Every year on 31 October, something special happens across neighbourhoods. Streets come alive with colour, costumes, and conversation. Halloween transforms our quiet streets and apartment courtyards into spaces buzzing with laughter and connection.
Proof that community can grow from the simplest of shared traditions.
Neighbours Become Familiar Faces
For many of us, Halloween is one of the few times we see people walking the streets, chatting with neighbours, and knocking on doors. It might be the very first time you meet a neighbour who you have lived next too all year. The costumes, the ritual (and the sugar) are moment when barriers drop and curiosity takes over.
Children learn that their neighbourhood is full of friendly faces. Adults rediscover the people who live nearby, often with surprise at just how many wonderful neighbours they have and the effort they make to bring joy to strangers.
At the Flour Mill, Halloween has become one of the most joyful nights of the year. Residents create sweet slides, dinosaurs sprinkle lollies from and balconies, and our business and Little BIG House stay open late to offer a contained trick or treating experience that is safe, welcoming space for everyone to gather.
You can feel the buzz... both the sugar-filed, and the community-fueled!
Connection Through Small Acts
While Halloween still gets some critiques for being "an American Holiday", we embrace it. It is playful on the surface, but it taps into something deeper: the human need to belong. Every smile at the door, every shared laugh over a costume, every “trick or treat” creates tiny moments of trust and recognition. These small acts are the foundation of stronger, kinder communities.
When we talk about tackling loneliness at Little BIG, this is exactly what we mean. Giving people reasons to step outside, connect, and experience a sense of belonging in their own neighbourhood.
Keeping the Spirit Alive All Year
Halloween is a reminder that connection doesn’t need to be complicated. It starts with opening a door, offering something small, and sharing a moment. Imagine if we carried that same openness through the rest of the year — saying hello at the letterbox, inviting someone for a cuppa, or joining a community event.
Don't let community be a thing that happens once a year.
