Let’s face it, COVID-19 has completely changed how we have to do things. In all honesty, it’s ruined many traditionally fun events. For obvious reasons, we don’t recommend having social get-togethers such as traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating. However, with a little bit of creative thinking and with the cooperation of your residents, you can have a great covid-safe Halloween. Below are some of our favorite ideas for making the spooky days the SAFE spooky days.
Door Decorating Contest
To make your residential property awesomely scary, enlist the help of your tenants by having them decorate their doors with their favorite Halloween decorations. Turn it into a friendly contest by setting up contactless online voting (see our article on data collection forms: https://www.wte.net/Using-Data-Collection-Forms). If possible, offer up some cool prizes from local companies for the winners.
Pumpkin Decorating/Carving Contest
Hold a pumpkin decorating/carving contest to let everyone show their mad gourd skills. Maybe set up the contest into a couple of categories - decorated (painted, bedazzled, etc.) and carved. To keep everyone safe, only use battery powered lights to showcase the carved pumpkins. Set a deadline and have your residents bring their pumpkin to a central location. Just like the door decorating contest, you can set up online voting so that people can properly social distance AND still get to enjoy what everyone else has created. Create some positive press for you and your property by posting pictures of the winning entries on social media. Again, if possible, try to offer prizes from local companies.
Spooky Eyes
This is a great little trick to use on Halloween night to create just a little extra bit of spookiness for your community. Take some toilet paper roll tubes and cut eyes in them. Make a variety of shapes! Then take and activate a glow stick (find them at dollar stores), wrap the sticks in wax paper (to diffuse the light), and duct-tape the ends. Then place the “eyes” in bushes and along walkways. You’ll have some super creepy lit-up eyes looking at everyone as they’re walking around.
Drive-by Trick-or-Treating
This event will take a little bit of coordination, but could be ghoulishly cool! While we’re not recommending face-to-face trick-or-treating, how about setting up a drive-by parade-style event? Have the kids of your complex line up along a sidewalk or other appropriate area in your complex and have people drive by and GENTLY throw candy toward the costumed kids, just like from a parade float. Think of it as reverse trick-or-treating! It’s win-win: the older generations, that might be more infection-vulnerable, can safely stay in their vehicles and still participate in Halloween, AND the kids still get the candy!
Regardless of what you decide to do for Halloween, keep it light and fun. This honestly may be the first chance many of your residents have had to do anything close to normal since March. Once you’ve had your celebrations, please send us pictures to let us know how it went!