Calling all spooky pooches! Hatch is staging an alternative Halloween celebration for dogs

For the third year running, Halloween is becoming Howl’oween at food, drink and retail neighbourhood Hatch, with an alternative celebration for dogs – and a new COVID-safe format.

Outdoors, with plenty of heaters and contactless ordering, Hatch has now been decorated for the spooky season with pumpkin lanterns.

And on 31st October, you can get your dog all dressed up in their finest Halloween costume for the Spooky Pooch Competition.

The Hatch team will be on the look out all day for spooky pooches and will snap any fancy-dress dogs with a Polaroid camera and pin them to the Halloween Hound Hall of Fame.

At the end of the day, they’ll crown the Spooky Pooch 2020 winner.

The spookiest pooch and its owner will be notified that evening and win a bundle of vouchers for a doggy day out at Hatch and independent shopping emporium Afflecks.

Like Hatch, Afflecks is dog friendly, and so the winning household can enjoy all elements of their prize with their furry friend in tow.

The team has adjusted this year’s Howl’oween event so that it is compliant with current restrictions whilst still allowing for plenty of spooky pooch action.

Hatch will be operating with all of its COVID-secure processes in place so guests and their dogs will be checked in, seated and order all of their food and drink from their tables. Guests must not attend with anyone from outside their household.

Halloween dressing up is encouraged for doggy owners and anyone visiting Saturday 31st, too, and there will also be spot prizes for the best human costumes seen throughout the day.

And with trick or treating off the menu this year, the team are making sure that guests get their candy fix by giving out ghoulish goodie bags to the first 50 guests to arrive.

Meanwhile, the Hatch traders will be serving up a frightfully fabulous feast of street food as usual – from bao buns to bangers and everything in between. 

And there’ll be extra doggy bowls and snacks for the four legged guests, too.

Howl’oween is free to attend and runs all day on 31st October from 11am – 9.30pm at Hatch on Oxford Road.