Since we moved into our neighborhood last year, I have made it my mission to create community here. I truly want to get to know my neighbors, to have our kids play together, to celebrate holidays together, and be able to have friends that live nearby. To that end, I have been tossing around some ideas to draw neighbors in and create community on Halloween night.
For the Fourth of July, my family went all out with a block party, but I don’t have the time or energy (or money!) in this season to go all out again, so I have been looking for some cheap, easy ideas.
Read on to see what I’ve come up with — hopefully, you can implement some of these community-building Halloween ideas yourself in your own neighborhood!
Move your firepit to your driveway
Give people a place to warm up on those perpetually freezing Halloween nights by having a firepit or patio heater in your driveway!
Have a caramel apple bar
Invite trick-or-treaters to build their own caramel apples! Slice some apples and spear them with skewers for a more manageable caramel apple. Have bowls of toppings such as nuts, chocolate chips, sprinkles, marshmallows, etc. for people to dip their caramel apples into. Something to invite people to spend time in your space will encourage a relationship to develop!
Create a pumpkin ring toss
Buy a few pumpkins with long stems and put together some glow stick rings for an easy-to-make ring toss. Kids can play and have fun while the adults talk and get to know each other! You could even have them earn their Halloween candy by playing the game!
Have hot apple cider or hot chocolate available
Giving people a warm drink to take with them will be so appreciated!
Offer a non-food alternative treat
Be inclusive to all by having non-food treats available for those who need them! These could be things like glow sticks, small tubs of Play-Doh, mini pop-its, bubbles, etc.
Hopefully these ideas can help you make some new friends or get to know old friends a little better! Happy Halloween!
