Halloween is a perennial favorite of kids in America, and who can blame them? It’s the one day you’re allowed to take candy from strangers, all while dressed up as your favorite person, animal, or character (or sometimes even object – I still remember the year my brother dressed up as a school bus!). Halloween has gained popularity in Singapore, particularly in the Woodlands neighborhood near Singapore American School, with its relatively high concentration of American families.
Halloween night in Singapore is a sight to behold on the small streets running through the Woodlands neighborhood. The roads are shut down to traffic as hordes of people, children and adults alike, weave through, going house to house for candy. The large houses of the neighborhood are intricately decorated, with some residents going all out with sound effects and smoke machines. A friend who lives in the area gave out 5,000 pieces of candy one year, giving only one piece per person! Take a look at this video from a couple of years ago. It's trick-or-treating like you've never seen before so be sure you hold on to your little ones if you go.
Singapore's Woodlands on Halloween night
Other neighborhoods in Singapore also typically host Halloween trick-or-treating on a smaller scale, including Mimosa Park, Dunearn Estates, and many larger condo developments.
Costumes
If your child has decided early enough what they want to be for Halloween, you can always order online from sites like Amazon or Lazada. But what if they have left it to the week before Halloween? Spotlight already has a large range of costumes and decorations on display. If you’re more of a DIYer and just need a few accents, you can try Daiso and their selection of decorations and accessories. If you’re after something more intricate, check out Ministry of Costumes or Party With Us. For something custom-made, try Awesome Costumes.
What To Do
Don’t want your kids to have a bunch of candy, or have older kids who aren’t so interested in going door-to-door anymore? There are lots of ways to celebrate Halloween without the trick-or-treating.
For the teens and those who like a fright, Universal Studios Singapore offers its annual Halloween Horror Nights, boasting not one but five haunted houses. Be sure to check out the advisory – this is not for the faint of heart!
The Singapore Discovery Centre will host Harrowing Halloween 3, its third annual scarefest. This year’s event features even more terrifying Haunted Houses, as well as an Interactive Scare Zone, all themed around a school.
Peace Centre is offering a unique one-off this year. The mall has been turned into a unique community center aimed at teaching youth about the power of giving back. The fourth floor has been turned into a haunted house appropriate dubbed Rest.In.Peace.Centre Horror Experience and is open Friday-Sunday.
For something a little more active and child-friendly, check out Mummy Madness at Amped Trampoline Park. Sessions will include Halloween games and tattoos, a child-friendly jump scare, and a mummy-themed game.
Ghost hunters will find plenty of places around Singapore reported to be haunted by pontianaks, the spirits of deceased women in Southeast Asian folklore. Some of these areas include Sungei Api Api and Pasir Ris Park; the Nee Soon Rubber Estate near Sembawang; Old Tampines Road; Kubur Kassim, an old Malay cemetery; and Bukit Brown Cemetery.
Whatever you do on Halloween, you can rest assured that this American tradition has been firmly planted in Singapore!