Community gathers for Halloween Spooktacular in Naples

Southwest Florida is celebrating Halloween this weekend. Down in Naples, dozens enjoyed the Halloween Spooktacular.

This event, along with many others, was canceled last year ie to the pandemic. Now many families are excited that the event is back this year.

Many people came out in costume to enjoy Halloween Spooktacular along Fifth Avenue in Naples. For kids and adults alike, Halloween is many people’s favorite time of year.

More than 200 businesses at the event had activities and candy for everyone to enjoy.  Monica Kennow works with Remax Title Services of Collier County. “I’ve got candy out for the kids. Business cards and we just. We want to be out here for the kids in the families and just hand out candy,” she said.

Kennow told WINK News that she was happy her booth was able to come back this year. Last year’s event was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

Martha and Manuela Vigil brought their family to celebrate Halloween. They say they’re vee been before but that this year was special. “We’ve been here years before but we didn’t come after covid and just having fun you know with everybody here and it’s beautiful. It’s nice to be outside without masks,” said the Vigil family.

Others thought about what the event had the potential to be in 2020. Eliza Randle and Erin Tarr were on Fifth Ave today. “We had to miss it for a whole year and I feel like we got slipped out of the holiday but now that we get to have it again I’m happy about it,” they said.

The Minder family also came to enjoy Halloween Spooktacular. “We were pretty bummed about it being canceled last year. Didn’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters at the house either,” they said.

“I love seeing all the cool costumes here. I’m just happy to be here and have fun with my friends,” Tarr and Randle said.

The Vigil family said they were “having fun.”

Unlike in years past, the street was not open to pedestrians. Traffic, however, was allowed to go down Fifth Avenue South. Organizers of this event say this decision was made in an effort to scale back the event.