Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
RIP Trick-Or-Treating: LA Cancels Halloween
A fan cheers during a game between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers on October 31, 2019. (Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now.
Forget the treats, 2020 is all tricks.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recently released its 2020 Halloween guidelines and the restrictions are grim. Necessary but grim.
After initially banning trick-or-treating, county officials ammended their guidelines. Trick-or-treating is no longer forbidden but it's not recommended. (This story has been updated to reflect those changes.)
The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, South Riverside Avenue. (Sudan Ouyang/ Unsplash)
NOT PERMITTED HALLOWEEN ACTIVITES
- Carnivals
- Festivals
- Haunted houses
- Gatherings or parties with people outside your household, even if the events are held outdoors.
NOT RECOMMENDED HALLOWEEN ACTIVITES
- Door-to-door trick or treating
- "Trunk or treat" events
So how can you celebrate Halloween during this pandemic?
RECOMMENDED HALLOWEEN ACTIVITES
- See spooky movies at drive-in theaters
- Participate in drive-by parades and costume contests
- Check out Halloween-themed installations at outdoor museums
- Dress up your home and yard with Halloween decorations
- Wear a Halloween costume
- Attend online Halloween parties and contests wearing aforementioned costume
Hey, if online Halloween goes as well as online school, it's bound to be a hit!
Sponsored message
COVID-19 has temporarily ruined the best secular holiday of the year, but given that so many people still can't figure out how not to wear racist or offensive Halloween costumes and we're living in a fire-strewn hellscape, maybe being faux-scared on All Hallows' Eve has lost some of its fun.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
