Have you and your family decided not to go trick-or-treating for Halloween this year?

Well, that doesn’t mean Halloween has to be canceled, and maybe, just maybe, it is an opportunity to make it more creative and memorable than just going to your neighbors’ houses and asking for candy.

With alternate Halloween activities such as organizing a neighborhood block party or a trunk-or-treat event, you can make this year special with these great entertainment ideas that are sure to please kids and adults alike.

Halloween Block Party

Organizing a neighborhood block party can be fun and easy. You and your neighbors can set up party booths in driveways and front yards and walk to each Halloween-themed activity. There can be scavenger hunts, fortune tellers, bingo and other games, reading tea leaves, pumpkin carving and the list goes on and on. And there are always those neighbors you just know will create a haunted house in their garage.  It can be as small or as large as you and your neighbors would like and it could be the start of a new neighborhood tradition.

Trunk-or-Treat

Instead of having trick-or-treaters go door to door, Trunk-or-Treat is a relatively new concept invented as a safe alternative and is a perfect outdoor Halloween party idea. Here’s how this fun trick-or-treat idea works. Invite a bunch of families to gather in a parking lot with their car trunks decorated—you could even match the decor theme to your child’s costume. The trick-or-treaters walk from car to car to collect candy and see all the displays. To make it even more exciting, have the adults dress up, too.

Costume Parade

While some kids might enjoy dressing up just for the chance to pretend to be someone else for a day, others might be disappointed to have no one admire their awesome Halloween costumes. You could plan a costume party parade with other kids who live nearby. All the kids can dress up and parade down the street or around the neighborhood while parents watch from their yards. This is an easy way to have a lot of fun and show off those Halloween costumes.

Murder Mystery Party

Another great trick-or-treat alternative is to make this Halloween event a murder mystery. Invite friends and family to hunt for clues together once each player has received their character scripts. You can assign these ahead of time to coordinate with Halloween costumes, or give them out the night of the party and improvise. The more friends and family included, the better. You could even have your guests bring tasty treats and have a family-style buffet.

Visit a Zoo or Aquarium

Many zoos and aquariums offer ‘Boo Lights’ and light up the zoo with Halloween colors and host activities. It’s always fun to walk around and look at the animals with the lights.

Movie Night

If getting dressed up is not your style, how about a Halloween movie streaming party for your friends and family? There’s nothing that gets you into the Halloween spirit like a fun Halloween movie. You can even extend your viewing to other friends or family by watching together on a streaming or social media service.

Cherie Ward is an award-winning Mississippi Gulf Coast journalist with decades of experience in writing and photography. Connect with her by email at chereliseward@gmail.com with story ideas or find her @cherieward on Instagram. She would love to hear from you.

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