This year, the annual celebration of Halloween will collide with the beginning of the weekend, on Friday night.
Weekends and Halloween can be a potent mix sometimes, as the activities of young trick-or-treaters collide with those of adults who want to celebrate the end of a work week, and in the case of Halloween, often use it as an occasion for a party.
There are plenty of alternatives available to parents, including a Trick or Treat Parade event at Willowbrook Shopping Centre from 5 to 6 p.m., which for a $2 fee replicates Halloween without the necessity of going outdoors. Another community event will take place at H.D. Stafford Middle School from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Langley Evangelical Free Church holds “trunk or treat,” and offers trunkfuls of candy and hot chocolate to parents and kids in a safe location.
Many children of course love the experience of dressing up and going door-to-door, and there are plenty of ways for them to stay safe. Parents should accompany them, and wearing some type of reflective clothing and carrying flashlights is very helpful as well.
While trick or treating usually doesn’t go on too late, drivers need to be very careful on Friday night. The weather has not been particularly great and it will be very dark, no matter what weather conditions are. Taking some extra precautions will be a good idea.
As fireworks are not being sold in most areas as part of Halloween any longer, there are fewer issues involving their misuse. Nonetheless, there are always a few individuals who manage to get their hands on some fireworks, so caution is encouraged — both for those who set off fireworks, and for those who are in the vicinity.
Police and fire department personnel usually expect a busy Halloween and are likely to be out in force, so those contemplating illegal activities might wish to keep that in mind.
Thinking ahead about how to enjoy Halloween in a safe and responsible way is a good way to ensure that all goes well. It can be a fun evening, but at the same time, it is good to take precautions, given some of the things that inevitably happen that evening — and the fall weather and darkness.
