Trick-or-treating is for kids. But costumes are for everybody. After all, when adults don a suit at work or a gown at a gala, we are playing a part. On Halloween, however, we get to choose what we wear and, by extension, who or what we’ll be (not to mention whether we’ll participate in the first place.)
So now that we’ve explained why kids and adults alike should participate in the Oct. 31st holiday with no qualms, let’s turn our attention to Maui, where Halloween is a really, really big deal.
Known as the “Mardi Gras of the Pacific,” a massive annual event ran from 1989 to 2007, drawing an estimated 30,000 celebrants each year and pumping millions into local businesses along Front Street in Lahaina, according to an in article posted on About.com. But, as also noted in the report, things got a little out of hand, and the authorities shut the event down from 2008 to 2010.
That was then. After a safe and successful staging for two years straight, the family-friendly Halloween celebration is back in 2013. The children’s parade begins around 3:00 p.m., according the official event website, followed by an all-night costume party that occurs largely along Front Street. Indeed, the famous, and gorgeous, oceanside roadway will be closed to cars, which is one more reason to get there as early as possible in order to find parking.
Although admission is free, the website warns that bars and restaurants may charge a cover. Still, as with Mardi Gras in New Orleans, finding a headquarters from which to watch the festivities and all of the inventive, colorful costumes is worth the price of admission. Perhaps the best perch from which to observe the action is the rooftop bar at Fleetwoods. If you’d rather enjoy the happenings from a slight remove but remain near the thick of things, visit Coolers on Dickinson.
Still worried about safety? The Lahaina Halloween site provides this reassuring fact: “This year, Lahaina will have 80 police officers patrolling on October 31st. Lahaina is probably the safest place to be at on Halloween because of the overwhelming caution of the police force.”
