Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OCTOBER 28-NOVEMBER 3, 2020 UCW 11 Lavish costumes are one of the hallmarks of Hal- loween. Some people plan their costumes months in advance, and each year inspiration comes from some of the popular memes, movies and conver- sations that have helped shape people's lives. New research from the National Retail Federa- tion says social media has been the biggest influ- ence on costume lists in recent years. Halloween purchases are increasingly inspired by celebrities, friends and neighbors and what these people are doing online. NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in 2019 that 35 percent of consumers surveyed indicated they turned to the internet for Halloween inspiration. ose considering Halloween costumes for 2020 can take a look back at some of the popular costumes of the last few years, based on Google Trends search data. 2016 —e Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles expe- rienced a resurgence of popularity in recent years, and numerous people were searching up turtle- powered costumes in 2016. 2017—Popular television shows "Game of rones" and "Justice League" inspired many cos- tumes in 2017. However, basic animal costumes like mice, horses, bears, deer and dinosaurs also were in demand. 2018 —Disney released the live-action film ver- sion of "Beauty and the Beast" in 2017, but it took another year for the movie to inspire Halloween costumes. Many Belles and Beasts were seen in neighborhoods across the country. 2019 — Comic book characters reigned su- preme in 2019. e popular "Avengers" comic book and movie franchise pushed superheroes to the forefront of costume wish-lists. Spider-Man, or, Loki, Captain America and more were quite popular this year for kids and adults. 2020 —It's no understatement that 2020 has been an unusual year. COVID-19-themed cos- tumes are likely to be seen, including costumes that pay homage to prominent immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci and other first-line medical heroes. No doubt there will also be election-themed costumes with President Donald Trump and Joe Biden costumes, along with representations of the vice president candidates Mike Pence and Kamala Harris. Chances are that mini-RBGs will be out in force paying tribute to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. anks to the small-screen release of "Hamil- ton" in the summer, Alexander Hamilton could be inspiration for theater and history lovers. Kids and adults may also gear Halloween cos- tumes around characters from a galaxy far away thanks to "e Mandalorian." Baby Yoda anyone? Halloween costume inspiration comes from all sources, and many can't wait to don their cos- tumes this year. Halloween celebrations are social by nature, so celebrants will have to get creative if they want to show off their costumes and cash in on candy in 2020. While Halloween will likely include some type of foray into uncharted territory, one relative- ly recent Halloween tradition seems tailor-made for a socially distant Halloween. Trunk-or-treating is a popular Halloween tradi- tion in suburbs and rural areas. During trunk-or- treat celebrations, kids still get to walk around, show off their costumes and go home with candy, but they do so in a more controlled setting. at control makes trunk-or-treating ideal for a socially distant Halloween, and the following are some ways parents can pull off such an event in a way that's safe and fun. Host the event in a big parking lot where it's easy to stay socially distant. If possible, arrange to host the event in a large, empty parking lot so kids can walk from one car to the other without compromising social distancing regulations. Make sure cars are at least six feet apart, and ideally even further apart so families can comfortably maintain their distance from one another. Limit participants. Organizers should limit the number of participants so everyone involved can safely stay six feet apart. If the event is in your neighborhood, residents can organize separate events on a street-by-street basis so kids only visit trunks on their streets. If the event will be in a large parking lot, encourage parents to sign up early and let them know only a limited number of cars will be allowed to park in the lot and partici- pate in the event. Create an age-specific schedule. An age-specific schedule can help par- ticipants have fun and reduce their exposure to other people. Halloween 2020 is on a Saturday, so trunk-or-treat organiz- ers can stagger the times kids are out and about throughout the day. For example, kids between the ages of three and five can trunk-or-treat from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., while those between the ages of six and 10 can trunk-or-treat from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., and so on. Encourage all participants to wear masks. e Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that masks can slow the spread of COVID-19 by protecting Halloween celebrants from people who have the virus but are asymptomatic. Masks also can reduce the likelihood that asymptomatic people unknowingly spread the virus to others. Traditional Halloween masks typically have holes for people's noses, mouths and eyes, so they won't be effective in the fight against COVID-19. Parents and youngsters participating in trunk-or-treat events should wear masks that cover their noses and their mouths and fit snugly against the sides of their faces. Halloween 2020 may be different, but there are still safe, fun ways to celebrate this year. How to host a socially distant trunk-or-treat a STAFF REPORT A look back at popular Halloween costumes and ideas for 2020 a STAFF REPORT EVENTS Traditional costumes like witches and vampires never go out of style, but expect front-line medical workers to be considered superheroes in 2020. Trunk-or-treating can be an ideal way to celebrate the holiday, show off your cos- tume and maintain social distancing in 2020.