Giselle BoehmHave nothing to do this Halloween? We can fix that! The options of cool things going on during Halloween is only limited by your imagination. Don’t waste the one night a year where you can dress like a total slut and have nobody say anything bad about it. Check out The Gateway’s recommendations for the best activities for this Halloween season.
Scare the shit out of trick or treaters
Too often young adults rely on alcohol to make it through the end of October. Drowning their autumn woes in cheap beer and forgetting the true spirit of Halloween. I’m talking about scaring children. It’s rare to find university students with a true passion for scaring anyone, let alone children. Buck the trend of letting kids escape another year without ruining a pair of costume pants. Wait in the shadows for any children to approach your door, and as soon as they begin to chant “trick or treat” release a bloodcurdling howl. It won’t matter what your costume is, what matters is that those kids now have a great story to tell their friends and a new found love for Halloween. – Joshua Hickmore
Go out and make new friends
There’s no better time than Halloween to make new friends. It’s the easiest night of the year to approach a group of people in a bar and immediately strike up a conversation. The flashy costumes, festive drunkenness, and general high spirits make for the perfect social lubricant. Personal judgment is toned way down on Halloween; people are much more willing to openly express themselves. So be free, be yourself, dress up as exactly who you want to be and go make some kick-ass new friends this Halloween, you won’t find a better chance until next Halloween rolls around. – Jason Timmons
Trick or Treating
I don’t care if you’re six, sixteen, or twenty-six, the best thing to do on Halloween is to go trick-or-treating. It’s the one day out of the year when you can dress up like a maniac without people thinking you actually are one and go door-to-door begging for free candy. There’s literally no better way to spend October 31st. If you feel weird about doing it at this age, here’s an easy fix: offer to take a child trick or treating in exchange for half of their candy.* The best part about it is that most neighbourhoods have an early Halloween curfew, which means that you can haul your candy home and then hit up a bar or a costume party, still floating on your sugar high. Who knows, maybe you could even convince someone to come home with you by telling them you’ve got free candy.
*Disclaimer: Please do not kidnap or ask children you do not know to go trick or treating with you. That would be beyond weird, and very out of line. We don’t want anyone to end up in prison because they took this too literally Neither The Gateway nor I condone abduction in any way, even if it’s for the sake of Halloween candy. – Rachael Phillips
Deadmonton Haunted House
You might tell me to speak for myself, but this is the time of year where even the most terrified of the scaredy-cats (AKA me) don’t mind a jump-scare here and there. So, for all you adrenaline junkies out there who want a change from horror movies and bar hopping, Deadmonton House is for you. Located in the old Paramount Theatre, creator Ryan Kozar promises a haunted house that “is not what you’re expecting, and what you’re expecting, you times it by a thousand.” It’s recommended for 12 and up, so don’t go bringing your eight-year-old cousin, even though he swears he can handle it. Admission is $20 at the door, $25 on Halloween weekend. They are open Thursday through Sunday, as well as all of Halloween week. I’d suggest going with a buddy (or five), and prepare to be scared! – Jessica Jack
Egg your asshole neighbors
Do your pesky neighbors think you’re bat shit crazy? probably. Now’s the time to get back at them for throwing salty looks every time you back out of your driveway. So what you trapped their house cat in a porcupine trap? That stupid cat was shitting all over the porch. Hit up your local grocery store for some eggs, but make sure it’s at least a week in advance to make sure you don’t look like a complete degenerate. Halloween night provides the perfect cover for any foul deed. feeling extra bitter? Throw in a roll of toilet paper or two. Cold feet? pay a few kids in full size chocolate bars and they’ll gladly terrorize anyone for you. You’ll have your own personal army – Jon Zilinski
Corn Maze
When Halloweening in YEG, there is nothing more token-prairie-thing-to-do-in-the-fall than go to the goddang corn maze. Yes, the one in Edmonton is closed because a few people died, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go have fun at Prairie Gardens in Bon Accord! There is nothing more ass-numbingly frightening than attempting to navigate out of a maze in pitch dark, with weird noises all around you.
If that wasn’t enough, there are a plethora of haunted houses, dark pathways, and hayrides that can jump-scare to rival the best horror movies. This is completely aside from the fact that you’re in Bon Accord, where it is not just acceptable to be under the influence of your substance of choice, but encouraged.
Admittedly, it is a bit of a trek out to the maze itself, but you won’t be disappointed if you go. – Mitch Sorenson
