Coronado is replacing door-to-door trick-or-treating with a drive-by option.
Earlier this month, the city outlined a list of Halloween dos and don’ts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We want to celebrate Halloween, but we want to do it safely,” City Manager Blair King told the City Council during a vote on the approved holiday activities.
City staff referred to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and San Diego County health guidelines to come up with a list of recommendations.
Recommended activities include:
- Online parties and contests
- Drive-thru events and car parades
- Halloween movie nights with family
Activities that are not allowed include:
- Door-to-door trick-or-treating
- Haunted houses
- In-person gatherings including block parties and live entertainment
Halloween in Coronado is usually a community-wide affair in which local businesses up and down Orange Avenue distribute candy to children, entire neighborhoods decorate their homes and the city closes the most popular streets to vehicular traffic so trick-or-treaters have a pedestrian-friendly space to walk.
The pandemic prevents Coronado from doing most of that this year.
Instead, the city is trying to spread the holiday spirit by hosting drive-through trick-or-treating sites and different virtual contests through social media.
A total of 600 cars will be able to participate in the drive-thru event from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Halloween. Cars must with the city before attending.
The registration window for Coronado residents closes Oct. 26 for non-residents. The phone number to is (619) 522-7342.
Additionally, the city is hosting two separate Halloween costume contests, one for children and one for pets. The city also has virtual contests for decorations and pumpkin carving, according to Kelly Purvis, a senior management analyst in charge of Cultural Arts for Coronado.
“I’m really excited for Halloween to happen because, you know what, we are not scared of this pandemic,” Purvis told the City Council while announcing the city’s holiday events.
King stressed that the city is officially discouraging anyone from walking door-to-door for candy. He specifically asked residents of the most popular trick-or-treating destinations to keep their lights off this year.
“We are encouraging the residents of Margarita [Avenue] to leave their houses dark this year,” King said.
