Alternatives for Halloween 2020

If you’re looking for alternative Halloween ideas this year or if you’re simply looking to add a few things to your October bucket list, this list is for you.

Halloween 2020 Alternatives

Whether you decide to do traditional door to door trick or treating or not, here are 15 alternative options to add to your Halloween festivities for Halloween 2020.

1. Spooky movie night

Microwave popcorn and serve it in plastic orange pumpkins then snuggle up on the couch and watch a classic scary movie. Here are a few kid friendly scary movie ideas:

Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest, Ages 3+
It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Ages 5+
Toy Story of Terror, Ages 6+
E.T., Ages 7+
Casper, Ages 8+
Hocus Pocos, Ages 10+

2. Hide boo buckets

Think Easter basket but in an orange pumpkin filled with things like glow sticks spiders, and Hallowen stickers! Hide the buckets in really hard places, turn off the lights and let the kids hunt for their buckets in the dark!

3. Halloween lunch

Buy a roll of scotch tape. Next, wrap every pre packaged food item in it. Then, add sticker wiggle eyes. (Yes, I did say sticker eyes, so much easier!) You made a mummy! Serve it to your children for lunch. Happy Halloween, kids! For more easy Halloween food ideas, check out these non candy Halloween treat ideas.

4. Halloween parade

Round up your neighbors and have a costume parade down your street. Have home owners not participating in the parade hand out candy from their yards.

5. Reverse parade

Have kids sit on the curb and costumed adults parade down the street throwing candy to the kids! Looking for costume ideas, here are 39 DIY adult costumes!

6. Cookie decorating

If you need a little more sugar in your life, add cookie decorating to the halloween shenanigans! An easier alternative is the $8 Trader Joes Haunted House chocolate cookie cookie kit every year. My kids love making it every year! Pro tip: Use a hot glue to set it up. If you don’t have a Trader Joes near you, you can get the haunted house cookie kit on Amazon.

7. Candy sticking

Tape candy to wooden kabob skewers and stick them in your yard. Let kids grab a stick or 2 each! Thanks for the idea, Wendy!

8. Scavenger hunt

We do scavenger hints for all birthdays in our house, so this will absolutely happen for Halloween too. I plan on going with a treasure hunt theme since my son has decided to be a skeleton pirate! Here’s lots more about how to make scavenger hunts for kids.

9. Hide candy

Think Easter Eggs, but Halloween style.

10. Piñata

You can’t go wrong with a piñata filled with candy. Plus, if there is ever a year adults deserve to swat at a piñata with a bat it’s 2020. Here’s a fun pumpkin pinata.

11. Candy Slide

The Wicked Makers built this awesome candy slide that ensures everyone follows proper social distancing guidelines. Plus, it looks amazing! Check out their You Tube channel for the complete tutorial.

12. Decorate pumpkins

Piggie and Elephant are still a big hit in our house, but you can decorate or carve pumpkins any way you like! Check out these 20 unique pumpkin carving ideas.

Virtual Halloween Ideas

13. Virtual costume contest

Gather your friends and family for a virtual Halloween party. Don’t forget to include a glow in the dark dance party and a costume contest! Here are 29 DIY kid Halloween costume ideas.

14. Magic Show

My son attended a Zoom magic show for a birthday friend and the kids has way more fun that I thought they would! Hire a magician or have each family learn a trick or 2 and share it on a Zoom call! My family is obsessed with this magic coloring book.

15. Deliver boo buckets

Again think Easter basket, but with a Halloween twist. Add glow sticks, candy, slime, stickers, pencils, and spiders to a pumpkin basket and deliver it to friends on or before Halloween. Here’s the best deal I’ve seen on Jack-O-Lantern candy baskets.