From Monday 18th to Sunday 31st October, local residents and visitors to Newbury can enjoy Halloween-themed activities across the town centre.
Following the successes of multiple family-focused initiatives in Newbury, including last year’s Halloween Trail and more recently, Newbury’s Family Fun Days, the organisers – Visit Newbury, Parkway Shopping and Kennet Shopping- will be joining forces once again to deliver Halloween in Newbury.
Three key activities will be taking place across the October half-term week, including a Dragon and Wizard visiting the town centre, a Best Dressed Halloween competition, and Parkway Shopping’s free Dragon School*.
Independent businesses, Pageant Party, Newbury’s fancy dress shop on Cheap Street, and Crystalz and Rainbowz at Kennet Shopping, will be taking part in the fun alongside Parkway Shopping to dress up their shop fronts to become one of three ‘Spooky Selfie Spots’ around town.
Visitors are encouraged to take their most ghoulish selfies and snaps at any of these locations in their most prize-worthy Halloween costumes, to be in with a chance of winning prizes** as part of the Best Dressed Halloween competition. To enter, participants must share their photos on social media and tag @VisitNewbury, @ShopatParkway and @KennetShopping between Monday 25th – Sunday 31st October.
On Friday 29th October, children and adults alike can come face-to-face with one of the world’s most well-known mythical monsters, as a lifelike Dragon will be guided through Newbury’s historical streets by a Wizard. The visits will take place at set times across the town centre, with one particular visit strategically located on Cheap Street, an area that typically receives less footfall than Newbury’s busier hotspots and high streets. Visits will take place at Parkway Shopping at 10:30am, Kennet Shopping at 12 noon, Market Place at 2:00pm, and Cheap Street at 3:30pm.
Mandy, owner of Pageant Party, has expressed her excitement at the event, seeing it as a positive opportunity for the town:
I’m looking forward to taking part in Newbury’s Halloween offering this year. Being tucked away on Cheap Street, so many of our wonderful independent businesses, such as Henry and Joe’s, Empire Café, Newbury Emporium, Bravo, The Tasty Plaice, and Ryan’s Antiques, can be forgotten about.
By including Cheap Street as one of the key locations for the Dragon visit, and promoting Pageant Party as one of three Spooky Selfie Spots, I hope visitors will explore this side of town more often as a result.
Alison Drummond, our Operations Manager, added:
We saw huge engagement from the public with our collaborative Halloween Trail last year, and our recent summer events received lots of positive feedback.
We’re confident that this year’s Halloween offering will be big hit among many families, and we sincerely hope that the activities we’re putting on will pay off for the businesses that occupy the respective areas.
* Parkway’s free Dragon School sessions last up to 30 minutes and are suitable for children aged between 4- 10 years old. Spaces are limited and you can reserve your spot by clicking here.
**Prizes TBC, please keep an eye on our Visit Newbury’s social media for updates @VisitNewbury.
For a list of all events taking place in Newbury town centre and beyond, please click here.
