What to do for Halloween 2020 in Norwich

This Halloween, it is illegal to go door to door and demand candy from the neighbours you would normally avoid eye contact with (a sign I’m too old for this).

It is illegal to be squeezed into a poorly decorated club with sweaty strangers to get your groove on (sounds nightmarish anyway).

And most importantly, it is illegal to invite your best pals, plus their friends of friends over for a spooky house party – unless you have £30,000 to spare and a death wish.

However, if you do fancy some COVID safe freaky fun, Halloween is saved if you only know where to look. Mask up and choose your fright-night entertainment:

Escape Room experiences

When: Run all year round.

Where: Escape Hunt, Clued Up!, Cryptic Escape and History Mystery (Who knew there was such a demand to escape Norwich?)

Nothing will increase your heart rate more than genuinely believing you’ll be locked in a room with your housemates till the end of time. If the threat of 14 days in isolation wasn’t scary enough, frantically piecing together escape clues will definitely show the cracks in your bubble. For those of you who can’t bear the thought of this nightmare, the Escape Hunt offer a virtual version and History Mystery is an outdoor adventure. Student discount can be applied at most venues, so at least this activity won’t frighten your bank account.

Halloween Drive-In Movies

When: Thursday 29^th October to Sunday 1^st November.

Where: Norfolk Showground.

Sealed safe from the monsters outside, enjoy a horror on the big screen from the comfort of your car. Choose from classic old-school scares (the likes of Hocus Pocus and The Addams Family) or truly terrifying vibes (The Exorcist is on offer if you enjoy disturbing sensory experiences). Tickets for one car are more than your average cinema seat price, varying from £19.50-£23.50, so save this for a date worth the expense.

Visit a Pumpkin Patch

When: The majority of farms open now until the 1^st November.

Where: White House Farm, Old Hall Farm, Algy’s Farm Shop, to name a few!

If scary just isn’t your thing, this is the ideal day out to get your autumnal aesthetic on. An experience for the city kids to visit the great outdoors and pretend they’re enjoying farmyard territory for the gram. Check the website before setting off as some places pay on entry, whilst others just charge you for the pumpkin you’ve picked. Continue the experience back at home with a pumpkin carving competition and some pumpkin-flavoured bakes.

The ultimate six person (max) house party

When: No curfew in my gaff Boris.

Where: Your own house, please!

Just because you can’t invite the whole of UEA into your tiny terraced house doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate in spooky style. Unearth your stash of blood-stained, torn, and dishevelled costumes, or perhaps some lingerie if Mean Girls is your vibe. Revisit relics of previous themed pres and nights out, fix them with Frebreeze and party like its 2019. Stock up on the essentials: Eyeball jelly shots, Ouija boards, maybe include a Zoom call across households if you’re lacking in numbers. Dim the lights, crank up the Billie Eilish (‘bury a friend’ gives me chills), and forget about the terrors of everyday student life.

Taken before the six-person rule, RIP

Spooky tour of Norwich

When: Your tour, you decide.

Where: A fine city, a ghost town.

For the history buffs or those who love a real-life massacre story, Norwich has quite a gruesome history. Rona has cancelled professional tours of the medieval city, however, it doesn’t mean you can’t conjure up one of your own. A quick Google search will tell you the most haunted hot spots around the city, enough tales of avenging spirits roaming Elm Hill and William the Conqueror ordering public beheadings to make even the strongest stomach feel queasy.

Drinks

Where: LCR/Bar SU, Prince of Wales Road, The Lanes if you’re edgy.

When: Day drinking is more acceptable than ever so start early until 10pm.

Finally, for those of you who can’t resist a night out, bars are still open for a pre-10pm terror treat. Our beloved LCR and the Bar will always be there, although there is nothing scarier than turning up to full capacity. Town can offer potions and elixirs at Mr. Postles’ Apothecary or the Alchemista for a well-rounded drinking experience. Or to avoid risking a track and trace positive email, concoct your very own witches brew from home.

Never fear, Halloween is still on the cards this year.