Outdoor Dining Plan Leads To First Greenport Halloween Village

GREENPORT, NY — Greenport Village business owners are continuing to come up with new and creative ways to find their way forward during the pandemic — and this time, it's a plan sure to delight the little ones as the first-ever Halloween Village is unveiled.

An innovative plan for outdoor seating, "parklets", has allowed dining to expand outdoor to the streets in Greenport — and now the parklets will help set the spooky stage for the Halloween Village fun.

According to members of the Greenport Village Business Improvement District, merchants and businesses are illuminating and decorating their storefronts and parklets to observe Halloween with witches, skeletons, spiders and community carved jack o’ lanterns.

A "trick or treat" event throughout the village will take place on Halloween, which falls on Saturday, October 31, between noon and 3 p.m., with kids able to make stops at participating businesses.

In addition, a scavenger hunt, along with "walking costumed creatures" from the Greenport High School drama club will keep the kids and parents entertained.

Restaurants will offer Halloween-themed food and drink specials to "keep the Halloween feeling going while feeding hungry guys and ghouls," organizers said.

Select business will create spaces for selfies and family photos.

Other activities to make Halloween a fun and memorable time for all will include virtual spooky readings, with "how to” demonstrations posted on the Greenport BID's Instagram site; hashtag photos to #GreenportBIDHalloween.

"With fewer families venturing out for trick-or-treat, they are looking for family friendly alternatives," organizers said in a release. "The Greenport Village BID has led the way with its successful parklet program and continues to innovate ways for families to get out safely while still enjoying what is one of the most popular holidays in the United States."

At the event, coronavirus safety protocols, including mask wearing, social distancing and small group sizes, will be enforced, organizers said.