Strong winds didn’t stop families from enjoying Halloween at Great Neck Plaza on the evening of Friday, Oct. 31. Children debuted their costumes and enjoyed a rock wall, a carnival ride, Halloween-themed games and a plastic pumpkin decorating activity at the event, which was hosted by the Business Improvement District of Great Neck Plaza. The district was planning on bringing in a bouncy castle and a maze, but the wind prevented this from happening.
This marks the first time in years the event was held on the day of Halloween, according to Marnie Ives, president of the Business Improvement District. Usually, the district hosts the event on a Sunday, but because Halloween this year was on a Friday rather than a “school night,” they chose to do it on the actual holiday. This made it “a lot better,” Ives said, as it was possible for kids to attend after trick-or-treating on Middle Neck Road, where storefronts gave out candy.
“When you have it on a Sunday, kids have soccer and parties and all the other things, and you’re competing with that, and their parents have to put them in their costume for another day,” Ives said. “So this is like the day is one and done.”
Ives’ gourmet chocolate store, Kron Chocolatier, was among several businesses that gave out treats.
Attendees enjoyed getting together to celebrate with the Great Neck community. Qiong Lin, who moved to the Great Neck area just over a year ago, brought her 3-year-old son Arden.
“We wanted somewhere where it was really convenient to trick-or-treat without too many steps,” Lin said. “It’s just a nice way to see a lot of people in the same place and get a feel of the community here and join in on the Halloween fun.”
