Trick or Treat That Was Then…
I would race home from school so my mom could put together some sort of costume for me then rush to meet my friends to go trick-or-treating. Somehow, by the time I had my own kids, Halloween included much more; carving pumpkins, putting up decorations, more formal costumes, and, of course, trick-or-treating throughout our neighborhood, but not without a parent escort.
This is Now…
Halloween traditions in college are, well, a far cry from the pumpkin carving, candy apple making gatherings we had in our driveway before the kids started their trick-or-treating. Many places, including fraternities, will have parties – all week. Halloween week, I’m not going to lie, it gives a whole new meaning to the BOO in Booze. Keep in mind this is Athens and there is a lot of Halloween-themed partying going on in general. It may not be a bad idea to remind your students of all the nice parts of Halloween and to keep their good judgment about them. A hint to be sure they have all their work done before they go out is wise too.
The part about UGA that makes Halloween so much fun is the fact that it always falls on the Georgia Florida game weekend; which happens to be the same week that UGA holds fall break and gives students Friday off. So typically for most students, Halloween week means spending nights downtown or at fraternities during the week and heading to Gainesville or Saint Simons for the long weekend.
Greek students hold the infamous “Frat Beach” the Friday before GA/FL where students dress up in costumes and hold the biggest party of the year right on the beach. Then they typically wake up and make the trek to Jacksonville to meet the Gators at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
2020 Plans…
We are expecting all of the bars in downtown Athens to have lots of “BOOzy” specials the week leading up to Halloween as well as Halloween weekend, so make sure you prepare for long lines and lots of fun costumes, wigs, and outfits. Otherwise, none of the fraternities will be having any Halloween parties this year like they traditionally do because of COVID-19 and the restrictions that the IFC have put on fraternity houses (no outside guests, no parties, etc). And, as of right now, we do not believe that Frat Beach is happening due to the restrictions from St. Simons Island and UGA, as well as the fact that the GA/FL game is no longer on Halloween weekend.
Athens is still having some fun events, that are all requiring masks and social distancing guidelines to be followed, to keep the spirit of Halloween alive despite current situations:
- Milledge Avenue Baptist Church Annual Pumpkin Patch will be open beginning Sun Oct 4 and will stay open until all of the pumpkins are gone
- The Washington Farms Bogart Pumpkin Patch is open from Sept 19th to Nov 8th (or while the pumpkins last). They have tons of fall activities: corn maze, campfires, pumpkin carving, wagon rides, petting zoo, corn box, etc. that are all open as well, but with social distancing enforced.
- Zombie Farms Haunted Trail is almost a mile long haunted trail that is guaranteed to scare you out of your mind and keep you on your toes. It is not recommended for anyone under the age of 10, and is only open on the weekends, so be sure to book your tickets fast or else they might sell out!
Send a Little Halloween Love by checking out our Halloween Gift Guide.
Happy Halloween from HaveUHeard!
Madeleine Morris, Intern
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