A Few Reminders to Help Keep our Kids Safe this Halloween (Includes Local Halloween Events Taking Place October 31st!)
BE SAFE this Halloween with some Halloween safety tips from Safe Kids Worldwide and the Centers for Disease and Prevention.
Street Smarts!
The frightening fact is that, on average, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year. As a parent or caregiver, here are a few important rules of the road to share with your costumed pedestrians before stepping out.
- Prepare your trick or treater with trick or treat safety items: a flashlight, reflective tape or strips applied to costumes and candy bags, and an emergency contact information card in case they get lost or separated from the group.
- Trick or treat as part of a large group with a responsible adult. Kids 12 and under should never be unattended while trick-or-treating.
- Consider trick-or-treating at a local organized event! We’ve included a list of Cape Cod events below for your convenience.
- Walk on sidewalks whenever possible, or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
- Look both ways before crossing the street at a crosswalk or intersection.
- Walk, don’t run between houses to avoid trips and falls.
- DRIVERS slow down and be alert! Kids are excited on Halloween and may dart into the street. Turn on headlights early in the day to spot kids from further away.
- When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls. Choose face paint over masks when possible. Masks can limit children’s vision.
Treat Smarts!
- Eat only factory-wrapped treats. If you have any doubt about the safety of a treat, throw it out.
- Carrying a glow stick is one way to see and be seen as night wears on, but did you know that the luminescent liquid inside a glow stick is minimally toxic in small amounts? Do not allow children to chew on glow sticks. Symptoms of ingestion can include mouth or throat irritation and vomiting. Better yet take a flashlight.
- Children are curious and put all sorts of things in their mouths. Confusing medicine with candies can make Halloween go from spooky to scary. Practice safe medication storage. Keep all medications and vitamins, including your emergency supply, up and away and out of reach and sight of children to avoid confusion with Halloween treats.
- Halloween can be tricky for children with food allergies. Parents: always read labels (avoid treats without labels), carry an epinephrine auto-injector (if prescribed), and learn more about the Teal Pumpkin Project®, an initiative started by Food Allergy Research and Education to provide non-food treats, such as stickers, school supplies, and small toys, to kids with allergies.
Halloween Events Taking Place on Cape Cod Thursday, October 31, 2024
Instead of taking the neighborhood route, you can always choose to participate in one of Cape Cod’s local Halloween events!
Yarmouth Port Common Halloween Haunt
WHERE: Strawberry Lane, Yarmouth Port
WHEN: October 31, 2024, 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Visit the Captain Bangs Hallet House, Edward Gorey House, Thacher Hall, Winslow-Crocker House, and the Chapter House Inn for treats and some not-so-scary Halloween fun in a safe environment. Join the Yarmouth Port Library in Thacher Hall for a spooky story at 5:30 PM. All ages welcome!
Hyannis Main Street Business Improvement District Safe Halloween Trick or Treat
WHERE: Main Street Hyannis (the road will be closed to traffic!)
WHEN: October 31, 2024, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Hyannis Main Street will be closed to traffic so everyone can safely trick or treat! Main Street businesses will be handing out treats, we can’t wait to see everyone in their costumes, it will be a spooky good time!
15th Annual Trunk or Treat Festival in Wellfleet
WHERE: Wellfleet Drive in Theater, Route 6A in Wellfleet
WHEN: October 31, 2024 from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
FREE and includes FREE HOT DOGS & CIDER
Trunk or Treat is a fun and safe way for children of all ages to trick or treat on Halloween night. We host our Trunk or Treat at the Wellfleet Drive-In and Cinemas in Wellfleet. We line up vehicles in the wooded parking area where families can bring kids to trick or treat from trunk to trunk. All trunks are decorated and are excited to see local families having a great time on Halloween night.
Trunk or Treat, Cape Cod Church
WHERE: Cape Cod Church, 1205 Nathan Ellis Hwy, East Falmouth
WHEN: Tuesday, October 31, from 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
TRUNK-OR-TREAT: a free night of fun for the whole family! Featuring decorated cars, food trucks, community organizations, inflatables, carnival games, face-painting, and LOTS of candy!
