Add Halloween to Your Placencia Bucket List!

By ELYSIA DIAL Placencia Halloween Expert, Former Placencia BTIA Exec. Director & The Placencia Breeze Editor Emeritus elysiadial@gmail.com

One of my favourite things as a kid – and let's be honest with ourselves – as an adult too, is Halloween. The really scary stuff I could do without, but the costumes, the jack o’ lanterns, the trick-or-treating and the candy haul? Yes!

In the early 90s when my family and I moved to Placencia, I don't remember Halloween being much of a thing. There was no trick-or-treating in the more rural community back then, just a small Halloween fair. Fast forward to the 2000s, and adult Halloween parties began taking form. They are so popular now, that some people travel to Placencia from around Belize and from abroad just for the experience!

Moreover, the trick-or-treating where residents and restaurant owners, prep for a tidal wave of monsters and fairies, could rival that of any North American suburb.

Trick-or-Treating:

Here's how seriously we take trick-or-treating! Placencia Village primary school, St. John's Anglican Memorial, will announce the date for the spooky creatures to fetch their candy loot, especially since Halloween doesn't always fall on the most convenient days of the week, and teachers may not want their students to be super hyper from the sugar rush on a Tuesday morning.

Little George Jackson takes trick-or-treating to another level, expertly driving his toy car down the village sidewalk.

YSELA ZABANEH

Notes go home to parents informing them of the date, and there are also a few posts about it on the Placencia grapevine (a.k.a. Facebook). Groups of parents will chaperone hordes of kids hunting for Halloween treats in the village. If you plan to give out treats from your home, leave your yard light on and be prepared for the onslaught of little princesses, ninjas, ghouls and vampires.

They will come. There's a lot of them, and each one is even cuter or scarier than the next. Business places have also jumped on the trick-or -treating bandwagon, and the kids already have their top selections! We know who their favorites are, but we're not going to tell! Just ask one of the kids, and you'll find out where the good stuff is. If you are NOT planning on giving out Halloween treats, leave your yard lights off and your doors closed. Know that the children of the village will think of you as a Halloween version of the Grinch .... Just kidding, but there is nothing worse than having to tell trick-or-treaters there is no candy to be had .... you will get the stink eye. You have been warned!

And if you're visiting Placencia, go out for dinner on trick-or-treating night. The food might take a little slower to arrive at your table when the owner or staff is trying to give candy to all the critters, but you will enjoy every second of the spooktacular spectacle. Bringing your kids? Pack their costumes and let them know Placencia is a Halloween wonderland!

Kids Halloween Parade:

Kids crowd inside the Tipsy Tuna after the Halloween Parade for a costume contest.

Don't miss the kick-butt Halloween parade organized by community volunteers Kathy Anglin-Wade and Tracy Eiley who have rightfully earned a reputation as local child event experts! This fun young "Thriller" dance of sorts, will be held this year on Halloween and should start around 4:30 p.m. It ends at the Tipsy Tuna Seaside and Sports Bar where the kids can win great prizes at a costume contest you don't want to miss! Their creativity will blow you away!

Costumes and Adult Halloween Parties:

The Disney Villains captured the prize for best group costume at the 2017 Barefoot Bar party. (Photo by: DOMINIC DELANEY) Below: The Avatars made a hit in 2010.

The creative energy that goes into costumes here in Placencia certainly rivals anything you will see in North America. Planning begins months in advance. This goes for kids and maybe even more so, for the adults. Group costumes are really BIG. There are also a few individuals who have developed a following for their ingenious creations each year. Many bars on the peninsula host Halloween Parties. You'll find the big ones at Barefoot Beach Bar, Tipsy Tuna Seaside and Sports Bar and The Flying Pig, and they tend to get a little wild!

Most parties offer prizes for creative costumes. One of the best costumes I've seen was that of two visitors who bought several rolls of toilet paper and showed up as mummies, a Halloween classic! Over the years we've seen Shrek, Princess Fiona, Avatars, Minions, the Village People and a Biker Gang.▪

Contributing Writer Elysia Dial will be waiting for you along with her sisters at this year's Barefoot Halloween Party!

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