Halloween during COVID-19: balancing safe with scary!
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, what happens at Halloween? Here at Evolution it is one of our favourite celebrations but we won´t be holding our usual crew party this year.
The question is: how to celebrate Halloween and stay safe within the local restrictions? We think it’s time to create new traditions on board to keep the SPIRIT and the SPOOKS alive!!
1.- HOST A SUPERYACHT VIRTUAL PARTY
For those of us who were looking forward to hosting an amazing Halloween party, let us not be discouraged! We have you covered with some great party planning tips to have the best Halloween celebration yet, all the while safely sheltered on board:
- Work the isolation factor into your theme – a zombie outbreak, with everyone hiding somewhere to survive. Or take your party to outer space and pretend everyone is in their own spaceship, trying to avoid an alien threat. What is more scary than being alone and not knowing what lurks under the bed or in the shadows?!
- Have all the crew, friends, or family dress up to match the theme and host an online costume contest with a virtual prize (like a gift card) for the winner. Don´t forget that facemasks can be worked very easily into your costume with a bit of creative thinking, see these images to get you started!
- Plan a menu and ask everyone to prepare the same snack or beverage to enjoy together (while apart).
Why not add an extra dimension to your virtual and/or distanced party – Rodney James Piper is a magician who will be hosting his brand-new show live from Salou, Spain and you can join him via the ZOOM App. The show will last just over 35 minutes and is expected to be filled with laughter, suspense, amazement, and surprise.
Private shows also a available, contact tarragona@evolutionagents.com for more information.
2.- CREEPY COCKTAILS!
Everybody on board is set for the virtual party and the only thing left to figure out is: What will everyone be drinking?
Let us help with two of our favorite 2020 Halloween-inspired cocktail recipes (by Town & Country):
OTTO’S 1923
Ingredients
1 oz Johnnie Walker Black Label
.5 oz Kahlua
.25 oz Cynar
1 spoon peanut butter
1 Butterfinger bar
Instructions
Dry shake all ingredients first, then shake with ice and strain over crushed ice. Garnish with Butterfinger crumbles, and half Butterfinger stick.
BLACK CAULDRON
Ingredients
1.5 oz Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila
.75 oz fresh lemon juice
.25 oz sage simple syrup*
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 capsule activated charcoal
Lemon wedge
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
3.- HALLOWEEN-THEMED SCAVENGER HUNT ON BOARD
Since trick or treating is not an option this year, how about setting up a scavenger hunt on board? Along with providing a safe alternative to traditional Halloween activities, scavenger hunts are entertaining and very engaging. It does require a little preparation, but it can be socially distanced and adds some mystery and guesswork to your event.
- Hide Halloween-themed items around the yacht and set your crew off try to find the hidden items either on their own or in socially distancing pairs or teams.
- Map out the clues to where you hid the items. All teams will get the same list of Halloween items to search for throughout the yacht. If you want to make it a competition, see which team can find them first (and take a photo for proof). The winner team gets a prize.
- In order to keep contact to a minimum, send out instructions (but not the list of items) to all crew members ahead of time, so you don’t need to gather everyone together closely to go over rules.
- On the day of the hunt, we suggest delegating one single person to distribute the lists and pens and don´t forget that ghosts and ghouls and witches and weirdos still have a responsibility to wash their hands!
These are just some ideas to show that HALLOWEEN isn´t scared of COVID!!! Share your costumes, games and parties with us, we would love to know how you end up celebrating!
Contact your Evolution Yacht Agents office to get more creative ideas and to meet all your needs to organize your Halloween event onboard.