It’s that time again--time for all the ghouls and goblins to put on their favorite costumes and head out into the neighborhood in search of a little Halloween fun.

But, how will your community prepare? How will the young and young at heart know who is participating in the seasonal festivities? What kinds of activities are there that the whole family – or better yet the whole community – join together and participate in?

Now in a residential or single-family neighborhood the children can go door-to-door looking for a trick or treat simply by looking for decorations or a porch light on. Unfortunately, not all multifamily communities are set up to make it so simple.

So, if you are looking for a few ideas to get your multifamily community in haunted holiday spirit, try these top five picks out:

1. "Participant" Flyers

Try printing out brightly colored "participant" flyers that can be placed on doors to let the kids know which units are handing out candy this year.

A bright orange pumpkin hung on a door will allow those who don’t mind the children coming to their doors the opportunity to enjoy the tradition, while those that would prefer to abstain from the festivities can do so in peace.

2. Door Decorating Contest

While a cute little pumpkin cutout is good, going all out with the spooky door décor can be awesome. Make flyers offering up some sort of prize determined by the staff or even the neighborhood watch participants for the best decorations done by a tenant. Consider signing up for a community Pinterest account to post all the participants’ entries.

3. Community Pumpkin Carving Contest

Since you’re already having one contest, also consider a pumpkin carving contest to the mix. Entice the artists in the community to show their fellow tenant their talents by offering up a unique award for the community’s annual pumpkin carving champion. Judging can be done by the maintenance crew for all the pumpkins left outside their doors on Halloween night. Be sure to snap a few pics for the community Twitter feed.

4. Halloween Snack Time/Party

Use the manager’s office or clubhouse to set up some spooky snacks. Start the festivities at a time when the sun is still up so more people can attend before heading out with the kids. Make it fun by adding a few of your favorite party games with a Halloween twist.

5. A Community Costume Contest

Well, now that you’ve got the community in the spirit and gathered together in the clubhouse for a little fun, why not offer up some cool prizes for the tenants who showed up in their best costume. Break the contest up into categories by age and costume type and take pictures of the winners to post on the community bulletin board as well as the community Facebook page.
What it boils down to is an event – along with any other annual events you can – to build up your communities. By getting everyone to participate in fun, eccentric activities together, they get to know one another and look out for each other. When neighbors get to know each other and socialize, it builds a sense of community that can keep tenants in that community longer because it feels like a home.

How has your community celebrated the Halloween season in the past? What do you plan on doing this year? Do you have any tips or tricks for your fellow multifamily professionals? If so, we’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.