How to Celebrate Halloween During COVID-19

Photo: iStock.com/gpointstudio

Halloween is an exciting time of year for both kids and adults – we dress up in costumes, visit neighbors for sweet treats and carve pumpkins, among many other fun fall activities. However, COVID-19 & the new delta variant has made some of those traditional activities a bit more difficult. But don’t worry, we’re sharing new and exciting ways for you to celebrate Halloween, while still staying safe and socially distant!

1. Trick or Treat With a Twist

The classic tradition of kids wandering up to homes and joyfully accepting candy isn’t a super-safe idea during these uncertain times, but have no fear, an alternative is here! Instead of requiring kids to come to your door and reach into a common bowl, set up a table on your porch or driveway and set out plastic baggies or favor bags, each filled with small candies. This way, there are no grabby hands in a bowl, yet kids still get their sweet treat.

Pro tip: Leave a bottle of hand sanitizer on the table for those who might want to take a squirt, and set up a sign that lets kids know to only take one bag.

Popular Halloween Favor Bags

2. Enjoy Costumes from Afar

Whichever way you are passing out candy, make sure you don’t miss out on the costumes by staying inside! Set up chairs on your porch or in your garage so that you can see the costumes going by and applaud them, but from a safe distance of course.

Pro tip: If you’re looking to create your own Halloween costume this year, check out our DIY Mermaid Halloween Costume project!

Popular Halloween Leggings as Costumes

3. Carve Pumpkins as a Family

This Halloween activity is still one that you should do, even during COVID! Pick up a pumpkin on your next trip to the grocery store, and as a family, decorate them by cutting out eyes, a mouth and a nose. If you want to go the extra mile, use glitter glue, paint or other craft supplies to really make your jack-o’-lantern sing. Check out these 10 simple pumpkin carving alternatives for more ideas!

Pro tip: Share your creations with friends and neighbors by placing them proudly outside your home for all to enjoy! You can even go a step further and organize a “contest” with friends where you all carve your pumpkins, then bring them to a local park or playground to admire them together, from afar. Looking for more family activities? We’ve 10 family-friendly fall activities for you here!

4. Admire the Halloween Decorations

You might not be trick or treating as much this year for safety reasons, but you can still enjoy the decorations around your neighborhood or city! Either on foot or in your car, drive around and gaze at the spooky decorations! You’ll have a great time, while also getting inspiration for your home decorations for next year.

Popular Halloween Decorations for Home

5. Plan a Spooky Scavenger Hunt

If trick or treating isn’t in the cards for you this year, consider an at-home and very safe alternative – a scavenger hunt! Just as you would with easter eggs, hide candy around your home, your backyard and other areas. Set your kids off with their pillowcases or tote bags in hand to find the sweet treats!

Pro tip: You can also hide non-candy options to prevent the inevitable sugar overload! Check out our list of 40 things to put in easter eggs that aren’t candy, which will also apply for this scavenger hunt.

6. Have a Halloween Movie Marathon

COVID-19 or not, Halloween isn’t complete until you’ve watched your favorite spooky movies! For adults, stream a scary movie that will put you in the spirit of the time of year. For families and kids, consider more child-friendly movies like Halloweentown, Hocus Pocus, Nightmare Before Christmas or Coco. Many TV channels have these movies available throughout the month of October, so check your local listings and make your movie plan, using our Best Halloween Movies of All Time article for inspiration!

Pro tip: Disney’s Coco is inspired by the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead or Día de Muertos. Use this movie as an opportunity to teach your kids about how this day is celebrated differently all over the world!

Officially Licensed Halloween Designs

7. Organize a Trunk-or-Treat Event

Historically popular with rural schools and church communities, a trunk-or-treat is the concept of decorating your car alongside your costume, and using that as a place to distribute candy to friends and classmates from a common parking lot as opposed to visiting each individual house. If you want to avoid classic trick or treating, send Halloween invitations to some of your friends and family and organize this type of event! It’s fun for kids, and adults get to join in by decorating a car alongside the costumes.

Pro tip: It can be harder to stay socially distant while you’re handing out candy from your vehicle/scene, so ensure that your costume is paired with a coordinating face mask, and have a bottle or packets of hand sanitizer close by to use after each encounter. Also, feel free to take note of these tips on what to include in a ‘COVID conscious’ invitation.

Popular Halloween Face Masks & Hand Sanitizers

8. Arrange a Virtual Halloween Party

Part of the fun of Halloween is showing off your creative costumes to friends and family, and there’s no reason you can’t still do that this year, albeit virtually! Pick a date and time that works for everyone in your group, and then jump on Zoom or Google Meet to see everyone in their costume! Make it a fashion show of sorts, where each child or family gets to show off their costume one at a time, allowing a few minutes each to explain who or what they are, why they wanted to dress up in this costume and how they made or assembled it.

Popular Virtual Halloween Party Invitations

How are YOU celebrating Halloween?

COVID-19 has already impacted many of our yearly traditions, but with some clever adjustments and socially distant switches, we can all still enjoy Halloween this year! Do you have any other ideas about how you’re planning to celebrate Halloween this year? Share them with us on Instagram using the hashtag #zazzlemade!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in September 2020 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.