The spooky season is almost here, and one city has a plan to make it the best season yet. Halloween in Boston just got a little more festive — and safer — thanks to a program that provides residents with grants to host block parties in their neighborhoods.
So Bostonians, it’s time to pull out your best Halloween party games and put together your most impressive decorations. If there was a spooky block party in my neighborhood, you can bet all your trick-or-treating loot that I’d be there.
The idea of funding doesn’t just look like a friendly ghost. In fact, it grew out of many similar community-building initiatives in the past.
“We’re basically building on the success of the summer block party grant,” Nathalia Benitez Perez, director of Boston Citizens, speaking with local news station WBUR’s Sydney Ko Shi said.
Last fall, the city gave residents permits to host Halloween parties on closed streets.
Now, the city has expanded the program to include $250 Ghost Street Grants to help recipients have some affordable fun. The city recommends using the money to purchase festive items such as candy, pumpkins, decorations and face painting. (Mom, I can please Put a jack-o’-lantern on my cheek?
While it’s sure to cause a stir, the new plan isn’t just about spreading Halloween spirit, it’s also a way to help keep residents safe. By blocking streets to car traffic during such events, the city hopes to protect pedestrians, who studies show are at greater risk of being injured in traffic accidents during Halloween.
“October is one of those months where it’s dark after 6 p.m. We have a lot of families living on the streets and we really want to make it a safe space for everyone,” Perez told WBUR.
Boston residents can find instructions for applying for the Ghost Street Grant on the city’s website, but act fast as the deadline is next Friday, September 20th.
Perez also told WBUR that Bostonians can look for an interactive map of block parties in the weeks leading up to Halloween.
Count me in for Boston Halloween this year! If you’re with me, remember to “pahk your cah” at home.
