Halloween is coming soon, in exactly 3 weeks and 2 days, by the way, and I couldn’t be more excited. Halloween is easily on of my favorite holidays and I get so excited to celebrate every year! Unfortunately, COVID-19 has made it a little bit harder to celebrate spooky season. As you guys may have read, the CDC said that going out and trick-or-treating probably isn’t going to be the best idea. They have also reccomended that we all limit gatherings to 10 people or less, which effectively cuts out Halloween parties this year. But just because we have to be careful, doesn’t mean that we can’t have fun! Being in a college dorm makes it that much harder, but I think I’ve compiled a fun list of COVID friendly activities to do this Halloween!
- Watch a Spooky Halloween Movie
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Now, I for one am a big horror fan. Anything scary really gets me in the mood for Halloween. But these spooky movies don’t necessarily have to be horror! In fact, Netflix just released a new murder mystery movie called “Hubie Halloween” with some big name stars like Adam Sandler, Noah Schnapp, China Anne McClain, and many others! I haven’t watched it yet, but I’m definitely excited to see what it’s about! Other classic movies, like Hocus Pocus, my personal favorite, and Beetlejuice are sure to put you into the spooky mood! This is a super fun activity to do with your friends or family on Halloween night!
- Go to a Pumpkin Patch and Carve Your Pumpkins
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Pumpkin patches are easily one of my favorite parts of Halloween! Going out with friends and finding the perfect pumpkin to carve is both COVID friendly and fun! After you pick your pumpkins, you have to do the nasty part, getting the guts out, but it is so worth it once you actually carve the pumpkin to be a jack-o-lantern. Nothing screams Halloween quite like pumpkin carving! This activity may be best for those who live in apartments, but as long as you can put them into a dorm hall without making a mess, they can be dorm friendly as well.
- Do a Virtual Halloween Costume Contest
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We may be unable to have parties together, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all be together! One of the activities I’m doing this year is having a Halloween costume contest with my friends. All you have to do is get on Skype, Zoom, or another virtual calling website, and then get dressed up! Now you and your friends can cast your vote to who won the contest! There’s a million different ways you can do this, and you can change it based on what your friend group likes. You’ll have to provide your own snacks, but at least you know that you’ll like the food!
- Make Halloween Foods
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Y’all know I love some good food, and Halloween doesn’t have to be all about candy! Have a socially distanced cooking get-together with your friends this year! Carmel apples, decorated cupcakes, breads, popcorn balls, and drinks are just a few of the spooky recipies you can find online! Places like Pinterest or even just Google can pull up some delicious recipies for you to try out!
- Decorate your House or Dorm
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I think that one of the easiest ways to feel the most festive is by decorating your house, room, or door for Halloween! As the token broke college student, I know that decorations may not be in the budget. Let me be the first to tell you, Dollar Tree has some of the cutest Halloween decorations for $1. I bought all kinds of things to decorate my dorm room and my door to make my room just a little more festive, and I only spent around $5 for everything. You can also find $0.98 plastic pumpkins from walmart that are totally adorable. To make my room just a little more interactive, I put a bucket of candy outside, individually wrapped, of course, for people to “trick-or-treat” at! It has been a big hit too. Little things like this will make it seem like you aren’t trapped inside this Halloween season.
- Go to Louisville’s Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular
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I have been going to the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular for about 5 years now and let me tell you, it certainly is spectacular. They have thousands of pumpkins set up that artists have carved based on the years theme. While it can be a little expensive, it is totally worth the experience of going to see those pumpkins everywhere. In years past, the Spectacular has been a walk through where hundreds of people are waiting outside to see the jack-o-lanterns. Unfortunately, we can’t do that this year because of COVID. However, they came up with a solution: stay in the cars! This year, the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is entirely drive through where you will be safe from getting sick but can still see the beautiful artistry on all of the pumpkins! Tickets for cars, minivans, and SUVs are $35 and for passenger vans, RVs, and limos are $50. You can expect to stay in line for a little bit, but this is definitely an experience you will want to have!
You may not be able to go bobbing for apples this Halloween, but there are definitely some ways that you can celebrate all things ghostly without getting sick! Halloween is just around the corner, so plan your activities soon!