๐ Pip is turning 6, and you are invited
Pumpkin Patch Boo Bash
6!A little-monsters costume party and trick-or-treat trail for ages 3 to 9. Mummy wrap races, pumpkin painting, a treasure-map trail around Maple Court and a snack table that is completely nut-free. Come as anything silly. Nothing gory, we promise.
- ๐ Saturday24 October 2026
- ๐ 2 to 5 pmCostume parade at 3 sharp
- ๐ 82 Maple CourtThe Okafor-Lindqvist backyard
โณ Until the costume parade
๐๏ธ Run of show
Three hours of pure silly
Everything below happens in the backyard and around Maple Court. Times are a guide, but the parade starts at 3:00 sharp because Uncle Dayo's kazoo band has a very tight schedule.
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2:00 pm
Doors open
Check in at the side gate, grab a name tag and your costume number for the contest. Grown-ups who are dropping off sign the sheet here.
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2:15 pm
Craft stations open
Pumpkin painting, the slime lab, bat masks and the mummy wrap race. Smocks are on the hooks. Wander and try everything.
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2:50 pm
Line up, little monsters
Wash paint off hands (mostly), find your costume number and line up by the hay bales. Grown-ups, get your cameras out.
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3:00 pm The big one
Costume parade
Once around the pumpkin patch and down the driveway, led by Uncle Dayo's kazoo band. Roar, flap, wobble or moo. Everybody gets a round of applause.
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3:20 pm
Trick-or-treat trail
Six friendly stops around Maple Court with a stamp card. Takes about 35 minutes, and ages 3 to 5 walk it with a grown-up.
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4:00 pm
Snack time
Ghost cupcakes, mummy dogs and swamp punch on the long table. Every label shows what is in it, and nothing contains nuts.
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4:20 pm
Ballots close
Last chance to drop your costume ballot in the pumpkin box. Judges Dayo, Tamsin and Pip count in secret.
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4:30 pm
Winners and birthday song
Four trophies, one very loud rendition of Happy Birthday and a pumpkin cupcake for Pip with a single candle.
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5:00 pm
Home time
Goody bags at the gate, pick-up with your code word, and a sleepy wave goodbye. Drop-off kids must be collected by 5:00.
๐บ๏ธ Trick-or-treat trail
The Maple Court treasure map
Six friendly stops around the court. Tap a pin to see who lives there, what they hand out and the riddle you have to tell. Collect all six stamps to open the treasure chest at the Treat Tent.
๐ Tap a pin, or use the arrow keys on the map, to jump between stops.
๐ Your stamp card
0 of 6 stamps
Stamp each stop as you visit it. Your card is saved on this page while it stays open.
All six stops
๐ Costume contest
Vote for the best costume
Every little monster gets a number at check-in. During the party, fill in this ballot on a phone (or ask a grown-up to) and drop it in the pumpkin box before 4:20. You cannot vote for your own costume, nice try.
๐ฅ The line-up 12
Signed up on the RSVP form with a costume? You are added to this list straight away.
Ballot in the box!
Ballot#10Winners at 4:30 pm
๐จ Craft stations
Make a mess, make a memory
Six stations open at 2:15 and stay open until the parade. Each one has a grown-up helper and a hand-washing bucket. Smocks are on the hooks and old T-shirts are in the basket.
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๐จ Pumpkin painting patch
Mini pumpkins, washable paint and black felt witch hats. Paint a face, a galaxy or your dog, then take it home to dry.
- Ages 3+
- Washable paint
- Take it home
Photo by Charles Parker on Pexels
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๐ฉน โฑ๏ธRecord: 0:42
โฑ๏ธ Mummy wrap race
Teams of two, one roll of toilet paper, one very patient mummy. Whoever wraps from ankles to nose first wins. The record so far: 42 seconds, set by Pip and Uncle Dayo in rehearsal.
- Ages 4+
- Teams of 2
- Loud
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๐งช
๐ง Glitter slime lab
Stir green, purple or orange slime in a zip pouch and add as much glitter as your grown-up allows. Borax-free recipe, wash-off safe, and no nuts anywhere near it.
- Ages 4+
- Messy
- Grown-up helps
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๐ Leaf toss and lawn games
A giant leaf pile to jump in, ghost bowling with painted milk jugs, and pin-the-nose-on-the-pumpkin. Energy gets used up here.
- All ages
- Outdoors
- Running
Photo by Helena Jankoviฤovรก Kovรกฤovรก on Pexels
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๐ฆ
โ๏ธ Bat masks and face paint
Cut and decorate a felt bat mask, or ask Marisol for a whiskers-and-nose face. Skin-safe paint only, and she checks every ingredient list first.
- Ages 3+
- Skin-safe paint
- Quiet corner
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๐ท
โจ The silly photo booth
A hay-bale backdrop, a box of oversized sunglasses and a feather boa. Grown-ups get the strip by email on Sunday morning, with the best face circled.
- All ages
- Props
- Strips by email
๐ช Snack table
Nut-free, and every label shown
Ada and Jonas read every wrapper. Nothing on the table contains peanuts or tree nuts, and nothing was made near them. Tell the menu what your kid cannot eat and it dims anything that is not safe, with the reason on the card.
100% nut-free
Peanuts and tree nuts are banned from the whole party, including the goody bags. Look for the teal pumpkin by the gate: ask for a non-food treat (glow bracelets, stickers, spider rings) any time, no questions asked.
๐ What to bring
Pack your bucket
Tick things off as you pack. We keep spares of the small stuff, but the bucket is yours to bring.
0 of 8 packed
Leave at home: toy weapons, anything that sprays, nuts of any kind, and costume masks that cover the eyes. Pets too, sorry: Biscuit the dog is at Grandma's.
๐ช For grown-ups
Drop off or stay and play?
Either is welcome. Ages 3 and 4 stay with a grown-up; ages 5 to 9 can be dropped off if we have a phone number that answers. Pick the one that is you and the RSVP form will remember.
- ๐ฉบFirst aider on siteTamsin, Pip's aunt and a paediatric nurse, is here all afternoon.
- ๐ก๏ธOne helper per stationEvery craft table and the trail stops have a grown-up we know.
- ๐ชOne gate, always staffedThe side gate is the only way in or out, and someone watches it.
- โ ๏ธAllergies on the wallEvery RSVP allergy goes on a list by the snack table, so you never have to explain twice.
๐ Find us
82 Maple Court
The Okafor-Lindqvist house, Fairmont Heights. Enter by the orange-balloon gate on the left.- ๐ ฟ๏ธParkingStreet parking on the odd-numbered side of Maple Court. Overflow at Fairmont Elementary, a two-minute walk.
- ๐By busRoute 14 stops at Fairmont and Maple, a minute and a half from the gate.
- ๐ฒBy bikeThere is a rack on the porch and a spot for small helmets.
- ๐ชStep-free accessThe side gate and path are level, and there is a ground-floor bathroom with a changing mat.
- ๐ง๏ธRain planWe move into the garage and the big tent, and the trail becomes a hallway hunt. We text by 11 am.
๐Follow the orange balloons. They are tied to the left side gate. If you reach the end of the cul-de-sac, you have gone one house too far.
๐ RSVP by Saturday 17 October
Count us in
Tell us who is coming, what they are wearing and what they cannot eat. It takes about two minutes, and nothing leaves this page in the demo.
You are on the list!
โ Good questions
Before you ask
Is it really nut-free?โพ
Yes. Peanuts and tree nuts are not allowed anywhere at the party, the snack table is checked by two adults, and the cupcake maker runs a nut-free kitchen. Sesame, milk, egg, wheat and soy do appear, so every dish is labelled with exactly what is in it.
What if it rains?โพ
We move to the garage and the big tent and run the trail as a hallway hunt with the same stamps. We text everyone on Saturday by 11 am. A light drizzle does not cancel a pumpkin patch.
Do grown-ups have to dress up?โพ
No, but they are very welcome to. Costumes are the dress code for kids, and anything silly counts: a cardboard rocket, a banana, a very small pumpkin. Please skip masks that cover the eyes.
Is anything scary?โพ
No gore, no jump scares, no real-looking weapons. The scariest thing on the trail is a rubber spider named Gerald, and he is apologetic about it. The spook-o-meter on each stop tells you exactly how mild it is.
Can younger siblings come?โพ
Yes, and they are free. Under-3s stay with a grown-up the whole time. There is a toddler corner with soft blocks and a quiet tent for naps.
Should we bring a present for Pip?โพ
No presents, please. If you would like to bring something, bring a favourite picture book for the Little Library box by the gate. Pip will read it at bedtime for a year.
See you in the patch!
Love, Ada, Jonas and Pip (nearly six)
Text Ada on 555-0142 or write to boobash@example.com. Costume ideas, allergy questions and gate-number emergencies all welcome.