Double double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble. It smells like Halloween is just around the corner! With all the spooky, scary fun, trick-or-treating is an age-old tradition that has to look a little differently today during a pandemic. But just because we have to do it differently today, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! 

Safety first!

Please make sure you follow your local public health guidance. What is safe to do will depend on where you live. Certain hotspots, such as Ottawa, Peel, Toronto and York Region in Ontario and Orange Level areas in New Brunswick, are advised not to go out trick or treating, nor go to a different neighbourhood in order to do so. Other areas can continue with trick-or-treating, but residents should still consider how to maintain public health guidelines at the same time. 

What if we can’t go trick-or-treating?

If you live in a hotspot area or you’re not comfortable going out trick-or-treating, Halloween can still be fun with your own version of trick-or-treating. Why not do a Halloween Candy Hunt, like an Easter Egg hunt? Hide candy and other spooky treats around your home and have everyone go look for them! 

You can also have your own trick-or-treating indoors with just one trick-or-treater and one candy-giver. All you need is a door! You can use a closet door, a washroom door, bedroom door, and even switch doors throughout the night. The best part is the candy-giver can also sneak some treats in while waiting for someone to knock on the door. 

You can also have a virtual Halloween party with friends through a group video chat, decorate your lawns, balconies, doors and/or windows with Halloween decorations, carve pumpkins, or have a Halloween movie night!

Organize a physically distant Halloween costume parade around your neighbourhood! That way, you can show off your amazing costumes while taking a nice walk in the spooky night. Make sure to walk with people in your household, and keep 2 meters away from other people during the parade. 

Go trick or treating safely!

Here are some tips on how to trick or treat safely if you plan on going out or handing out candy.

1. Go out in and stick to your own households.
2. Wash your hands often whether you’re handing out candy or getting candy, and wear a mask. A costume mask is not appropriate.
3. Think outside the box with your costumes! You can get some masks with Halloween designs, or have a similar colour or pattern to your costume. There are also some masks you can use to integrate into your costume. Pair your fabric or medical mask with a Halloween eye mask instead! 
4. Hand out individually wrapped candy. Loot bags are a great way to avoid rummaging through candy bowls, which you can leave on the porch or outside your door. 
5. Use tongs to hand out candy, or even a hockey stick. 
6. Candy chutes are a fun and creative way to hand out candy! Attach a pipe to porch steps. Some local plumbers have been offering to do this in exchange for donations to local food banks or charities. Another alternative is a candy zipline! 
7. If there are other people at a house, wait in lines behind them, 2 m apart. 

What should I wear?

Costumes can still look great with a cloth mask! Here are some ideas you can start with and click the images to see where you can get the pictured masks.

1. Celebrate front-line workers by dressing up as one!

2. Match your costume with a special Halloween fabric mask:

   

   

3. Wear a scary teeth mask!

   

4. Be a superhero with a superhero mask…or supervillain!

We at Science Rendezvous wish you a happy and safe Halloween!