Witches, vampires and other monsters are invited to head to Life Science Centre in Newcastle this half-term (24 October - 1 November), with would-be trick-or-treaters encouraged to wear their fancy dress to the visitor attraction for an alternative, safe Halloween experience.
Linda Conlon, Chief Executive of Life, said: "Families are understandably anxious about trick-or-treating this year, so we've put together a fun Halloween experience in the science centre. With significantly reduced visitor numbers, a one-way route and lots of cleaning and sanitising, we can offer a COVID Secure experience this half-term."
Recognising that fancy dress is the best bit of Halloween, Life is encouraging visitors of all ages to come in their best scary costumes.
Visitors are encouraged to take a selfie in their fancy dress when they visit and to post on Instagram using #LifeSpookyScience. The visitor who gets the most likes on their post by midday on 5 November will win a visit during the school Christmas holidays*.
A highlight of the Halloween programme at Life this half-term is its first live show since the start of lockdown: Spooky Science.
For the Spooky Science show, Life is creating a campfire storytelling vibe to explore things that go bump in the night. Did something just flutter behind you? What is that eerie light? Do you hear what I hear? Visitors will explore why it's often your own imagination that spooks you the most.
Linda said: "We want everyone to be safe and to feel comfortable, so we've reimagined some of our spaces in these strange times. For the science show, we're using the big conferencing suite that usually hosts weddings and Christmas parties so that the audience can be socially-distanced.
"We're luckier than some venues in having an onsite meetings and events business with large rooms that we can use to offer more space to visitors."
Click here for the full Halloween programme and to buy tickets (online advance purchase only).
* Terms and conditions apply. Please see our Instagram post for details.