The COVID-safe ways to celebrate Halloween in Winnipeg
Halloween is just two nights away, and while many will be heading out trick-or-treating, there are other options to celebrate the spookiest night of the year.
For instance, Halloween came early to Grant Park Shopping Centre with a free drive-thru trick-or-treat event Friday afternoon.
"Last year we tried this and it went so well, we decided to do it again," said Corey Quintaine, the mall's marketing manager. "The response has been fantastic."
The shopping centre usually hosts an indoor event, but due to the pandemic, it moved outdoors for families with children 12 and under.
"We wanted to have safety first and foremost, so doing something outside is the best way, and it just gives back to the community," said Quintaine.
Over at the Bear Clan Patrol, members are gearing up to host a safe Halloween event with spooky decorations, activities and plenty of candy.
"I think it's important for the kids and for the community just to get everybody together and celebrate something that's actually a really good time and fun," said interim executive director Kevin Walker.
The den, located at 584 Selkirk Ave., will welcome kids of all ages from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday while following COVID-19 protocols. Members will be heading out into the neighbourhood inviting families to the event, while also giving out something special for those who may not be able to make it.
"Sunday we're going to be starting the patrol at 1 o'clock and we'll be dressed up and going through the community, bringing some candy with us then," said Walker.
Meanwhile, if you're looking for something on the spookier side, the Dalnavert Museum has you covered with its Empty House program, which is a ghost story audio tour. It is also offering a Halloween scavenger hunt for kids. However spots are filling up fast.
If you would rather enjoy Halloween from your own home, the museum also has a program for that.
"We have this really great participation game that is online," said program and marketing director Charlene Van Buekenhout.
"It's like an escape room -- you can do puzzles. It's like a book club because you have to read a short horror story, and if you like the occult or anything to do with the macabre, you'll be into this participation game."
The game was developed last year during the pandemic, but launched for the first time this Halloween season.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.