Halloween Street: Residents decorate their houses for night of massive trick-or-treating

A full-on Halloween experience. Terra Nostra is one of Montcada i Reixac's neighborhoods, just outside Barcelona, but on October 31, it transforms into a haunted place with massive trick-or-treating.

Between 25 and 30 houses decorate their façades to match what people are used to seeing in movies, TV shows, and social media videos. This is the spookiest night of the year, and Terra Nostra residents have been celebrating it since 2013.

"We do several contests. People are very interested, and residents prepare their tunnels of terror. All activities are open to everyone," Annabel Sans, head of the Terra Nostra neighbors association party committee, told Catalan News.

Halloween at Terra Nostra features a couple of tunnels of terror, a massive night of trick-or-treating with over 100 kilograms of candy, trophies for the best costumes, and even an award for the best-decorated house.

Everything started in 2013 with a few houses and has been growing since then. During the 2024 edition, they welcomed around 3,000 visitors from nearby municipalities such as Cerdanyola, Sabadell, and Barcelona.

"Foreigners who have visited us come because they are relatives or friends of a resident in the area," Sans said, explaining that they have not become "a tourist attraction." "Not yet," she added.

Organizers hope that the event does not become too massive. They would "like to continue with the local-community approach, and if it gets bigger, it will require more attention to detail," Sans told Catalan News.

Residents start preparing several days in advance of the big night. On October 31, trick-or-treaters will receive an interactive map to help them identify the houses offering candy or accepting tricks.

Trick-or-treating starts at 6 pm and ends at 8:30 pm. After that, there will be several contests and a dinner at Poble Square.

Castanyada and Halloween

Terra Nostra has been celebrating Halloween since 2013, but the party committee wants to keep the local tradition alive: Castanyada is a fall tradition held on October 31 that sees people eating roasted chestnuts and panellets, a marzipan treat.

This is why they also have a contest to see which is the Best Panellet in the neighborhood, and, with the support of the city council, they will offer over 250 kilograms of chestnuts during a communal dinner.

"Halloween is very fun, but at the end of the day, we also want to promote Castanyada," Sans told this media outlet.

"We want not to lose this local tradition," she added, despite knowing that "people enjoy getting dressed up and going trick-or-treating, and children have a great time."