Balzac’s New Horizon Mall is hosting a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt for kids each day during the mall’s regular hours until Oct. 31, featuring a chance for children to show off their creative costumes and take home a prize bag.
The event, called Pic-or-Treat, features checkpoints at four photo booths located throughout the indoor shopping centre, beginning in the atrium located at the centre of the facility and finishing at the indoor playground, Sky Castle.
According to Alex Winn, marketing manager at New Horizon Mall, participation in the scavenger hunt is simple and safe for both kids and parents, as the activity features contactless points throughout the mall.
“[It’s] pretty simple and fun, and it’s something to drive people to the mall and give kids a good time,” she said.
Each photo booth will contain a QR code that, once scanned, will give participants a secret code word. Once kids have collected all four secret code words at the mall atrium, west entrance, and east entrance, they are directed to Sky Castle, an indoor playground on the mall’s second floor, to collect their prize bag.
Winn added the COVID-19 pandemic has put a damper on many occasions that kids look forward to, and the Pic-or-Treat scavenger hunt is a way to create some Halloween-themed fun despite current restrictions.
“COVID-19 has changed a lot of the normality of kid’s lives, so we just wanted to be able to offer something that is still simple and contactless, but gives them a chance to come out and really enjoy just one of the elements of Halloween and keep it exciting for them this year,” she said.
Winn added there will also be the potential to win an additional $100 prize voucher to Sky Castle by participating in a photo contest hosted in conjunction with the scavenger hunt.
While kids are running around collecting code words, they are also encouraged to take a picture in front of the photo booths and post the picture to Facebook. They will need to tag and follow New Horizon Mall to be eligible to win the grand prize.
According to Winn, the event is open to anyone who is interested in participating, regardless of vaccination status, as the mall is not required to participate in the Restriction Exemption Program (REP). However, children and parents will be required to mask up prior to visiting the mall.
“Beyond that, it is a socially distanced activity, so that falls within the restrictions – there's no other concerns,” she said.
Carmen Cundy, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @carmenrcundy
