chernobyl zone and the Bran Castle in Romania. The Bran Castle is thought to be a possible inspiration for Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic novel Dracula. 

Book a fortune teller or psychic reading  

Lastly, and my personal favourite on the list: visiting a fortune teller or psychic online is the perfect way to get in a thrilling Halloween mood and celebrate the holiday while still staying safe. There are websites, such as Oranum.com and Psychicsource.com, with lots of different psychics available to book a reading with. 

Although Halloween this year is a bit compromised, don’t let the change in plans get down on your festivities. Use these ideas, or come up with more of your own, to still have a fun Halloween while celebrating safely.