How to Have a COVID Safe Halloween

Just because COVID is in full gear doesn’t mean Halloween is cancelled! While the holiday might look a little different, there are still safe, pandemic-friendly ways to celebrate with your friends or roommates. Get in the scary spirit with these ideas that you won’t have to give up candy for.

Scary Movie Marathon

Tis’ the season for Hocus Pocus, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Practical Magic. Microwave a bag of popcorn and sit down with your roommates for a watch party of all your favorite Halloween classics. For extra flair, have everyone dress as their favorite character from one of the flicks (p.s.: Target is having a buy-one-get-one sale on witch hats). Want to share the experience with friends without breaking social distancing guidelines? Try a group watch app like Houseparty or Netflix Party.

Pumpkin Painting Palooza

Carving pumpkins is so 2019. Avoid the mess and tedious handiwork by painting your gourds instead! All you need are acrylic paints, brushes, sponges, and a few pages of the Missourian to protect your carpet. Pinterest is my personal favorite crafting resource, making it a hub for pumpkin inspiration. For more ideas, look up tie-dye pumpkins, floral pumpkins, and character pumpkins.

Drive-through Trick-or-Treat

College students may have outgrown door-to-door candy harvesting, but there’s still ways to preserve the trick-or-treat experience from your youth. Organize a drop-off between your friends where you can deliver pre-packaged goodies, like M&M’s or pretzels, to their dorms, apartments, or houses. Score (literal) brownie points by throwing some baked goods into the mix.

Stake out under the full moon

If you’re not frightened by the midnight howls of coyotes, venture outside to watch this year’s Halloween full moon. A full moon on this holiday only occurs once every 19 years, so make it a full experience with blankets, a star-gazing app, and a disposable camera to capture the memories. I’d recommend bundling up, as Columbia’s Saturday forecast will hit a low of 35°.

Zoom Costume Competition

Make your Quarantine-O-Ween high-stakes with a costume competition over Zoom. Try this within your friend group or an organization you’re a part of by creating categories like most punny, most accurate portrayal, and most likely to incite fright. You can even up the ante with a group challenge — just be prepared for a group of six dressed as the Columns.