Halloween on one Sydney street has grown so big it’s now sponsored

The ghouls, ghosts and jack-o’-lanterns are out aplenty, huge spiders sit in elaborate cobwebs and severed plastic limbs dangle from gates and iron railings. Welcome to Halloween on Renwick street in Drummoyne, a harbourside suburb in Sydney’s inner west where the 31 October event has grown so big it’s now sponsored by local businesses. The commercial deals see sponsored “spooky homes” place A1 sized signs with business branding at the front of their properties. In return, the homes get a free stash of lollies for the thousands of keen trick or treaters. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Children have been trick or treating on Renwick street for about 15 years, says Natalie Thornhill, who lives on the road with her husband, James, and daughter Evie, 10. Thornhill is the organiser of the event in its current form. “My husband and I moved into the street over 15 years ago and it’s just always been a thing … past residents have gotten into it and it’s been championed by people whose kids have now grown up and moved out of the street,” Thornhill says. Prior to Covid, a number of residents, including Thornhill, felt Halloween on the street was drawing such large crowds that it was becoming unsafe for walking children. So they contacted City of Canada Bay council for support to close the road off from vehicle traffic between 4.00pm until 8.00pm on the night. “It’s a very expensive thing to have the street closed off for what is a big community street party,” Thornhill says. “So the idea was sort of created that if we were to turn this into an event that we could leverage the foot traffic to do something to give back to the community,” Thornhill says. “So bringing the businesses in the community together with the local residents, we thought we could potentially mitigate the cost of having the road closed to create this safe environment.” Businesses keen to participate get to sponsor a “spooky house” on the street via a donation to the Rotary Club of Drummoyne. There are principal and silver sponsors. This cash injection helps fund the celebration, Thornhill says, including the costs of the entertainment and a DJ, the road closure and all important piles of treats and lollies. As the event grew over the years the cost of buying lollies to hand out to trick or treaters became quite significant, Thornhill says, with some homes spending hundreds of dollars. The spooky house sponsorship helps lift that burden, she says. “How it works is that I have a list of residents who are decorating their houses and they will get the boxes of lollies. And then I allocate the spooky house signs to those houses and they will pop the sign on their house,” Thornhill says. Money raised from the sausage sizzle and other entertainment, such as the jumping castle, is donated to local charity, Touched by Olivia. Thousands of people are expected to go trick or treating on Friday, Thornhill says. Dina Bailey also lives on Renwick street with her family. She says she loves how the street brings Drummoyne together each year. “Everyone gets involved: neighbours, families, and visitors from all over Sydney,” Bailey says. “The street fills with thousands of happy trick-or-treaters all enjoying a safe family-friendly night. “For me, personally, it’s been a great way to get to know my neighbours and build stronger bonds and connections right here on our street.” Thornhill agrees. “It’s a really big bonding community event.” Over in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Creer St in Randwick is transformed. The green street sign gets a spooky makeover every year by a local resident who changes the name from Creer to Creep. Justin Wastnage, who lives on the street with his wife and children, says hundreds of young children flock there each Halloween. “It’s very insane … you are just there the whole time handing out thousands of lollies.” Nicky, who only wanted her first name used and lives on the road with her young family, says she got swept up in the now annual street tradition after moving to the neighbourhood. “It’s been really nice to get to know the neighbours and to be able to do it collaboratively with the street, to dress up, and it’s definitely become bigger and bigger every year.”