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Celebrating Halloween During the COVID-19 Pandemic

A recent survey found that about a quarter of Americans believe gatherings won’t be safe until 2021.

The ongoing pandemic has made many Americans reconsider taking their kids for trick-or-treating this year, and Halloween celebrations may also look unique.

Will folks feel comfortable trick-or-treating during the COVID-19 pandemic? Will there be Halloween parties? Only time will tell, but, in the meantime, we’ve compiled some useful tools so you can safely get your spook on in 2020.

Clever Tips for Halloween Decorating

Whether you want to give your home a complete Halloween makeover or simply keep the spooky decor to a minimum, these DIY Halloween decorating tips should come in handy:

1. Use Candles

Candles are a great way to set a creepy mood for Halloween. White candles look spookiest and are easy to find. Mix and match different sizes and heights of candles and dim the lighting in your house to better see the candle glow and give the rest of your decorations a scary flickering shadow.

2. Focus on One Color Scheme

You can try the usual orange and black color scheme for your decorations to set the Halloween mood in your house. Using alternating bold colors such as black and green or black and silver can help give your home a more sophisticated creepy look.

3. Un-Decorate Before You Decorate

Place Halloween decorations on top of your regular decor can make your house look cluttered. Instead, opt for taking your normal decorations off the walls and tables and replace them with Halloween decorations. Doing so will make the Halloween decorations the center of attention.

4. Decorate With Pumpkins

Instead of using traditional jack-o-lanterns, you can try carving out pumpkins with fun designs and placing them inside as table décor or outside as a welcome sign.

COVID-19 Halloween Ideas: Social Distancing and Family Fun Activities

As the pandemic continues, many Halloween lovers are worried about how this year’s holiday will be impacted.  While it might not be quite the same as your usual trick or treat, you can still have fun and make it special with these family fun Halloween ideas:

Make Fun Costumes

As a break from Halloween decor planning, you and your family can consider creating your own DIY Halloween costumes. Find characters that you will love and have fun.

Turn Your Garage Into a Haunted House

You can turn your garage into a haunted house and have a family Halloween there to bring out the complete trick-or-treating experience. If you’re having friends over, you can keep the party in the garage.

Let Your Pets Play a Part

You can dress up your pets in Halloween costumes to make them a part of the Halloween experience. However, ensure you consider their safety when choosing a costume.

Make Use of What You Have

Repurpose old wood pallets to make a scary graveyard or use empty cans to make lanterns.

Open Haunted Halloween Attractions Near Me: 5 Best Haunted House Attractions Across the Country

If you’d rather not spend Halloween indoors, you can visit some of these open Halloween attractions near you. This is a good way to let out steam after several months of staying indoors. Most of these attractions have incorporated COVID-19 prevention measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Netherworld Haunted House, Atlanta, GA

Netherworld Haunted House attracts visitors from all over the country because of its realistic scenery and high-tech special effects that make you feel like you’re starring in a scary horror movie. They change their themes annually and have continuously brought chills to visitors for years, especially with its two themed attractions: Night of the Gorgon and Cold Blooded.

Bennett’s Curse, Dundalk, MD

Being the only medieval vampire haunted house in the world, Bennett’s Curse offers an unforgettable Halloween experience with enthusiastic actors, best-in-class special effects, and original scenes.

Terror Behind the Walls, Philadelphia, PA

Terror Behind the Walls is a haunted house built in Eastern State Penitentiary. The attraction is enclosed within massive 30 feet walls and allows you to experience a lost world of empty guard towers and crumbling cellblocks.

Woods of Terror, Greensboro, NC

With nearly 20,000 annual visitors, Woods of Terror is definitely among the scariest Halloween attractions in America. You can visit the place to hike through haunted trails for an adrenaline rush.

Thrillvania, Terrel, TX

Spread out on over 50 acres, Thrillvania is one of the most popular haunted houses in the country with numerous scary props all over. When visiting, check out Verdun Manor to see if the creepy urban legends turned out to be true.

How to Check if Trick-or-Treating is Happening in Your Area

Before you make Halloween plans, it’s important to first check out the recommended CDC safety guidelines. Also, your state and municipality might have implemented their own guidelines, including curfews or designated areas, to avoid spreading COVID-19.

Although there are no official national hours for Halloween, a recent survey found out that many Americans will trick-or-treat from as early as 6 PM and be done at around 9 PM at the latest. To check your state’s set trick-or-treating hours or curfew, you can either watch your local broadcast news station or check out the municipality’s website before Halloween.

Personal loans for the Halloween season from Mariner Finance

Need a loan to buy your Halloween costumes or materials, a personal loan could come in handy to cover costs.

Apply for a personal loan for this Halloween, from the comfort of your home.

The information provided in this article does not constitute financial advice and is provided for educational purposes only without any express or implied warranty of any kind. This article is not intended as legal, tax, investment, or any other advice, and Mariner Finance does not offer credit repair services. Consider talking with an appropriate qualified professional for specific advice. Blog posts are for informational purposes only.