You can have fun and remain safe from COVID-19
Boo! A ghost suddenly appears at State and Ortega streets. While Halloween can’t be celebrated traditionally this year, there are still many ways to celebrate safely, whether it’s virtual or in person and socially distanced.
While this Halloween won’t look like years past, there are still safe ways to celebrate the spooky holiday while adhering to COVID-19 restrictions.
For example, local pumpkin patches provide a safe, outdoor activity to get in the Halloween spirit. In Santa Barbara County, residents have three options.
Lane Farms Pumpkin Patch in Santa Barbara is open through Oct. 31 from noon to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the weekends. With free admission, attendees can enjoy farm animals, a corn maze and the produce stand. The patch is at 308 S. Walnut Lane. See lanefarmssb.com for more information.
Big Wave Dave’s Pumpkin Patch at La Cumbre Plaza is also open through the holiday from noon to 9 p.m., offering kids activities, photo opportunities and a large selection of pumpkins, with a cost-free admission.
Montecito Country Mart Pumpkin Patch on Coast Village Road is open as well on Halloween. Attendees can also enjoy the mall’s shops and restaurants.
Meerkats and other animals are welcoming guests during Spooky Zoo, a safe “spell-ebration.”
And local residents can participate in events and activities — some virtual and some in person.
Santa Barbara Ghost Tours is offering a “Dead of the Night” tour for $35 and a “Downtown Paranormal Wine and Spirits” tour for $55. Tourists can enjoy spooky stories of local resident ghosts.
The Santa Barbara Zoo is holding “Spooky Zoo,” an opportunity to dress up and visit the animals and enjoy spooky decorations, photo opportunities, tasty treats and “boo-zy” adult beverages. Online reservations are required at sbzoo.org.
Through Sunday, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is holding “Halloween Museum Mysteries.” Participants will receive a clue kit with hidden messages and a scavenger hunt throughout the museum.
The museum will also have bottle rocket launches and spooky science experiments. Online reservations are required for the museum, which is at 2559 Puesta del Sol. The website is www.sbnature.org.
Lane Farms Pumpkin Patch is open through Oct. 31 at 308 S. Walnut Lane in Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara HypeCats is holding a virtual haunted Halloween costume dance party from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday. The event is free and open to all ages, and will feature live DJ tunes from Scott Topper. Online registration is required; see www.hypecats.com.
World Dance for Humanity is also holding a virtual dance fest on Halloween, called “Thrills & Chills” at 3 p.m. Participants can learn Thriller and other Halloween dances and record themselves to be a part of a video montage. For more information, see worlddanceforhumanity.org/thrills-chills-halloween-event-2020.
In Goleta, Fairview Gardens is holding its Halloween Door Dash from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. Attendees will parade in costumes and safely trick or treat throughout the farm, located at 598 N. Fairview Ave.
As part of Halloween at the Library week, the Goleta Valley Library is holding Baby & Toddler Halloween Storytime at 11:15 a.m. today, Halloween Treat Tutorial at 1 p.m. on Friday and a Monster Mash Dance Party on Halloween at 2 p.m. Interested parties can also participate in the Literary Pumpkin Contest, where children and teens are invited to decorate pumpkins with their favorite book characters and upload a photo to the Facebook page.
For more information, go to www.cityofgoleta.org/city-hall/goleta-valley-library.
World Dance for Humanity is holding a virtual dance fest on Halloween, called “Thrills & Chills” at 3 p.m. Participants can learn Thriller and other Halloween dances and record themselves to be a part of a video montage.
Elsewhere, families can participate in a neighborhood DIY Halloween Bike Ride, using Family Walk & Roll neighborhood routes established by SBBike and COAST. For more information, go to sbbike.org.
Lucidity Festival is hosting “Halloween at Home: Virtually Lucid in Isla Vista,” which will feature DJ sets, live acts, open mic, a costume contest and more. The event will take place between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. Oct. 30 and 31. The festival is open to the public with pre-registration for a backstage Zoom room, and it will be livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube and Twitch.
Finally, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department advises against traditional trick-or-treating and large gatherings.
Officials suggest family Halloween movie nights, drive-in theaters such as West Wind in Goleta, virtual costume parties, virtual craft projects and contests and/or car parades.
email: gmccormick@newspress.com
