Come Sunday night, 50 lucky Halloween-goers will be dressing up, hopping in their parents’ cars and heading down to Aeon Academy’s Drive Thru Halloween Trick or Treat.

The event now booked out, the not-for-profit after-school care provider had originally planned an open day with dress-ups and art activities before lockdown forced them to ‘pivot’.

“We thought everyone loves Halloween and people could be all dressed up with nowhere to go,” art director Teffany Thiedeman smiled.

“Although by Sunday things will have opened up, some people may be hesitant or aren’t organised because we’ve all been so stressed out, so this is a nice opportunity for our little community.”

From 6pm to 8pm on Sunday, parents will pull up in their cars and their kids will be led around to the rear entry door of the Academy, wading their way past the smoke, mirrors, and decorations. Yes – there will be a smoke machine in operation!

When they reach they door, they will knock, call ‘trick or treat’, then staff will hand over the parcel, take a photo of them in costume and walk them back to their cars.

Teffany said the event lends itself to the arts-and-crafts-focused after school care provider where role playing and dress-ups is a huge part of what they do.

The children and staff have been eagerly preparing for the drive-through Halloween event, spending all week working on their outfits and decorations in anticipation.

“The kids really get so excited; they love to make decorations,” Teffany said.

“Even if their family isn’t into it, it has a festival feel and after eight weeks of being stuck at home with your parents, kids are really happy to work together and make decorations.”

It’s as much a relief and a bit of fun for staff as it is for the kids, many of whom have only recently returned to work after facing great uncertainty when they lost shifts at the beginning of lockdown.

About 75 per cent of the centre’s kids have been back on site since the start of the week.

“My staff are getting their costumes together and it’s actually really nice for them too because it’s been stressful for them for the last nine weeks,” Teffany said.

“They’d much rather be making papier-mâché props and just doing something fun.”

Fifty gift bags have been made available at a cost of $15 per pack, and the event was booked out during the week. Gift bags are also being handed out for free to people who have fallen on hard times due to the lockdown.

The event has received funding from Mental Health Month.

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