How to celebrate Halloween in a condo

October is quickly coming to a close; but before we graduate into the holiday season to find the likes of ‘goodwill’ and ‘yuletide’ seeping into our vocabularies and spending way too much time (and money) at the mall, many will see a sudden surge of fictional characters coming to life around their neighbourhoods, with excited children and enthusiastic adults donning costumes ranging from funny to frightful. However, how will families celebrate Halloween in a condo?

While there is always the option of going door-to-door trick-or-treating in an adjacent neighbourhood, condo-dwellers are tasked with finding inventive ways to channel the Halloween spirit with less space and more restrictions.

But all is not lost; children who live in condos can still have a top-notch Halloween without sacrificing any beloved traditions. Check out these tips to keep the Halloween spirit alive in a condo:

1)  Deck out your balcony

When it comes to decorating inside your condo, the options are endless. But for many families, space is scarce. So with limited square footage, why not take it outside? Though condo dwellers’ outdoor options are limited to their door and their balcony, each can serve as a festive way to show your Halloween spirit and share it with your neighbours.

Still, be wary of your condo’s stance on outdoor decorations, as some restrict added decorations that can be blown away. If your building does happen to nix your decorating plans, opt for window decals! They’re fun, festive, and so easy to apply that your kids can do it themselves. And most importantly, they’re easy to remove (many condos also have rules against window decals, but they’ll only be up for a few days!).

Nonetheless, festive trinkets around your unit will make up for any restrictions set by your condo board, whether you put pumpkins on display, hang a seasonal banner, or cover your mantle in ghoulish garnishes.

2) Organize the trick-or-treating

With more parents raising children in condos, trick-or-treating is starting to get addressed among condo boards across the city. Presently, most condos don’t allow door-to-door trick-or-treating but keep candy with the concierge. A few buildings in the city allow residents to keep candy in the hallway but that is still quite rare.

If your child is longing for the door-to-door experience, check in with your neighbours to see if they would be interested in getting involved with your Halloween festivities, even if it is just on your floor.

Some condos even offer doorknob hangers in the lobby for residents so that it can be known who is offering candy and which doors trick-or-treaters can knock on. If this isn’t something your condo does, then perhaps you can propose it!

3) Throw a Halloween party

If all else fails, rent out your building’s party room and host an evening of fun for all of the children in your condo. You can get to know your neighbours in a spacious setting and your children can socialize in a closely supervised space and show off their costumes without having to hide behind winter jackets!

This is a great way to bring your condo community together but it requires extra planning. Given that Halloween is a popular holiday for parties, you will have to book the room far in advance and be prepared to put down a deposit and cleaning fee (so it’s probably too late for this year, but there’s always next year).

We hope that these tips help you and your kids have a happy Halloween!