Safe Halloween events in 2020,
It’s the most wonderful time of the year (fine, arguably), but it sure doesn’t look like it. Besides the lovely fall colors being whipped off trees and onto asphalt from near gale-force winds, Halloween sure looks different this year.
“But that’s what they all say,” you say. You’re right. It is what they all say. “They” also all say, “it’s unprecedented.” And, “an upheaval. New normal. Trying times. Uncertain times. Lockdown. Virtual. Remote. Essential. Super-spreaders.”
(And other phrases heavily overused in this 2020th year of the Common Era.)
We prefer terms like mass chaos and cussed-up routines. The quaranfifteen. Excessive drinking. Gone bananas. Exhaustion. Worst year ever.
Pandemic jargon aside, much of the Front Range knows how to do pandemic Halloween right. (We are not looking at you, The Hill. Prove us wrong.)
We’ve compiled a list of festive things to do during this jacked-up time, and as it turns out, we can still have safe fun without being walking Petri dishes.
Editor’s note: The following events have been double-checked, but since COVID likes to change its costume, please be sure to call ahead and confirm events are still going forward before attending.
We’ve made the decision to leave out bar parties and bigger costumed galas and balls in an effort to support what is safe and in line with the Center for Disease Control, which has stated that traditional Halloween activities — like parties and trick-or-treating — can be high-risk for spreading viruses.
So follow the rules. If we get jailed in our houses again for months, I will send the Headless Horseman right to your door. And he will not be there to cuddle. Find full CDC Halloween guidelines here: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-lifecoping/holidays.html#halloween
Boulder
Halloween-themed Gelato You’ll be screaming for these decadent treats.try the Speculoos Cookie Monster, Boneyard Dirt Cup, Swamp Matcha or Rise From The Dead, a coffee-infused creation; prices vary; Gelato Boy, 1433 Pearl St. and 1021 Pearl St., Boulder; gelatoboy.com.
Meet The Spirits The biannual tradition has gone virtual this year with Historic
Boulder allowing folks access to pre-recorded segments, shot at Columbia Cemetery, featuring actors portraying famous Boulderites of years past. Live Q&AS with historians are also included in this year’s offerings at 5 p.m. Oct. 17 and 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Oct. 18; recorded segment released 6 p.m. Oct. 16 and available to watch through Nov. 25; $10-$22; historicboulder.org.
Hallow-vegan Savor a twisted selection of spooky holiday favorites including pumpkin bisque with chili oil, pumpkin butter and grilled bread; Death of a Pumpkin, including fractured pumpkin hummus, splattered spaghetti squash and pomegranate pepita pesto; Cemetery, with steamed vegetable spider roll, sweet pepper romesco, vegetable “headstones” and pomegranate “blood” and “Trick or Treat” for dessert; 5-10 p.m. Oct. 26; Jill’s Restaurant & Bistro, 900 Walnut St., Boulder; $29.95; stjulien.com/eat-drink/jill’s-restaurant-and-bistro-new, 720-406-7399 or book on Open Table.
Spooky Cyber Scavenger Hunt Search the Chautauqua campus for a chance to win prizes by participating in this Halloweenthemed hunt similar to Pokémon GO. When a player approaches a virtual pin, a task will appear on their screen. Tasks will prompt players to answer multiple choice questions, respond to “dad jokes,” take photos or videos identify a song or video clip or act out a scene; 11 a.m. Oct. 31; Chautauqua, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder; free; chautauqua.com.
Jeff and Paige’s Halloween Special This virtual program features one of Boulder’s most beloved musical duos on stage at historic Chautauqua Auditorium. This educational concert/movie offers animation, audience participation, silly character interviews, homemade costumes and science and nature education through original music and theater; 10 a.m. Oct. 23 through Nov. 9; Chautauqua, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder; $12-$15; chautauqua.com.
Munson Farms Pumpkin Patch Peruse the gigantic pumpkin patch at no charge and select from 10 varieties of heirloom pumpkins. Enjoy classic hay rides and a corn maze; 9 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. daily; Munson Farms, 7355 Valmont Road, Boulder; munsonfarms.com.
Banjo Billy’s Walking Ghost Tour Over the course of two hours, journey around locales of Boulder while listening to frightful tales of this mountain town. Masks are required for all guests, no exceptions, and must be worn for the entire length of the tour; 7 p.m. Oct. 31; Meet at the information booth on the Pearl Street Mall and 13th
Strteet; $15-$18; banjobilly.com.
Spooky Munchin Bingo Boulder’s annual Munchin Masquerade has been transformed into a spooky bingo scavenger hunt throughout Boulder’s retail stores. Visit munchkinmasquerade.com to view a bingo card and go on a hunt for the hidden “spooky munchkin” characters. If you get bingo — five in a row — and snap a photo of each one, plus your photo at the booth outside Sunflower Bank, you’ll win a goodie bag; now through Nov. 1; Downtown Boulder; munchkinmasquerade.com .
Halloween Drive-in Movie Enjoy some spooky flicks under the stars. There will be a 6 p.m. showing for younger audiences and an 8:30 p.m. showing for adults and teens. A pre-made treat bag will be included with ticket price. Costumes and car decorations are encouraged. Movies will be voted on by fans; Oct. 31; Flatirons Golf Course, 5706 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder; $10 per vehicle per film; bouldercolorado.gov.
Halloween Block Party Partake in block-party festivities while enjoying some live music courtesy of gypsy jazz and swing band Voodoo Lily. Bring your own cocktail and chair if desired. Costumes and face masks encouraged; 6-9 p.m., Oct. 31; 2861 Ellison Place, Boulder; free; voodoolily.net.
Halloween Stories with Red Thread Playback Theatre Dim the lights, grab your popcorn and hard cider and watch others share scary tales or participate by telling a spooky story of your own without ever leaving the couch. Only 30 people will be attending the livestream show. 7 p.m. Oct. 24; Donation based, suggested up to $15; redthreadplayback.com.
Virtual Pumpkin Carving Contest Show off your skills at a cyber contest for a chance to win a jack-o-lantern pail filled with candy and toys. Also, have the opportunity to win a $100 gift card to AR Workshop Boulder. Post a picture of your pumpkin on your own social media and tag local realtor Jessica Luginbill @jessicaluginbillrealtor #jessicaluginbillrealtor #virtualpumpkincontest and take a digital photo of your carved pumpkin and send it to jessica@luginbillhomes.com by Oct. 21. Voting will begin Oct 21 and end Oct 30.
Erie
Harry Potter Halloween Whether you are on team Slytherin or Ravenclaw, this is one event you can get behind. Don your best Hogwarts attire and visit this one-way walk-through experience that is the next
best thing to a trip to Universal Studios. Candy and toys for trick-or-treat bags will be set out individually throughout the experience. Each fan is asked to limit their selection to two items; 5-9:30 p.m. Oct. 31; 1209 Richards Court, Erie; free; bit.ly/harrypottererie.
Erie Village Pumpkin Carving Contest Carving aficionados have a chance to win big. Pick up a free pumpkin at 1169 St. John Street in Erie on Oct. 23 from 3-6 p.m. Take a picture of the carved masterpiece and upload it and fill out a form at thefowlergroupcolorado.com by midnight Oct. 25; prize for first place is $500, second place is $100 and a greeting yard certificate, third place is $50 and a balloon bouquet.
Anderson Farms Fall Festival and Terror In the Corn/zombie Paintball While many of the fall festival dates have already sold out, folks are encouraged to check the website as more could open up. Enjoy a wagon ride to a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, check out farm animals and much more. A special shopping area that does not require admission to visit has been added. Come nightfall, Zombie Paintball and Terror in the Corn brings the hair-raising spooks; closed Tuesdays; Anderson Farms, 6728 County Road 3-1/4, Erie; $12- $30; children ages 3 and under get in free andersonfarms.com.
Fort Collins
Treatsylvania Take photos in an old barn, traverse a maze and join in safe trick-or-treating with pre-stuffed treat bags; 10 a.m.-noon Oct. 28-31 and 5:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 30; The Farm at Lee Martinez Park, 600 N. Sherwood St., Fort Collins; fcgov.com/recreation.
Greeley
October Movie Nights “Halloween” and “Halloween II” 7 p.m. Oct. 22, “Trick or Treat” and “Rocky Horror Picture Show” 7 p.m. Oct. 29; Millennium Event Center, 815 10th St., Greeley; $20-$25; facebook.com/millenniumeventcenter.
Lafayette
Great Pumpkin Race Decorate a pumpkin and then watch it be launched into the Lazy River at the Bob Burger Recreation Center. Cheer and watch your pumpkin make it to the finish line on a Facebook livestream; 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24; registration $5-$7; cityoflafayette.com.
Fall Festival: Park n’ Flick Tune in to the FM dial and relax from the comfort of your car at this event hosted by the City of Lafayette Recreation Department. Visit the trick-or-treat dispenser prior to the show, then watch a livestream of the Great Pumpkin Race followed by three Halloween cartoons: “Casper the friendly Ghost,” “Toy Story of Terror” and “Scooby Doo, Where are you?” 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24; Bob L. Burger Recreation Center parking lot, 111 W. Baseline Road, Lafayette; free, but vehicle registration is required; cityoflafayette.com. Cottonwood Farms Pumpkin Patch Gather the crew and explore this family farm that has plenty of fall produce and autumn activities. Navigate the 4-acre corn maze or strawbale maze. View farm animals. Wagon rides cost $5 on October weekends for cohort groups only; open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Cottonwood Farms,10600 Isabelle Road, Lafayette; $5; 720-8904766; cottonwoodfarm.com. Halloween @ Wow Play games, take home some slime, get artsy with pumpkin painting and capture the moment at a family photo station. Come dressed up and collect non-candy treats around the museum. Each time slot is limited to 50 guests; 10 a.m.-noon, Oct. 31; WOW Children’s Museum, 110 N. Harrison Ave., Lafayette; $6-$11, free for infants; wowchildrensmuseum.org.
Longmont
Halloween Trunk or Treat Nearly 50 vehicles will have trunks wide open and full of candy for trick-or-treaters at the local farm, organized by Longmont Helping Hands; 4- 6 p.m. Oct. 31; 13117 County Road 3, Longmont; free, but RSVP on Facebook required; bit.ly/longmonttrunkhalloween.
Pumpkin Decorating for Kids Outworld Brewing Get into the Halloween spirit by swinging by the brewery and purchasing a pumpkin to decorate. Bring your pumpkin back between Oct 17-31 and receive a free goodie bag; Outworld Brewing, 1725 Vista View Drive, Longmont; pumpkins cost $1-$5; outworldbrewing.com.
The Bee Hugger Halloween Festivities Pick pumpkins, walk through a sunflower field filled with spooky surprises, check out a haunted Volkswagen Bug yard and feed farm animals. From 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on weekends, folks can take a hayride around the farm and ride the miniature horse Lobo; 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. daily, The Bee Hugger Farm, 12590 Ute Highway, Longmont; free with small fee for select activities; facebook.com/honeyharvestshappiness.
Boos & Brews Halloween 5K Join a “5K-ish” course and enjoy some delicious local beer post-jaunt. Costumes are highly encouraged and prizes will be awarded for each: best male, female, group and dog costume. Kids are welcome to attend for some trickor-treating, as volunteers will be passing out candy; 9 a.m.-noon Oct. 31; Wibby Brewing, 209 Emery St., Longmont; $30; wibbybrewing.com.
Louisville
Pick a Pumpkin and Hay Bale Maze Select the perfect pumpkin from a patch or choose one already harvested. Check out vintage farm trucks, animals, a farm store stocked with seasonal goodies and wander through a hay-bale maze or climb a hay mountain. Pony rides provided by Kodiak Ranch on Saturdays and Sundays for $6 per child; noon-7 p.m. Tuesday-friday, 9 a.m.-7 p. m. Saturday-sunday; 7th Generation Farm, 1536 Courtesy Road, Louisville; $5 entrance fee can be used toward the purchase of a pumpkin; 7thgenerationfarm.com.
Loveland
Scarecrow Scavenger Hunt Cruise around Loveland and seek out more than 30 scarecrows that are hiding around the city. From downtown to Centerra and everywhere in between, the creatures have been designed by local artists; through Oct. 31; various locations, find a map at visitlovelandco.org. To participate in the hunt, take a selfie with the scarecrows and submit them by midnight on Oct. 31 to qualify. Share entries across social media with #Lovelandscarecrow or upload the photos online or email entries to info@visitlovelandco.com; free; visitlovelandco.org.
Loveland Zombie Fest Socially distanced outdoor event will be held in the back parking lot of Aleworks. There will be a food truck and costume contest; 3-6 p.m. Oct. 24, Loveland Aleworks,118 W. 4th St., Loveland; $10 ticket includes first beer; fb.me/e/1elr9on7f.
Ghost Tales Take a guided walking tour of the historic Rialto Theater where visitors will learn about the haunted history and legends if the venue. 7 p.m. Oct. 26-28, 9:30 p.m. Oct. 29, 9 p.m. Oct. 30; A virtual version of the tour will be available for patrons who are not able to utilize the stairs; Rialto Theater, 228 E. 4th St., Loveland; $15; backstagerialto.com.
Noco’s Greatest Drive-thru Trick-or-treat Experience Socially distanced Halloween event for families features safe trick-or-treating from the car as visitors sign up for 30-minute slots. The drive-through Halloween scenes are decorated by local businesses, schools and nonprofits; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 31; The Ranch Events Complex, 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland; free with registration; treventscomplex.com.