Spooky season is a treat that many of us look forward to yet many of us are more fearful of the pandemic this year than the usual ghoulish tricks of Halloween. As someone who loves the experience of walking through the neighborhood collecting candy, dressing up in costumes, meeting other fellow trick-or-treaters, going to Halloween parties, haunted houses, and spooky events, the pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge for what is normally a large social holiday. Thankfully, there are a few creative ways to still safely enjoy the outdoors during Halloween.
1. Habilitat Drive-Through Haunted House
If you’re a thrill-seeker like me, haunted houses are likely one of your favorite Halloween experiences. From the creepy setup to chicken-skin inducing jump scares, and character appearances that make your heart race, haunted houses are a staple for the holiday. Although traditional haunted houses are not recommended this year due to COVID guidelines, Habilitat has created the first-ever drive-through haunted house called Dead End: The Asylum at the Aloha Stadium during October to allow you to gain the creepy experience while adhering to the Hawaii Department of Health recommendations. Dead End: The Asylum operates Thursday-Saturday until the end of October from 6:30 pm-12 am with a charge of $65 per vehicle. Get scared without the scare of COVID!
2.Trunk & Treat Drive-Thru Halloween Trick-or-Treating
If you can’t imagine your Halloween without costumes, lots of candy and the joys of the trick-or-treating experience, this twist to the traditional Halloween activity is designed for you! On October 31st from 5-10 pm, Aloha Stadium will be hosting a 100% contactless drive through trick or treat experience hosted by 30 local businesses. Tickets are $16 per trick-or-treater (drivers and passengers not participating in trick-or-treating do not need to pay for a ticket). Who said a pandemic meant that there would be a shortage of candy?
3.Make And Give A Spooky Basket
Much like Easter baskets are created to show love to our favorite people, spooky baskets are an equally creative and festive way to give and get into the holiday spirit! Spooky baskets can be specifically tailored to your recipient’s favorites, follow a theme, or be whatever you want it to be! Baskets can include things like Halloween home decorations, confetti, webs, spiders, candy, seasonal candles, stickers, glow-sticks, or themed toys. Often, people use wicker baskets, cauldron bowls, or plastic Jack-o-Lanterns to contain the goodies. This activity can be a perfect way to spend a crafty afternoon with a small group of friends or be done alone. Select your festive basket or container of choice, pick out some seasonal goodies, and get to creating your personalized spooky basket to give to your loved ones.
4. Enjoy The Blue Moon
As someone who lives in a natural paradise, I love enjoying the phenomena of nature and appreciating the serene beauty of our planet. This year, Halloween will have a blue moon, meaning that this will be the second full moon in October. This Halloween moon won’t just be a blue moon however, it will also be a hunter’s moon because it is the first moon to occur after a harvest moon (which occurred on October 1st). The next time there will be two full moons within the same month will be in August 2023. On October 31st, the moon will also be about 252,000 miles away which is almost to the maximum of its orbital distance. As many classic Halloween tales and movies have it, full moons on Halloween can add an especially eerie glow to an already eerie holiday, and create an ambiance of mystery. This perfect coincidence of nature can be fully enjoyed from the comfort of your window, balcony, or rooftop, allowing you to soak in the night of Halloween without needing to leave home. If you prefer to fully embrace the moon’s glow, you can also venture outside to a park, beach, or drive to an area with less light pollution to appreciate the moon in all its glory.
5. Get Festive at Starbucks By Ordering A Halloween-Themed Drink
Starbucks is the perfect place to fulfill your caffeine fix and get into the holiday spirit with its wide assortment of seasonal beverages. Anxious to go outside during the pandemic? Some Starbucks also have drive-thrus (on Oahu, the Starbucks in Kaneohe, Mililani Mauka, Nanakuli, and Kahala Mall have drive-thrus). Tired of PSLs or wanting something more spooky-themed? In 2018, Starbucks came out with a Halloween themed blended beverage called the Witch’s Brew Frappuccino. Although this item is no longer on their main menu, it is available on their so-called secret menu. If your barista is not familiar with the beverage, start by ordering a grande vanilla bean Frappuccino, and ask your barista to blend in some dried blackberries. Next, ask for one pump of raspberry syrup in the blender. As your drink is blending, ask your barista to add one scoop of matcha to the bottom of your cup, and another scoop on top of the whipped cream once it has been added to your beverage. The result: a beautifully blended purple and green beverage that adds a bit of Halloween energy to your day.
Although the pandemic has added some challenges to celebrating a normally social holiday, these creative ways to get into the Halloween spirit ensures that this year’s spooky season does not go unnoticed! COVID19 does not mean that Halloween is canceled and that we can’t find ways to have fun. These alternative activities to add some holiday spirit into your life can help to add some smiles and memories to make sure that Halloween is still a treat, while safely navigating the tricks of COVID.