Stratford celebrates Halloween with scarehouse, light party, and trick-or-treating

Brothers Romeo, 9, Tyson, 11, and Logan Haub, 12, wait to scare trick-or-treaters in this year's Hall of Horrors in Stratford as part of the annual Stratford Halloween Trail. Photo / Alyssa Smith

It was a frightfully good time in Stratford this All Hallow’s Eve, with a new spooky attraction providing plenty of hauntedly good delights.

As part of the Stratford Halloween Trail, Lauren Haub opened her scarehouse to the public, for trick-or-treaters brave enought to venture through the hallway of horrors.

She said Halloween is her favourite time of the year.

“We have a naturally creepy hallway with a ghost that opens the doors so the idea grew from that.”

That ‘ghost’ was her son Tyson, 11, who had won a free face painting for Halloween from local company Monstrously Beautiful. He and his brothers Romeo and Logan hid in the shadows ready to scare trick-or-treaters.

Image 1 of 19: The team at Creative Printz were kept busy on Halloween, handing out lots of candy to trick-or-treaters. Photo / Ilona Hanne

Haub said all her children enjoy Halloween and after enjoying walking around last year’s Stratford Halloween Trail they were keen to put themselves on the map this year.

“We had so much fun at that event so I thought, why not open the doors to my hall of horrors.”

She said the night was steadily busy.

“It’s been really good. We’ve had a lot of people come through.”

A Halloween alternative was on offer, with the annual MountainView Vineyard Church Light Party taking place in the Stratford War Memorial Centre.

Inside the hall, tamariki enjoyed games, a sausage sizzle and a bouncy castle. MountainView Vineyard’s Corrina Sheed, who runs the church with her husband, John Sheed, said the event was successful.

“We had a lot of kids dressed to the Bluey theme which we were impressed by. It was a really good turnout.”

Mathias, 4, Eliana, 1, and Arielle Anderson, 7, attended the MountainView Vineyard Church Light Party on Thursday, October 31. Photo / Alyssa Smith

Mathias Anderson, 4, and his sisters Arielle, 7, and Eliana, 1, attended the event as Bluey characters. Mathias said they had a lot of fun.

“It was really cool.”

Kellie Bishop dressed up as a grandad and Sarah Bishop as a grandmother with Atreyus Hastings, 5, as The Mandalorian, Aylah Woods, 3, dressed up as Sky from Paw Patrol, Alaaric Dutcliffe, 7, as a gangster and Rhyder Sutcliffe, 6, dressed as a penguin for the Taranaki Pioneer Village Trick Or Treat Night in Stratford on Thursday, October 31. Photo / Alyssa Smith

The Taranaki Pioneer Village Trick or Treat Night was also successful, with families queueing at the door to enter the village for an evening of trick-or-treating fun.

Among the crowd were granny and grandad Kellie and Sarah Bishop with Atreyus Hastings, 5, as The Mandalorian, Aylah Woods, 3, dressed up as Sky from Paw Patrol, Alaaric Dutcliffe, 7, as a gangster and Rhyder Sutcliffe, 6. The group had travelled from New Plymouth to attend, said Kellie.

“We had a lot of fun. It’s such a cool event.”

Taranaki Pioneer Village board member Jon Palmer said the event was successful.

“It was a great success. We had 400 kids come into the village and we handed out 8000 pieces of candy. There were lots of scary outfits and everyone had fun.”

Father Nathaniel Brazil with some of the children who attended the Immaculate Conception Parish’s Saints Day celebration in Stratford on Thursday, October 31. Photo / Alyssa Smith

New to the All Hallows Eve events in Stratford was the Immaculate Conception Parish’s celebration. Father Nathaniel Baziel said the Saint’s Party was the Catholic response to Halloween.

“Instead of dressing up scary, we’re doing the positive alternative by dressing as saints, angels and positive role models.”

The party started with prayer and then the tamariki enjoyed fun games, he said.

“We also discussed the positive values associated with being a Saint or follower of Jesus.”