How to Celebrate Halloween During COVID

Co-authored by Christina Millikin and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: September 16, 2022 References

The Halloween holiday season is well-loved by people of all ages; unfortunately, a lot of Halloween activities involve a lot of face-to-face contact, which isn’t ideal during the COVID-19 outbreak. There’s no need to worry—while things are a little different this season, your family’s Halloween spirit can still stay alive and well. If you’re really worried about the outbreak, there are plenty of festive things you can do from the comfort of your home. If you’d like to hold onto your traditional trick-or-treating routine, take a few extra precautions so your children can enjoy a happy, healthy, and safe Halloween!

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Trick-or-Treating Safely

1
Set ground rules for trick-or-treating to make it as safe as possible. Let your children know that things are going to be a little different this year and that they should be extra careful when they’re grabbing candy. Remind them to keep their distance from other trick-or-treaters and ask them to grab just 1 treat instead of scouring the bowl for their favorite candy.^{[1]
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2
Wear a face mask when you go trick-or-treating. Remind your kids to put on a mask or face covering before hitting the streets. A costume mask is probably won’t protect your child or the people around them, so have each child wear a cloth mask.^{[2]
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- A good mask will have at least 2 layers and will be breathable. Vent-style masks or masks with holes, like a Jason Voorhees hockey mask, won’t cut it.
- Shop or craft a mask with festive, Halloween fabric to encourage your kids to mask up.
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3
Go trick-or-treating in small groups. COVID-19 can be spread through large groups, but you can lower the risk a bit if your child goes trick-or-treating with just a couple of friends.^{[3]
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Research source} Limit the trick-or-treating group to 3-4 kids total, so your child will have a lower risk of passing or catching germs.^{[4]
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- If possible, go trick-or-treating with children whose families practice regular social distancing.
4
Practice social distancing as you trick-or-treat. Chances are, there will be a lot of energetic kids on the streets during Halloween. Whenever possible, encourage your children to stay at least 6 ft (1.8 m) from the other families trick-or-treating, which will help prevent the spread of germs.^{[5]
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- Wait to go up to a home until kids that aren't in your group have moved on.
5
Sanitize your hands often. Bring a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you as your kids go through the neighborhood. If they’re rifling through a big bowl of candy, offer them some hand sanitizer afterward. Remind them to keep their hands clean throughout the night, since they’ll probably be touching a lot of surfaces.^{[6]
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6
Wipe down candy and Halloween goodies just to be safe. There’s not much evidence to show that COVID-19 is spread through candy wrappers, but it never hurts to be careful! Sanitize your child’s candy with a cleaning wipe and let it air out before they chow down.
- Encourage your kids to enjoy their candy once they’re home, not while they’re still trick-or-treating.
7
Encourage children to wash their hands before eating any candy. Remind your kids to wash their hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, which will get rid of any germs. Once their hands are clean, reward them with their hard-earned candy.^{[7]
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Research source} Generally, encourage your kids to eat their sweet treats in moderation, so they have more to enjoy later!^{[8]
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8
Invite neighbors to drop candy on your doorstep as an alternative to traditional trick-or-treating. One-way trick-or-treating may not have the same ring to it, but it’s still a safe option for collecting candy. Talk with your neighbors about dropping off baggies of candy at everyone’s homes instead of having your kids go door-to-door. Your kids can look forward to finding special surprises on their doorstep!^{[9]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Giving out Candy

1
Place your candy in goodie bags so each child gets their own treat. It’s perfectly valid if you’re feeling a bit on edge about Halloween this year, especially when it comes to door-to-door trick-or-treaters. Instead of handing out individual pieces of candy, have small baggies at-the-ready for the kiddos. You can also place these baggies along the edge of your driveway or porch, so you don’t have to have any face-to-face contact with the neighbors.
- If you want to go the extra mile, leave the baggies 6 ft (1.8 m) apart on your driveway.^{[10]
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2
Hang pieces of candy along your fence so kids aren't coming up to your door. Tie individual pieces of candy to string and attach them to any fencing around your yard. Children can get their fill of candy without approaching your doorstep, which is ideal in a COVID-19 environment.^{[11]
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- Consider packing non-edible treats in baggies, in case any neighborhood kids have food allergies.
3
Wear a face covering if you give out candy door-to-door. Try to keep your trick-or-treat interactions as brief as possible, wearing a mask or face covering whenever you open the door. Wash your hands between each trick-or-treater visit, and make sure that the neighborhood kids stay on your porch and don’t enter your home.^{[12]
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- There’s nothing wrong with opting out of trick-or-treating for the season, especially if you feel a bit uneasy about the COVID-19 outbreak.
4
Avoid using large candy bowls. Big bowls hold a bigger risk for spreading germs, especially if the neighborhood kids have some trouble deciding which kinds of candy they want. Pre-portion the candies instead, which is a much more sanitary solution.^{[13]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

At-Home Activities

1
Hang up festive decorations around your home. Invite your kids to help you string up festive lights all around your home, or put up fake spider webs. You can really take your creative juices to the next level with a fog machine, or a tasteful scarecrow in the front yard. Let your kids’ creative energy run wild!^{[14]
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- For a fun twist on classic Halloween decorations, go through some old family photos and hang up some pictures of your old Halloween costumes on the walls of your home.^{[15]
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2
Make tasty, Halloween-themed treats at home. Pick up a bag of tangerines, clementines, or oranges from the grocery store and take off the peel. Grab a small stick of celery and stick it in the center of the fruit, which turns it into an edible pumpkin! You can also decorate a home-made pizza so it looks like a Jack-o-Lantern.
- If you have really young kids at home, check that your treats don’t have any choking hazards.
- Prepare some classic treats at home, like caramel apples, Halloween macarons, iced pumpkin cookies, and more.^{[16]
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3
Carve and decorate pumpkins at home. Pick up a few pumpkins at the pumpkin patch for you and your kids to have some fun with. Help your young kids carve their pumpkins, or supervise your older children as they carve out their design. Your kids might enjoy painting or decorating the pumpkins instead of carving them.^{[17]
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- The seeds inside a pumpkin can be roasted into a tasty snack!
- If you're having anyone over for Halloween, like a small family gathering, plan to have everyone carve pumpkins together. It's a fun activity for parents and kids alike, so it can get everyone a little more engaged.^{[18]
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  Expert Source
  
  Christina Millikin
  Founder & CEO, Glow Events
  Expert Interview. 11 February 2020.}
- You can stick a tea light or battery-powered candle into your pumpkin to give it a cool glow.
4
Hide candy around your home for a fun scavenger hunt. Look for fun, creative places around your home where you can hide treats for your young ones to find. Once you’ve hidden the candy, send your kids on a scavenger hunt to find the treats!^{[19]
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- For instance, you can hide a piece of candy between some couch cushions, or in someone’s shoe.
5
Turn your home into a haunted house for your kids. Invite your kids to help decorate your home to the nines with spooky decorations, like carved pumpkins and ghosts made from pillowcases. Amp up the spookiness with spiders made from bent pipe cleaners and witch hats made with folded paper! Once you’re done, turn down the lights so your kids can “explore” their very own haunted house.^{[20]
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- This is a much safer alternative than visiting a real haunted house.
6
Host a costume party over video chat. Arrange a big video chat or Zoom call with your children and their friends. Turn the party into a costume contest, where all the kids can show off the costumes. You can also invite all the kiddos to play some spooky virtual games together.^{[21]
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- For instance, games like “Werewolf” and “Clue” could be fun, Halloween-themed games for your kids to enjoy!
7
Plan a Halloween-themed movie night with your family. Pick a day in October when everyone in your household is free. Make a plan to watch a bunch of Halloween movies together, where everyone dresses up as their favorite spooky character.^{[22]
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- To add to the fun, invite friends to “watch” the movie with you over video chat.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Safe Community Fun

1
Search for drive-through, Halloween-themed activities in your community. Look online for any local events happening in your town, like a drive-through movie or trunk-or-treat. Focus on activities that are held outdoors, where you and your family can safely social distance while still having a good time.^{[23]
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- Your community might have a “contactless” haunted house or an outdoor movie night.
2
Distance your cars by 6 ft (1.8 m) for trunk-or-treat events. Trunk or treat is a great way for kids to pick up candy without the door-to-door madness on Halloween night. Check that your car is parked a safe distance away from the other vehicles in the parking lot, so there won’t be as many germs spread around.^{[24]
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3
Take part in a “haunted forest” instead of a “haunted house.” Look for a “haunted forest” that’s being held in your community—this is essentially the same thing as a haunted house, but outdoors and in a larger area. If your children are especially fearless, bring them along and see how they fare with this spooky attraction!
4
Host a socially distanced costume parade with your neighborhood. Talk to your neighbors about hosting a costume parade on the weekend, where all the neighborhood kids can show off their Halloween costumes. Remind the kids to stay 6 ft (1.8 m) apart, so they aren’t at risk for spreading germs.^{[25]
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- See if there’s a local park, or another large area in your neighborhood where everyone can meet and stay distanced.
5
Use hand sanitizer before going apple or pumpkin picking. Apple and pumpkin picking are pretty safe activities, especially since they’re outdoors. Try to stay distanced from other people in the area, and sanitize your hands whenever you pick out some apples or pumpkins.

Expert Q&A
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Question

If I want to have a few people over for Halloween, what are some fun family-friendly activities we can do?

Christina Millikin
Founder & CEO, Glow Events
Christina Millikin is the Founder and former CEO of Glow Events, an event planning agency based in San Francisco, California. Glow Events is a boutique event planning firm specializing in full event production and creative design for corporate and social events. Christina has worked with clients such as Salesforce, Heroku, Okta, and Netflix. Glow Events' work has been featured in Martha Stewert Weddings, InStyle, and SanFrancisco Magazine. Christina is an advisor to the management team at Glow, as well as a business advisor for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, and she has a BS in Marketing from the University of Florida.

Christina Millikin

Founder & CEO, Glow Events

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

It's best to plan activities that adults can join in on with their kids, like carving pumpkins together. That way, the parents can be engaged, instead of just watching the kids running around.
Question

Is it okay to have a Halloween-themed movie night by yourself instead of with your family?

Luna Rose

Top Answerer

Absolutely! Family movie nights can be fun, but that's not the only way to have fun. There's nothing wrong with treating yourself to a solo movie night with some Halloween classics. Try making your favorite food or pampering yourself with some DIY activities too if you're in the mood.

Warnings

Don’t wear a costume mask in place of a face covering, unless the mask is made with at least 2 layers of fabric and covers your nose and mouth.

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Stay at home if you or your child is having symptoms of COVID-19, like a fever, cough, sore throat, or body aches.^{[27]
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Remind your kids not share any props or toys with other children.^{[28]
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