Halloween

Halloween isn’t really a big thing in the UK, or at least it didn’t used to be. Not so in the United States.

Back in the UK the only thing to mark it as different from any other night is that occasionally you’ll get a gang of small children asking for sweets with menaces (or trick or treating as it’s officially known). It’s also the unofficial start of fireworks week, which in itself is not a recognised holiday but is nevertheless full of bangs and whizzes as the British public takes advantage of its two week ability to buy fireworks.

Things are very different here – Halloween is huge and nowhere more so than San Francisco. Most people will have at least one pumpkin on display for example. The food shops stock huge piles of these oversized squash, which are hollowed out and have a variety of designs carved into their faces and backlit.

Trick or treating is another major thing, but the kids really go for it when it comes to costumes. I was nearly knocked over on the stairs to my flat by a miniature Spiderman with full face mask and pseudo-muscles hopped up on candy and heading out for more.

But he wasn’t alone, almost everyone out was in some kind of costume. I went for the understated look, with a tasteful shirt patterned with dancing skeletons but felt distinctly underdressed surrounded by devils, angels, cops, nurses, Sarah Palins and one convincing Hunter S Thompson. Top prize to a chap dressed as the powerlifter from Aliens.

We went to a few clubs for some mild techno and greeted some friends of friends, including one chap having trouble on the dancefloor due to a frankly ill-advised golf ball costume.