Happy Halloween Team!
By Kobe Gallagher Tulloch, Newsletter editor
The housing market.
Midterms.
The surprising number of calories in a Halloween-sized chocolate bar.
Horror is in the air around Calgary, and the same is true for this Halloween edition of the Calgary Journal newsletter. You’ll get a dose of regular news as well, that’s horrifying enough in its own right, but most of the newsletter this week will have a Halloween spin as we try and help you get the most out of the holiday.
On the docket
- Trick or treating on the decline.
- Halloween is here, but the news week keeps ticking.
- Really quite unnecessarily going off the record.
The Calgary Journal is going as Edward Scissorhands this year, and trying to scratch your back as much as you scratch ours. You can enter to win $100 by taking our active living survey! I won’t be mad if you don’t. I’m already entered, I want to win the money. But I will be disappointed. What’s scarier than that?
— Kobe
Is trick-or-treating on the decline?
By Kobe Gallagher Tulloch, Newsletter editor
Are there fewer trick or treaters on the street than there used to be? About half of Canadians seem to think so. Polling before last Halloween by the Angus Reid Institute showed that 54 per cent of the Canadian population believed less kids were hitting the streets in 2023 than there were a decade ago.
Locally, this seems to be a volatile statistic, depending on the neighbourhood you lived in. Postmedia attempts a yearly Halloween kid count, last year pointing to high numbers in McKenzie Towne, Auburn Bay, Mahogany, Garrison Woods, Currie Barracks, Evanston and Cougar Ridge. However, with only 419 responses, it is difficult to tell if that paints a broader picture of the city’s trick or treating reality. 81 of those responders are also potential outliers, handing out full-size candy bars backed by a substantial Halloween budget.
This seems to point to a growing trend of of ‘Halloween tourism’. Once bound to local neighbourhoods, trick or treaters seem to be driving out of their way to hit reputable hot spots, known for quality candy payouts. This is exemplified by an Auburn Bay household that has become famous in Calgary and beyond as the “Soda Family.”
For over a decade, the household has been handing out full two-litre sized pop bottles to trick or treaters, attracting incredible attention both on social media and their front door step. In 2023, the family saw a turnout of roughly 3,500, giving out 1,800 bottles of soda. The household almost ended the yearly tradition, announcing in September that they wouldn’t be giving soda out this Halloween, citing not financial issues, but labour ones. The workload was overwhelming, especially as the number of visitors increased year by year. A combination of public outcry and corporate sponsorships brought the Soda Family back in the game, and the additional media attention has them expecting over 4,500 visitors this Thursday. The number of visitors from outside the neighbourhood are so high that the area is being closed to non-local traffic, at both Autumn Gate and Autumn Close.
Driving to get the good stuff is far from the only reason Halloween numbers seem to be shifting. Established neighbourhoods, where families having been living for decades, may very well just be seeing the children that previously hit the neighbourhood houses age-out of the practice. Community events have appeared across the city where families can take their children to trick or treat in a more controlled environment.
The same survey saw half of Canadians believing in lower trick or treater rates, also reported that 70 per cent of parents will have their children door knocking for candy. For those with good candy, and better branding, there seems to be plenty of trick or treaters to go around.
The Newsweek Index
Around town
(Except this time, it’s spooky)
By Charlotte Vos, A&E editor
Until Nov. 3
Ricardo’s Hideaway Nightmare Before Christmas Pop-Up
Ricardo’s Hideaway is hosting a night of horror – including ghoulish drinks, decor, and music. And on Nov. 2, neighbouring National on 17th is co-hosting a dance party that is sure to send a chill down your spine. Want to know more or make a reservation to catch this frightfully fun event? Click here.
Oct. 30
Trick or Trivia at Lougheed House
Lougheed House is hosting a free, no-registration-required Trick or Trivia! If you’ve got a thrilling amount of knowledge about past true crime, current creeps, then get your trivia on and learn more about Trick or Trivia and other ghoulish events hosted at Lougheed House here.
Oct. 31
Mayor’s Halloween Storytime
Halloween isn’t just for the grown-ups and the trivia geeks – kids need some spook-tastic fun, too! Mayor Gondek is coming to the Calgary Public Library to join the library staff for Halloween-themed stories, songs, and rhymes. Costumes are highly encouraged. Learn more here.
Oct. 31
Night of the Living Drag
Catch Calgary’s ‘BOO’-tiful Danya Harts at the Night of the Living Drag Show & Danya Harts Birthday Brunch! Hosted by Electric Stage Series, the day promises glitz, glam, glitter, and all things spooky and undead. Get your costumes on and get ready for brunch, drag festivities, and a celebration of Danya Harts’ birthday. Get your tickets here.
Oct. 31
Halloween Night Hike
What is spookier than a night hike on Halloween? The Weaselhead Preservation Society is hosting a night hike on Halloween night. Running up to 4.5 kilometres, hikers will learn about Calgary’s nocturnal critters, including owls, bats, and flying squirrels! Lace up your hiking boots, grab a flashlight or headlight (preferably with a red light to have less impact on the wildlife!) and make sure you get your tickets here.
A glance at the Journal
An endangered sport and tradition
A clash between tradition and regulation unfolds across the rural plains of Canada’s western heritage. […]
Fans gather to celebrate the life of One Direction star Liam Payne
After the tragic passing of singer Liam Payne , fans around the world found ways […]
Calgary’s hot new sandwich spot doing brisk business since grand opening
Scozzafava’s Deli sold 500 sandwiches on their first day and they’re still selling out. The […]
Meet the masthead
If you’re following us on TikTok, (you should be) you might recognize the in-house-influencer we’re interviewing this week.
Meet Halluma, the Journal’s Social Media Editor!
Kobe Tulloch: Can you introduce yourself for me?
Halluma Seklani: Hello, I’m Halluma Seklani, I’m a fourth-year journalism student, and I….. I’m the social media editor! Yes! I totally forgot about that.
What brought you into journalism?
So, I am Arab. We have been represented in the media, especially post 9/11, I felt like we were being talked about without being us having a voice in it at all. I went into journalism with the goal to be the voice for my people.
Do you have a favourite piece you’ve gotten published on the journal?
Yes, I do. It’s about safe and legal infant surrender in Calgary. It’s called Hope’s Cradle. It’s the first of its kind in Calgary, usually people have been illegally and unsafely abandoning their babies, leading to infant deaths. The city decided that it’s time to do something about it.
I gotta say, out of all of the editor interviews, this has definitely been the most intense. For the Halloween one. “I am representing my people,” we’re talking about the death of infants. This is intense.
I think 9/11 was mentioned. I think we should’ve known.
So. Uh. Halloween.
It is my favourite holiday.
Do you have a favourite Halloween costume?
Velma. 2021. It was part of a partner costume. He dressed up as Shaggy, I dressed up as Velma. I did it justice. This is off the record, but for our editor Halloween costume gig, I’m going as [REDACTED].
…Did you just go off the record in our newsletter, ‘what’s your favourite Halloween costume,’ interview? That’s crazy.
It’s a surprise. They can’t know.
Stay tuned to the Calgary Journal TikTok to see what costume was worth going off the record!
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