As the leaves turn brilliant shades of orange and red and the air grows colder, lovers of all things spooky are once again preparing for one of the most anticipated events of the season — Halloween.
While a normal Halloween would involve lots of parties, events and trick or treating, this year’s festivities will look a little different. Here is how you can still enjoy this year’s Halloween while avoiding the scariest part of it all — COVID-19.
1. Candy slide
Some very inventive parents on social media have come up with a way to still hand out candy to trick-or-treaters this year while minimizing contact between candy givers and receivers, and you can try it too with just a little creativity.
The idea is the candy slide, a six foot-long chute attached to a railing or banister which leads from the candy source to trick-or-treaters who will be standing at the bottom of the chute, receiving their candy at a safe distance.
You can make a candy slide out of just about anything, as long as you can get candy to slide through it. It may even make handing out candy a little more interesting. Make sure to decorate your slide with lots of scary decorations.
2. Masked costumes
We all know how tiring it is to wear a mask everyday, but incorporating one into your Halloween costume could be just the accessory you need to pull your whole ensemble together.
Going as a ninja turtle? Extend the signature eye mask all the way below the chin. Going as a doctor? A blue medical face mask is both realistic and safe. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even go so far as to include a full face mask like one of those awesome rubber horse masks.
2. Freak Fest alternatives
One of the biggest bummers of this year’s Halloween will be the loss of our beloved Freak Fest. While State Street would normally be packed with concert fans, this year’s proceedings have been canceled in order to keep attendees safe.
There are still options, however, to get your concert fix before the season passes. J Balvin, whose namesake meal is the newest addition to the McDonalds menu, will be headlining a virtual concert on the popular video game Fortnite. The interactive lobby in Fortnite will still allow you to share in a concert experience with friends while everyone stays distanced.
We have also released our own list of uncommon Halloween songs to jam to as a concert substitute. Maybe if you turn your headphones up loud enough it will feel like a real live concert.
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3. Stay in and watch a movie
Some great movies have been made to celebrate the Halloween season, and some other movies just fit really well with the Fall months. The Badger Herald has released its own movie marathon guide which you can check out.
This year will also be the first time that “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” will be available to stream on Apple TV, which will let you relive some great childhood memories without having to find the special on broadcast TV.
With all these options, there are plenty of reasons to stay in with a bowl of popcorn and have a Halloween-themed movie night.
4. Have a bake off
If there’s one thing Halloween is good for, it’s tasty treats. A quick google search for Halloween recipes brings up tons of fun Halloween themed food ideas, from Frankenstein avocado toast to cake pop eyeballs.
Get together with a few friends via your favorite video chatting app and hold your own baking competition to see who can make the most creative and creepy recipe.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with rules like time limits and other restrictions just like reality cooking shows do on TV. Want to make your friend only cook with one arm if they get a trivia question wrong? Want to make another have to use pickle juice if they can’t recite the alphabet backwards? It’s all on the table.
5. Have a photoshoot
Is your LinkedIn profile picture still your senior photo from high school? Do you have yet to post on your Instagram since your trip to your cabin in May? If any of these apply to you, it could be high time for a photoshoot.
Grab a friend and head out into nature for some candids. Now is the perfect time to get some awesome nature shots, as most trees have begun changing their leaves, creating an awesome opportunity for some ‘gram worthy photos.
