The Wenatchee Parks & Recreation Department’s annual Halloween event for families and kids returns for Monday’s All Hallows Eve with a slight twist.

This year, the event is being dubbed as “Halloween On the Plaza,” and instead of being held inside the Wenatchee Convention Center, it will take place outside the facility.

Recreation supervisor, Caryl Andre, says the occasion will still offer all of the same tricks and treats that the city’s traditional and longstanding “Halloween Carnival” has featured for over two decades.

“Along with the Trick or Treat On the Avenue being put on by the Wenatchee Downtown Association (WDA), you can also come to the convention center’s plaza area where there’ll be all kinds of different canopied booths set up with different themes. And the kids can trick or treat, dance a little bit to the music we’ll have going, and just have a lot of fun out in the plaza area.”

During the pandemic, the celebration which draws roughly 2,000 youngsters annually, became a drive-thru style event one year and was blended with the WDA’s annual trick or treating last year.

But despite the lessened severity of the COVID crisis, Andre says the city decided to err on the side of caution by holding the event outdoors this year to aid in continuing to stop the spread of the virus.

“We’re still being a little cautious, so we decided to make it outside but still with plenty of fun. We’re also going to be running a little bit longer than the WDA – we’ll be at the plaza from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.”

As always, there will be plenty of candy and prizes for every child who attends, with or without a costume.

Andre says the city will hand out nearly 400 pounds of candy this year.

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