HALLOWEEN is becoming more popular with each passing year and the hotels and malls are happy to jump on the bandwagon, offering everything from costume parties to trick or treat, to special Halloween-the med goodies. Here is a listing of some of what is happening in the lead up to Oct. 31.
HOTELS
Edsa Shangri-la Manila has decided to go Mexican with a El Dia De Los Muertos: A Spooky Monstercation party on Oct. 28, starting at 1 p.m. Guests can take a walk through an eerie graveyard adorned with candles and flowers, and witness the corpses become living bones at the hotel’s Marquee and Garden Wing function rooms. Tickets are P2,200 net per person, inclusive of bento snacks, access to the grand dessert buffet, and a string of activities including a magic show, a mini musical light show, a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts booths, a hair and makeup salon, face painting, storytelling, a Lego station, kiddie canvas painting, play houses, inflatables, trick or treating, a photo booth, games and raffle draws, and more. For details call 633-8888 ext. 2895 or e-mail atesl@shangri-la.com.
Marco Polo Hotel’s Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge — located at the 45th floor of the Ortigas hotel — in partnership with Veuve Clicquot, is pouring a golden label Halloween on Oct. 26. Doors open at 8 p.m., with P599 door charge per person. For details, visit www.marcopolohotels.com.
On Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Diamond Hotel Philippines find the secret to happy-ever-after at the Once Upon a Time party. For the price of a ticket — P1,000 nett per person — one gets a take home snack box and access to the Halloween fairy-tale quests and activities, and a chance to win a Lego Grand Showcase in the grand raffle draw. For ticket inquiries, call 528-3000 ext. 8461. They are also available at onlineshopping.diamondhotel.com. Diamond Indulgence members are entitled to a P100 discount for a maximum of four tickets.
Fly or creep on over to Crimson Hotel Filinvest City, Manila as spooky creatures party on Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. and again at 1:30 p.m. A ticket (P1,100 net) gains one access to the Crimson Grand Ballroom Halloween Party, the Monsterrific Snack Buffet, the Monsters on Parade Costume Contest, photo and glam booths, Monsterzilla Activities and Games, and one goes home with a loot bag. Rates per person are at. The Feast of fright at Café Eight from Oct. 26 to 28 will serve a lunch buffet at P1,514 net with free flowing drinks; and dinner buffet at P1,729 net with free flowing drinks. Get 50% discount on the buffet with a purchase of two Halloween Monster Mash tickets. For inquiries, call 863-2222, 0998-961-3409, or e-mail alabang.cafe8res@crimsonhotel.com or cfcmevents@crimsonhotel.com.
Okada Manila celebrates Halloween with costumes and trick-or-treat activities, for ghouls of all ages, with Instagram-worthy installations, virtual reality experiences, live games and activity booths, as well as discounts and deals. From Oct. 26 to Nov. 4, the Crystal Corridor is the venue for Okada Manila’s Scare-tacular Affair. The decorations along Crystal Corridor are complemented by four different kinds of virtual reality (VR) experiences co-created with Samsung’s Intellismart Games. There will also be a timed Scavenger Hunt and a round of Throw the Hoops for prizes. To join, present receipts from any Okada Manila establishment and every P1,000.00 spend gets a ticket to a VR experience and an activity of one’s choice. Shopping and dining deals also abound — apart from special discounts from the JBL and Samsung booths, one can also enjoy great offers from Jo Malone, Lacoste, MAC, Marks and Spencer, Pinks Hotdogs, Pepper Lunch, Medley Buffet, PLAY, and more. For children, there will be two sessions of Halloween fun on Oct. 31 at Play — at 11 a.m. and again at 5 p.m. There will be a costume parade, trick or treat, and special prizes. They can make masks and witch’s hats, join games, and enjoy kid-friendly Halloween movies. The door charge is P900 for children and P300 for adults. Meanwhile, at Cove Manila indoor beach and night club, the Halloween fun will be on Oct. 28, 3 p.m. onwards when it stages Back in Time, a Halloween throwback party. The VIP pass is P1,000, while the sunset pass — which requires guests to be at the venue by 5:30 p.m. — is P500. On Oct. 31, 10:30 p.m. onwards, Grammy award-nominated Paul Van Dyk and DJ Soda will take center stage for the Halloween Haunted Party, a themed celebration of some of their best hits. Tickets are P1,500.00 (early bird) and P2,000. For details visit www.okadamanila.com.
At The Exchange, scary turns to happy on Oct. 31 as Richmonde Ortigas’ bar lounge presents “Fright Night,” an ’80s-inspired Halloween happy hour party. Be spooked by iconic creepy characters from the decade’s pop culture while enjoying the retro music and drink-all-you-can spree of San Miguel beer products, Smirnoff Mule, featured cocktail drinks, white wine, iced tea, and sodas, and binge bar chow. The Halloween Happy Hour is priced at P798 nett and run from 6 to 10 p.m. (the bar chow buffet is available until 9 p.m. only). Live musical entertainment starts at 7:30 p.m. All guests also get the chance to win hotel gift certificates in the raffle. For inquiries and reservations, call 638-7777. Richmonde Hotel Ortigas is located at 21 San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
Shangri-La at the Fort celebrates Boni the Bull’s Royal Adventure for Halloween on Oct. 28, 1:30 p.m., at the Level 5, Adventure Zone. Children in their royal best can take part in the festivities which include a musical spectacle with a banquet of snacks and drinks. Sets of tickets are available at the Adventure Zone reception desk for P2,500 for Adventure Zone members and P3,500 for non-members. Each set includes: two tickets to enter Boni the Bull’s Adventure Zone Kingdom for one child and one adult; access to the Adventure Zone play area and the Halloween activities and games from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.; a goodie bag; and a Trick or Treat adventure around the Shangri-La Retail Arcade at 3:30 p.m. Extra tickets for additional guests are priced at P1,500 per person. Tickets are available until Oct. 28. For details call 820-0888 or e-mail adventurezone.slfm@shangri-la.com.

Travel to a galaxy far, far away on Oct. 28, and help make a difference as The Peninsula Manila teams up with Make a Wish Foundation Philippines for a Halloween fundraiser that will help grant the wishes of children battling critical illnesses. Stay at The Peninsula Manila on Oct. 27 and 28, or dine in Escolta for Sunday Brunch on Oct. 28 and children from age 10 years old and below can sign up for The Peninsula Galactic Halloween party at The Conservatory for free. There will be a face painting session, build-your-own saber and droid classes, and the chikldren can also sign up for the saber training academy, and other fun activities. There will be two sessions to choose from: 10 a.m. to noon, and 2-4 p.m. For details call 887-2888.

Meanwhile, adults can also celebrate Halloween at The Palace Manila. It will be throwing four different Halloween parties to bring every type of Halloween fantasy come to life: XYLO’s Stellar Halloween Ball, The Island Halloween Fiesta, Revel’s sexy Masquerade Motel, and the Yes to the Future Party presented by Yes Please! XYLO’s Stellar Halloween Ball will draw astronauts, neon aliens, funky martians, and EDM  musicians BassJackers. Doors open at 10 p.m. (For reservations, call or text 0917-680-8888.) With music by Kat DJ, Funk Avy, and Knoxville, Revel gets a little naughty with the Masquerade Motel party, with a little help from Hennessy. Doors open at 10 p.m. (For reservations, call or text 0917-550-8888.) The Yes to the Future Party will feature music by Mick Martinez and Sky Dominique. Doors open at 6 p.m. (For reservations call 0917-149-7777.)  Finally, The Island Halloween Fiesta opens its doors at 6 p.m. and features Care Less Music Manila — Kingwaw, Sofia, James Reid, Nadine, Curtismith, and Astro Kidd. (For reservations, call or text 0917-689-8888.)

MALLS
It’s all treats and some tricks at Mandaluyong’s Shangri-la Plaza mall’s Spooktacular Circus where kids can enjoy trick or treating, magic shows, and more, all circus-themed. The festivities will be on Oct. 27 and 28, 1 p.m., at the Grand Atrium, East Atrium, and Luxury Lane. Children can hop aboard the Shang Holiday Express, which starts taking passengers around the Level 4 hallway fronting Muji beginning Oct. 27. For inquiries, call 370-2597/98 or visit www.facebook.com/shangrilaplazaofficial.
Judge Xia Vigor of the ABS-CBN show The Kids’ Choice will give her expert opinion as she will serve as one of the judges in the Araneta Center’s Halloween costume contest on Oct. 28. Cash prizes of up to P5,000 and other gifts are in store for the winners. Children up to 12 years old who wish to join are encouraged to draw inspiration for their “spooky” look from the movie Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween which will be shown in the Gateway Mall Cineplex, Ali Mall Cineplex, and other cinemas nationwide starting Oct. 31. The children who join the contest will be entitled to join the trick or treat around the malls and other side activities. To register, present a single receipt purchase worth P700 dated Oct. 28 from any Araneta Center establishment. Registration starts at 11 a.m. The Araneta Center will also hold a Halloween Sale from Oct. 26 to 28, with deals of up to 70% off in participating stores at the Gateway Mall, Ali Mall, and Farmers Plaza. For more updates, visit www.aranetacenter.net.
Halloween is the to play dress-up and getting stuffed to the gills with sweet treats. Both await children who join the Robinsons Malls’ Costume Contest with freebies and prizes awaiting the child with the scariest yet cutest costume. They can join the Costume Parade and the Kiddie Trick-or-Treat where they can fill their pumpkin pails with chocolates and candies. Celebrate Halloween at Robinsons Malls on the following dates: Oct. 27 at Robinsons Place Lipa, Robinsons Place Tacloban, Robinsons North Tacloban, Robinsons Place Bacolod, Robinsons Place Dumaguete and Robinsons Cybergate Cebu; Oct. 28 at Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Metro East, Forum Robinsons, Robinsons Magnolia, Robinsons Town Mall Malabon, Robinsons Place Las Piñas, Robinsons Starmills Pampanga, Robinsons Place Angeles, Robinsons Place Ilocos, Robinsons Cainta, Robinsons Place Imus, Robinsons Place Palawan, Robinsons Place Roxas, Robinsons Place GenSan, Robinsons Place Iligan, Robinsons Otis, Robinsons Sta. Rosa, Robinsons Tagaytay, Robinsons Place Malolos, Robinsons Place Iloilo, Robinsons Place Antique, Robinsons Place Jaro, Robinsons Place Ormoc, Robinsons Place Dasmariñas, Robinsons Town Mall Los Baños, Robinsons Cebu Fuente and Robinsons Place General Trias; Oct. 29 at Robinsons Place Santiago and Robinsons Place Tuguegarao; Oct. 30 at Robinsons Place Butuan; and on Oct. 31 at Robinsons Place Antipolo, Robinsons Place Pavia, Robinsons Novaliches, Robinsons Place Pangasinan, Robinsons Luisita and Robinsons Place Naga. See the complete lineup of Robinsons Malls’ spooktacular parties and activities at www.robinsonsmalls.com.
Thrill-seeking tykes can have a spellbinding Halloween Trick or Treat Celebration on Oct. 28 at Eastwood City’s Petrified, an annual kids and pets affair. Kids can come in Harry Potter-themed costumes and enjoy activities as Eastwood City turns into a sorcerer’s realm. There are two costume contests — the Magical Robes: Kids Costume Contest and the Stupetfy: Pets Costume Contest — both of which have prizes at stake. Other activities include a magic show, pet talks, and trick or treat, where both children and pets get to haul away Halloween goodies. To join, participating children should present a P500 single purchase receipt from any Eastwood City retail partner from Oct. 26 to 28 to qualify for a Trick or Treat Map, while participating pets are required to present a valid pet pass. Magic begins at 2 p.m. The fun will be held at the Eastwood Mall Open Park at Eastwood City, Libis, QC.
Meanwhile, Forbes Town’s Wicked Woods will be open for exploration on Oct. 27. Adventure-hungry children can visit the magical forest and try the Treasure Hunt, Enchanted Obstacle Course, the VR Experience, and Mystery Box Challenge. They also get to pick their sweet poison by joining DIY activities including designing their own Halloween treats at the dessert decorating class, and more. They can join the Mesmerizing Costume Contest and the Trick or Treat Parade for a chance to win treats. To join, parents can present a P1,000 purchase receipt from any Forbes Town establishment. Registration is ongoing at Forbes Town, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
On Oct. 28 the Boo! Halloween Kids Party will be held at Uptown Bonifacio’s Atrium, which promises to be a fun-filled day of activities such as the Monster Coloring Wall, Cotton Candy Glob, the Leprechaun Gold Hunt, and the Unicorn Glam Station. Children can join the My Little Monster Costume Contest for a chance to win prizes. To liven the monster party, a surprise Enchanted Musical performance is in store. The party ends with the Craveyard Trick or Treat, where children get to ask for candy treats at selected Uptown Mall stores. To join, present single or accumulated purchase receipt worth P1,000 beginning Oct. 15 from any Uptown Bonifacio establishments. The party will be held at Uptown Mall at Uptown Bonifacio, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.
Over at McKinley Hill, the Venice Grand Canal will be filled with fantastic beasts inspired by the newest movie from Warner Brothers, Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindelwald. Children and movie fans alike can view the installations and activities and join the party on Oct. 28 with the Wizard’s Ball Costume Contest. Other activities include the Circus Arcanus Photo Booth, Arts and Crafts Alley, the Trick or Treat Express, and Spells and Stories with Fully Booked. To join, purchase one Fantastic Beast cinema ticket. Registration is ongoing. The party will be held at the Venice Grand Canal at McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.
Southwoods Mall is rolling out the red carpet for the cutest Little MonSTARS. On Oct. 28, celebrity wanna-be’s can join The Spook Squad Costume Contest where children and their parents get to show off their most creative movie-inspired costumes for a chance to win prizes and best dressed awards. Children can also join the Trick or Treat Activity at participating shops and dining establishments beginning 2 p.m. The costume contest begins 4 p.m. Meanwhile, children can test their wits at the Spooktacular Mansion from Oct. 29 to 31, an escape room challenge for the adventurous. To join the activities, present a minimum single purchase receipt worth P500 from Oct. 15. The events are at the Southwoods Mall at Southwoods City, Biñan, Laguna.
For a scenic yet spooktacular Halloween celebration, families can head over to Twin Lakes in Tagaytay and enter the Enchanted Forest on Oct. 28. The party starts at 4 p.m. and includes a magic show, face painting, balloon twisting, a snack buffet, and a bubble show. Trick or Treating starts at 5 p.m. To join, present a P1,000 purchase receipt from any Twin Lakes establishments.
Over at Lucky Chinatown, the focus is on animal characters such as Enchantimals, Hatchimals, and Megabloks with activities such as a matching game, DIY facemasks, a builder challenge, and roving animal rides until Nov. 3. On Oct. 28, 10 a.m., children take part in The Candy Hunt, a meet and greet with Cody of Vtech and Hatchimals, and the ExZOOtic Kiddie Paw-ty Costume Contest, wherein children are encouraged to wear animal costumes. To join, present a P500 single receipt from the merchandise selling at the Lucky Chinatown Atrium at Lucky Chinatown, Binondo, Manila.
The Ortigas Malls — Tiendesitas, Greenhills, and Estancia — celebrate with The Great Halloween Show on Oct. 28, 2-6 p.m., offering a spectacle of magic shows, acrobat exhibitions, and musical performers. A costume contest for children will be held on Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. There will also be games and trick or treating. Registration starts at 11 a.m., customers must present a minimum single or accumulated receipt worth P3,000 from Ortigas Malls from Oct. 25-28 to get one entry pass. Shop and the kids to get fun prizes from partner retailers.

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