About 2,600 Provo residents filled the Provo Recreation Center for the city’s annual Halloween carnival on Saturday, Oct. 26.
The carnival has been a Provo tradition for 10 years and entertains a wide variety of ages including children, adults, teenagers and college students.
Event coordinator Aspen Dalton emphasized that they tried to appeal to every age range. She said the carnival’s newest feature is a haunted house, which is hosted in the recreation center’s abandoned pool basement.
“We thought our haunted house would go great with Stranger Things because of the new season this year,” Dalton said. “That has helped us attract a lot more than just little kids and families this year.”
The Provo Recreation Center converted its basketball courts into themed game centers for children while older audiences enjoyed the racquetball courts which had been turned into escape rooms. Other activities included an animal magician show and interactive character events like dancing with Princess Jasmine or learning magic spells from Harry Potter.
Dalton said her favorite part about the Provo Halloween Carnival is that it provides fun for families.
“A lot of families here can’t afford to take their kids to places like Disneyland, so we wanted to create that feeling for children here. One of our basketball courts has a character meet, where kids can meet characters like Elsa or the Addams family,” Dalton said.
Gabe Richardson, a BYU student studying physics, said he enjoyed the haunted house and other carnival activities.
“My mom bought me and my two brothers tickets,” Richardson said. “She told me I needed a break from homework and told me to go to the Halloween carnival.”
Richardson and his younger brothers agreed that the carnival was a great way to spend time away from homework or from sitting at home playing video games.
The Halloween Carnival had 120 employees and volunteers helping coordinate the event.
Liam Hopkin, a year-round lifeguard and swim coach at the recreation center, volunteered as a guider and scarer at the event’s haunted house.
“This event is a lot of fun,” Hopkin said. “It’s helping support the Provo community and there’s something for everyone here.”
Information regarding Provo City’s future events can be found on the community Instagram page @ProvoCityEvents.
