The 2019 Halloween celebration in Las Catalinas is coming up on Saturday, October 26th, a time for family and fun throughout town. Parents and kids dress up in costume, explore the walkable neighborhood trick-or-treating, and visit friends for lively get togethers in the evenings, including a beachfront Halloween festival and other gatherings around town.
Celebrations aren’t confined to just Saturday evening. The whole weekend serves as a pleasant mini-vacation for locals, offering the chance to get away for a few days, spend time with the family, and explore town and nature, all punctuated by Halloween festivities. Whether out trick-or-treating, hosting along the route, setting out for the festival down on Playa Danta, or welcoming friends afterwards, there is something to do in town for everyone.
The winding walkable streets of Las Catalinas are practically tailor-made for trick-or-treating. They are safe from cars, turning the whole neighborhood into grounds for the celebration. The rich traditional architecture adds to the atmosphere, with thoughtful detailing, unique facades, and doors of surprising shapes and sizes, all magnified in the evening lantern light. The street twists and turns, with something new around each corner from hidden pass throughs to familiar friends in costume to plazas sheltered in the trees.
Each home has something a little different to offer during Halloween weekend. The homes along the trick-or-treating route contribute by offering a unique identity to the street, and offer the chance to help host the festivities. Some homes provide ideal spots to get ready beforehand, watch the festival, and prepare for the event. Some are ideal for get togethers during and afterward, and still others are pleasant spots to relax with family the morning afterward.
However, all offer the chance to step into town and enjoy this lively, fun, and creative holiday.
Saturdays in Las Catalinas are one of the liveliest times to be in town. Visitors are arriving, and there’s a whole weekend ahead to explore. The Saturday before Halloween is even more lively, and the afternoon leading up to the festivities offers the chance to spend time with friends and family and watch as revelers start to arrive in their costumes.
From some of the homes on Paseo Del Mar -- StuCasa, Casa Teja, Casa de Tom to name a few -- poolside dining and barbecue grills blend these two activities together as visitors arrive down the beach road.
A little bit closer to the action are 11 Camino Flats, the Plaza Central apartments, and Casa de Colores, which have a view over Plaza Central’s welcome area. From the balcony or the dining room in 11 Camino Flats, guessing costumes is a fun game to play while getting ready. As people walk into town from Plaza Central, you have only a short time to try to pick out all of the different outfits and characters as they enter town and make their way towards the beachfront.
As the sun begins to set in town, the Playa Danta beachfront outside of Limonada and Plaza Danta begin to fill with costumed trick-or-treaters as they prepare to set out to into town.
Casa Celaje and Casa Athenas are the two homes right in the heart of the action as the event begins, overlooking the starting point at the intersection of Paseo de los Niños and Paseo del Mar.
The terraces on all three floors of Casa Celaje (above) have a view of the beachfront, where everyone gathers in their costumes before trick-or-treating officially begins. As sunset passes, the lights go down, and the street lights come on, announcing the start of the countdown. Dozens of kids nudge up to the starting line outside of Limonada as the countdown begins, and then rush out onto the streets racing ahead for their first chance at candy.
The route heads up across Paseo de Los Niños to Calle La Ronda, where it turns right and heads south. Casa Mar y Sol is right at the beginning of the route and a perfect home to host trick-or-treaters, with a terrace looking down towards the starting line and two separate front doors right after the first turn. The excitement of the rush from the beachfront is contagious, and within moments the street is full of joyful energy.
The route continues south along Calle La Ronda, winding past D’Aqui, LaPula, Wake, and the many homes of Calle La Ronda. From the trick-or-treater’s perspective each of these homes and shops provides a texture, color, and set of rich details to the walkable streets. In Las Catalinas, paths intentionally curve to avoid long sight lines and build anticipation for what’s around each bend, and the little alleyways and pass throughs heading down to sheltered plazas only add to the excitement and feeling of adventure during the holiday.
Plaza Lucia and the Avenida la Antigua Flats at the end of Calle La Ronda, beckoning with their thick gate, multilevel stairways, and numerous front doors and windows each in their own shapes and sizes. From the terrace outside 38 Avenida la Antigua, the area suddenly transforms as colorful costumes fill the flats building.
From there, the route winds back towards Playa Danta and Limonada, where the beachfront Halloween festival is set into full swing once trick-or-treating winds down. Under the lights of the beachfront, there’s food, drink, and carnival games, and further beyond there’s a haunted maze for a thrill to punctuate the night. The Santarena Hotel’s rooftop terrace, and the oceanside terraces outside each of the rooms, are a spot right in the heart of the action during this festival, letting the light and the sounds of the evening through their large beach facing balconies.
Both Calle Virginia and parts of Punta Penca overlook the lights of town and the beachfront, offering an evening backdrop for any Halloween get together. The colorful evening light fades to leave behind the twinkling landscape of town, the moon, and the stars, capturing the magic of Halloween. Casa Encantada’s unfolding beauty across three levels, open air terraces, and rooftop lounge welcome this magic, with a full kitchen, grilling terrace, to make dinner and snacks right at home.
On Punta Penca, Casa Pacifica’s stonework, tower, and multiple levels offer a regal and striking figure for visitors arriving, with a richly designed interior, three semi-private terraces, and an indoor-outdoor patio at the heart of the home with views over town and the sunset. As the sun fades on this home the lanterns come to life, creating a warmly lit evening venue.
Once the fiestas wind down and everyone has gone to bed, there’s still a full day of vacation to enjoy in town. Calle Cartagena’s beachfront homes are a good place to start, with big outdoor living areas like those of Castillo del Mar to share stories of the night before over breakfast cooked by your house mom.
Casa Naranja, Casa de los Sueños, and Posada San Rafael all have ocean-facing pools that offer the chance for a quick dip to start the day, and access down to the beach provides one easy option for the day in town. Beyond, the Beach Club and the Punta Penca trails are both just steps away for activities or a chance to relax, and Sundays in town are perfect for beach picnics, which can be arranged by concierge.
Halloween is a holiday in Las Catalinas that brings together colorful and interesting guests and residents, and each home adds a slightly different angle on the festivities.
Whether staying in town for the weekend or stopping by for the evening, hope to see you there.