Halloween is approaching at juiced-up zombie pace (think the undead in "World War Z").
That means one very important thing: it's time for candy and costumes. And at the Far East Center, on South Federal Boulevard in Little Saigon, it's also time for pho, chili wontons, sesame balls, bánh mì and boba tea.
The Center, in collaboration with the Denver Police Department, is hosting its second Trunk or Treat event on October 27th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
"Last year, they asked if they could park a few of their police cars [in the parking lot] and give out candy to kids and I said that's going to be boring. No one's going to come get some candy from police cars," said Mimi Luong, owner of the Far East Center. "If you're going to do something, we're going to go big or go home."
With about three weeks of planning, Luong pulled together 25 vendors for last year's event.
This year, there'll be about 45 vendors, along with food trucks and drink stands, such as Yuan Wonton, Celestial Bakery and Tea Street.
Besides the vendors, Luong said there will also be performances from Royals, a K-Pop dance team, and Elevated Circus, who will perform an LED hula hoop act and a fire show.
There won't be any candy-eating contests at this event. Luong said she wouldn't do that to parents, but she said that vendors and families will have to put on their Halloween best.
Vendors get to decorate their trunks and everyone is encouraged to wear a costume. There will be contests for best decorated trunk, family costume, adult costume, boy costume and girl costume. There will also be a spot for kids to decorate pumpkins.
Luong and her family have hosted various celebrations for Asian holidays for decades including Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival.
With this event, Luong said it's another way to tell Denverites that the Little Saigon District and Westwood neighborhood exists and has a rich culture that can be experienced by all.
Luong said she's hoping to host more events throughout the year to continue to spread the word about the district.
"We just wanted to have a free community event for the neighborhood," Luong said. "My goal is to let Denver know, come to this district and you can celebrate anything with us, even Halloween. It's not a Chinese holiday, but we celebrate it too... Little Saigon has been off the radar a little bit and some people don't even know it's here unless you're local or some friends introduced you. Now, if you go to Denver, you have to go to Little Saigon District."
And there are plenty of other Halloween events to satiate your spooky needs.
Thursday
Trunk or Treat at Lifehouse Church
5555 West Evans Ave. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Trunk or Treat Street at Abraham Lincoln High School
2285 S Federal Blvd. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday
Boo and Brew on Colfax
Family-friendly from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Adults from 5 p.m. to close.
Denver Broncos Trick or Treat at Empower Field
Tickets are $10. There's three sessions: 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
7th Annual Tennyson Fall Fest
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Trick or Treat Street at McGregor Square
1901 Wazee Street. 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
DIY Trick or Treat Bag + Costume Party at Smiley Branch Library
4501 W 46th Ave. 2 p.m. to 3 p.m
Trick or Treat Street at D'Evelyn Jr-Sr High School
10359 W Nassau Ave. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
District 5 Harvest Festival Trunk or Treat at Lincoln Tech
11194 E 45th Ave. 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Trunk or Treat at Montbello Middle School
5290 Kittredge St. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday
Trunk or Treat at Globeville Landing Park
3901 Arkins Court. 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
All Weekend
Trick or Treat Trail at Denver Zoo
Tickets are $20. 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Halloween Kid Fest at Downtown Aquarium
Kids in costume receive half price ticket with purchase of adult ticket. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
