Trick or Treat | Fun and surprises for kids at Rizal Park's Halloween Party!

Get ready for an unforgettable Halloween kids party as Rizal Park Hotel once again opens its ballroom doors on October 29, 2023, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The hotel is bringing back the magic of Halloween, turning up the excitement this year to a whole new level with a thrilling lineup of activities and surprises that will keep children and parents alike entertained throughout the day.

For just ₱1000, which admits one kid and one adult companion, attendees will enjoy access to all the festivities including a magic show, puppet show, and a bubble show.

But the fun doesn’t stop there – this Halloween Kids Party is packed with exciting activities for the whole family to enjoy. From the treats parade and photobooth to face painting, inflatables, and a scavenger hunt that will have kids and parents working together to solve riddles and uncover hidden treasures. headtopics.com

All kid attendees are also invited to participate in the Best in Costume contest for a chance to win an overnight stay in a Deluxe Room with breakfast for 2.

Photo credit: Carolina Grabowska on Pexels.

When hunger calls, fear not! This event features food kiosks with delectable treats, with prices starting at ₱100. As an added treat, all ticket holders can avail the lunch or dinner buffet at Cafe Rizal for only P999 on October 29. This year’s Halloween party is sponsored by Tiger Sugar, Advance Paper, Benby Enterprises, Ultrafresh Diapers, and Arce Dairy Ice Cream.

To secure your tickets, call or Viber 09276687839. Purchase now for a day filled with laughter, creativity, and Halloween thrills that will bring families closer together.

 
To know more about Rizal Park Hotel and its facilities follow 

https://www.facebook.com/RizalParkHotel and 

https://www.instagram.com/rizalparkhotel1911/

It’s all treats, no tricks in McDonald’s month-long Monsters and Mysteries Halloween celebration!

Ghostly Greetings from McDonald’s! 

It’s the spookiest time of the year again, and McDonald’s is here to celebrate Halloween, all month long! Starting October 8 until October 28, get a FREE surprise treat with every purchase of a McDonald’s Happy Meal via Dine-in, Drive-Thru, Take-out, or Delivery. Every Happy Meal can elicit nervous giggles or fits of laughter!

A surprise treat comes with every McDonald's Happy Meal!

If the little ones have a knack for thrilling mysteries, the Mystery Monster Boxes will surely pique their curiosity. Experience the excitement of the Mystery Monster Box in person when you stop in for a spell and drop by on your brooms via Dine-in and Ride-Thru!

Monsters & Mysteries at every McDonald's store!

The Halloween surprises won’t end there — a spooktacular Halloween is incomplete without trick-or-treating. McDonald’s is here to help kids get into the Halloween spirit while staying safe through the Monsters and Mysteries Ride-Thru! Let the kids have a fang-tastic celebration by giving them a chance to go trick-or-treating safely.

Drive-Thru at McDonald’s from October 29-31 to get an exciting Halloween item from the Mystery Monster Box for a minimum purchase of Php 250. To remember the ghoul old times, feel free to capture and immortalize the special family moment by taking a picture with the Monsters and Mysteries Photo Frame.

All dressed up for Halloween!

Want to feel the Halloween hype even more? Enjoy the Halloween decorations in select branches that will be “dressing-up” their Drive-Thru lanes!

No tricks—only treats await this Halloween season at McDonald’s! Delve into the unknown and claim surprise treats to fully experience the spooktacular Halloween spirit.

For more information and updates on this offering, visit McDonald’s Philippines Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages.

4 Tips for Throwing a Kid-Friendly Halloween Party.

While Christmas stands front and center as a favorite holiday for kids, Halloween doesn’t shy away from sharing that spotlight. With its promise of delicious candy and incredible costumes, the holiday brings plenty of fun opportunities to the table.

This fact becomes even more profound when you are tasked with throwing a kid-friendly Halloween party. The pressure to plan a perfect evening is so palpable that you can practically taste it. But it isn’t nearly as delicious as any popular Halloween candy.

To help you rise to the occasion and plan a stellar get-together for your child and their friends, here are 4 tips for throwing a Halloween party for kids.

Girls Generation Yuri and EXO Xiumin in SMTown Wonderland 2018,
SM Entertainment's annual Halloween party.

1. Go Big on Invites

No matter what type of event you’re planning, formal invitations stand out as an essential part of the process. This also holds true for Halloween parties, even if you are organizing them for kids. In fact, they are even more prominent when your guests look at the event as the highlight of the season.

By picking fun, warm, and welcoming designs for these invites, you can fulfill the recipients’ expectations without any issues. As long as you maintain a joyful vibe through your chosen design, you can achieve your goal of making the party a memorable event for your child and their friends.

SHINee in 2014, with Jonghyun dressed up as a Titan.

2. Pay Attention to Costumes

When you throw a Halloween party for kids, you need to show you are serious about the event and not brush it off as a silly tradition. The best way to achieve this feat is by finding womens and mens costumes for Halloween to wear during the party.

Regardless of whether you dress up as a space princess or a superhero, this small step can ensure plenty of joy for all your little guests. You can also go a step beyond to match your costume with your child, which can become a Halloween tradition and elevate their joy to no end.

Chanyeol in his Iron Man costume.

3. Set Up Games and Activities

In order to make the party a fun event, make sure to plan some games and activities that can keep your guests busy. This can range from a Halloween pinata to candy Jenga. If your child is excited by the idea of winning prizes, you can tie these games to some sort of reward.

You can also set up a showing of popular movies for kids, ensuring that their time at the party stays free of boredom. It all depends on what your child wants to do. But the more activities you have at the party, the more fun it is for the participants.

Onew as Colonel Sanders.

4. Plan a Big Party Menu

If there’s one thing that kids love more than dressing up, it is eating delicious food that stands apart from home cooking. From burgers to pizza, you can plan a big menu for your party to treat your guests to an enthralling Halloween evening. While the dishes don’t have to be fancy, you need to make sure that they are appetizing for everyone.

To make sure that you aren’t going against any dietary restrictions, you can get in touch with other parents before finalizing your menu. This helps you stay away from uncomfortable and unsafe situations while also keeping your young guests’ wellbeing in mind.

Final Thoughts

Throw in a few decorations, and you can make sure that the party becomes a highly excitable affair for your child and their friends. As a result, you can easily pull off the otherwise complicated task of throwing a memorable yet kid-friendly Halloween party.

How's Your Halloween?

When I was a kid, Halloween was a holiday that was largely unheard of in this country, or at least in the province where I live. I've only seen Halloween celebrations through cartoons and American TV shows, and have always thought how cool it was to be dressing up in fancy costumes and getting candies and chocolates in return.

Fast forward to more than twenty years later, Halloween has become an annual tradition in the Philippines, with parties and events to celebrate the spooks. Although I must admit, this holiday has become a tad too commercialized, and even I have fallen prey to it - lol.

For years, we'd celebrate Halloween by dressing up my son in a costume and taking him to the mall for some trick-or-treat-ing. Here are Yue's costumes through the years:

Halloween 2010.

Yue's first-ever Halloween costume (2010) was a pumpkin. He didn't go trick-or-treat-ing at the mall (he was only two years old then and I thought he would be too young to be doing so), but we did shower him with candies at home.

Halloween 2011.

The following year (2011), we went all-out with his costume and props, and he even entered a costume contest at the mall. His dinosaur get-up won him second place in the Cutest Costume category, by the way. :)

Halloween 2012.

2012 was a tough year for us. Yue got sick several times that year, and was hospitalized thrice between the months of October and November. But he was healthy and well come Halloween, and he dressed up as a Korean prince for the occasion.

Halloween 2014.

We skipped the Halloween festivities in 2013 because we had to attend my godson's birthday party that year. The following year (2014), Yue was back in the game and dressed up as a ninja, a costume that he chose for himself.

Halloween 2015.

In 2015, he went trick-or-treat-ing as Buzz Lightyear. But I'll let you in on a secret... he's not really wearing a costume. Those are PJs, actually, but Yue insisted on wearing them as his 'costume' anyway.

Halloween 2016.

It seemed like we saved the best for last in 2016. Yue dressed up as Darth Vader that year, which would turn out to be his last costume, at least for now. He refuses to wear a costume nowadays, but he still finds joy in trick-or-treating. After all, who would refuse free chocolates and candy?

What diet? Lol!

I was thinking of dressing him up as Finn Balor this year...

Demon King Finn Balor

Should I try this on my baby nephew instead? :)

So how about you, how's your Halloween? I hope your kids had a blast and got tons of candies!

Wordless Wednesday #107 | Little Ninja.

The little man dressed up as a ninja for Halloween.

And came home with a pumpkin filled to the brim!

Foodie Goodie | Spooky Cookie Pops.

Just a few more days 'til Halloween! Are your kids excited to go trick-or-treat-ing this year?
My little man is, as always. He's so looking forward to filling his pumpkin basket to the brim with all sorts of candies and sweet treats.

Now if you're thinking of making some kid-friendly desserts for Halloween, here's a recipe for you. These Spooky Cookie Pops, made with oats, chocolates, and raisins, make great giveaways for the little monsters knocking at your door.

Spooky Cookie Pops

Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6-ounces (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2-1/2 cups quick oats
1 cup Sun-Maid Natural Raisins
3 dozen craft sticks or popsicle sticks
Decorating glaze (recipe below) or 1 tub vanilla frosting
Colored icing tubes or pens

Procedure:
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Combine butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla; beat until well blended.
3. Stir in melted chocolate, flour and baking soda. Mix well.
4. Mix in oats and raisins.
5. Space sticks 4-inches apart on baking sheet.
6. Drop a rounded 2-inch ball of dough onto the end of each stick.
7. Butter the bottom of a glass, dip in flour, and gently press cookie dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Repeat with remaining dough.
8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
9. Cool on pan 3 minutes.
10. Remove with spatula to cool on wire racks.

Decorating Glaze:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 pound (about 3-1/2 cups) powdered sugar
1. Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add milk.
2. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar. (Sift sugar first if it is lumpy.)
3. Stir vigorously with a fork for 3 to 4 minutes until mixture turns white and opaque. Mixture should be thick, smooth and pourable; add ore milk or sugar if needed.
4. Working quickly before glaze stiffens, generously spoon glaze over cookies allowing excess to run off edges.
5. Let set until dry to the touch. Decorate.

As seen on Sun-Maid Raisins website.

Wordless Wednesday #104 | Pumpkins with My Pumpkin.

Scary fun at Ocean Park Hong Kong Halloween Fest 2014!

Halloween is just around the corner, and Ocean Park - Hong Kong's unique, homegrown theme park - is now set to give its visitors a memorable, spook-tacular, scream-tastic experience.

Performers from Ocean Park Hong Kong.

At a media launch held two weeks ago, characters from Ocean Park Hong Kong flew all the way to Manila to give us a sneak peek of their Halloween attractions. Some of the attractions include:

H14 at Thrill Mountain, The Summit.

H14 presented by Modern Education.
Admission to this ultimate haunted attraction will be restricted to persons aged 16 or above, and requires online registration in advance. Those brave enough can take the challenge alone, or go in a group of up to six people. Different from the usual spooks, H14 is designed to challenge the limits of the senses and the fright tolerance of each guest, who must overcome their phobias to complete different tasks as they advance through a series of locked chambers. More hauntingly still, the experience of each guest is specifically customized based on personal information collected before entering the attraction.

Rigor Mortis Live at Cable Car Plaza, The Summit.

Rigor Mortis Live presented by Yahoo! Hong Kong.
Together with film director Juno Mak, this attraction brings to life scenes from his award-winning movie, Rigor Mortis. This attraction will have its guests walking through dark corridors while being chased by a masked vampire.

Horror-wood Studios at Waterfront Plaza.

Horror-wood Studios.
One of Ocean Park's 'transforming attractions', Horror-wood Studios is actually Phantom Studios during daytime. At 5pm, the lighting, music and even the set design will change to reveal a new adventure of terror, thereby transforming the attraction into Horror-wood Studios. After guests leave the attraction, they can review their journey as captured on camera. A selfie video camera is also available for rent – a first for haunted attractions worldwide – so guests can capture and take home their most frightful moments.

Forest of Doom at Thrill Mountain, The Summit.

Forest of Doom.
A second transforming attraction is themed on the forest, changing from Forest of Legends during the day to Forest of Doom in the evening. In both incarnations, guests can collect unique commemorative seals on a complementary Ghost Journal at different spots throughout the attraction.

Chinese Mad-icine Hall at The Abyss, The Summit.

Chinese Mad-icine Hall.

Not for the faint of heart, this 'intense scare' attraction  features floating organs, a maze of corpses, and a mad doctor ready to experiment on his guests.

Doraemon Halloween Party!

Doraemon Halloween Party.
Asia's first Doraemon-themed Halloween attraction, Doraemon Halloween Party is catered to families for some good, clean, child-friendly fun. Doraemon & friends will showcase their new Halloween looks in Asia for the first time at Whiskers Harbour, where they can interact with the visitors.

Halloween fun!

Guests will be able to visit the Doraemon House of Gadgets, featuring his favourite gadgets such as the “Time Machine” and “Anywhere Door”, and take photos with various Doraemon decorations and meet-and-greet the gang of characters. Doraemon fans will also love the Doraemon-themed food and drinks, and merchandise.

During Halloween Fest, guests can enjoy fun and scares all day and night for the price of one regular ticket. As an added treat, Philippine Airlines passengers with valid boarding passes will enjoy a 12-percent discount on Ocean Park admission tickets. This promo will run until December 31, 2014. In addition, Ocean Park visitors can get a 10- to 15-percent discount on admission to 21 other theme parks worldwide, including our very own Enchanted Kingdom.

Foodie Goodie | Jack Skellington Cupcakes.

With the Day of the Dead just around the corner, I'm sure there are lots of Halloween parties happening left and right. If you're hosting one, here's an idea. Spice up (or should I say 'spook up'?) your dessert table with this quirky treat inspired by the king of Halloween himself - Jack Skellington! They make great giveaways for the kids (and kids at heart), too!

Jack Skellington Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter softened
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vinegar

For the frosting
White buttercream frosting
2 toothpicks
Tube of black decorator's icing

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 325 °F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a bowl. combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. Mix on low speed until blended for about 3 minutes.
3. Add in butter, vinegar and eggs 1 at a time until combined. Slowly add milk to batter until completely mixed, scraping down the bowl as you mix.
4. Scoop batter into baking cups filling about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick  inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 to 20 minutes.
5. Frost the cupcakes using the white buttercream.
6. For each cupcake, use the tip of a toothpick to lightly etch the outline of two large Jack Skellington eyes in the frosting.
7. Slowly pipe black decorator's icing onto the etched lines and then fill in the inner circles. Use another toothpick to spread and smooth the icing.
8. Pipe on two short lines for a nose. Next, pipe a long line across the bottom of the cupcake for the mouth. 9. For the finishing spooky touch, randomly top the mouth with a bunch of short icing barbs.

Shared with Food Friday and Food Trip Friday.

Wordless Wednesday #11 | Happy Halloween!

Trick or treat!
The little man and I hied off to the mall today for some Halloween fun. There's a costume contest, a Halloween parade, and of course, trick or treatin'! Here are some photos from the event.

Happy Halloween, folks! :)