Halloween is upon us! We’ve had a unique few months in many ways and it goes without saying that Halloween will feel different this year too.
It’s our responsibility to keep ourselves, our communities and our local community of Plymouth safe by following all current restrictions and guidelines. As of 30th October, Plymouth is still a Tier 1 or medium alert level area but cases are on the rise so it is more important than ever to take precautions to protect yourself and others.
Ruth Harrell, Director of Public Health for Plymouth, said: “We all need to take extra care due to the worrying rise in cases of COVID-19 in Plymouth but Halloween is definitely not cancelled this year… There are plenty of ways to make it as fun and frightening as ever, while also keeping safe. We just need to do things a little differently and avoid things can put family members and others at risk.”
Read the full article from Plymouth City Council here
The rule of six applies both indoors and outdoors so traditional Halloween parties and social events should not be taking place. That doesn’t mean that there’s no space for some frightful fun, we’ve compiled just a few ideas of ways that you can have a spooky yet safe Halloween this year.
Pumpkin Carving
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Sometimes the classics are the best, get your household together to carve a pumpkin or two to brighten up your house/flat
Looking for inspiration? Check out these examples.
Make sure you check our EnviroSoc’s gourd-geous pumpkin soup recipe for using up those leftovers!
Tune in to DJ Soc’s Live set on Youtube
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Get your household together and get ready to throw some seriously spooky shapes, DJ Soc are bringing you a one-off DJ set livestreamed through the UPSU Youtube channel. Join us from 7pm here.
Get creative in the kitchen
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Another way you can get your household together is to cook a big Halloween meal to enjoy. Or why not make some scary movie snacks to enjoy together? We love these Halloween cupcakes.
There are loads of recipe ideas on the BBC website here.
Movie Marathon
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Grab some snacks, your flatmates plus a big cushion to hide behind and settle in for a fright fest.
- Not got a Netflix account? There are some programmes and films you can access for free including Stranger Things. Find out more here.
- If you haven’t already, you can also get 6 months of Amazon Prime for free with your student email address (and 50% off after). Find out more here.
Enjoy a creepy cocktail or two in the SU Bar
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From 7pm on Saturday 31st October we'll be offering a selection of creepy cocktails brewed especially for Halloween in your SU Bar. Come on down and try them out:
- Dark & Stormy: Captain Morgans Dark Rum mixed with Cocoa liqueur and topped with Coke (£3.50)
- Poison Apple: Apple Sourz mixed with Corky's Raspberry Glitter and topped with lemonade (£3.50)
- Apocalypse: Blue Curacao mixed with Bacardi and topped with lemonade (£3.50)
- Brain Drain (Shot): Archers layered with Baileys - Looks like a brain and feels like one in the mouth. Are you brave enough? (£2)
Go virtual
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We might not be able to host Halloween house parties this year but why not host a virtual house party, made up of multiple households via Zoom or Skype. Set up a playlist (or tune into the UPSU Youtube channel from 7pm) and enjoy the night without having to brave the weather outside.
And now for something completely different...
Want to give Halloween a miss but looking for something to do on Saturday night? Head down to the SU Bar and watch the Six Nations live. We've extended our opening hours this Saturday so we'll be open from 12pm until 10pm to show the following games:
We’ve made some changes in the SU Bar in line with government guidance for everyone’s safety so come down to your COVID-secure venue where there’s table ordering, social distancing and NHS Track and Trace in place.