(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

With Halloween just a day away, Dubai neighbourhoods are buzzing with eerie excitement - and this year, Dubai's quiet neighbourhood streets are coming alive - glowing with ghouls, laughter, and a spirit of community that proves creativity doesn't need a big budget, just a big imagination.

Expats who are decorating their homes highlighted that the joy comes from sharing the experience - watching children's reactions, neighbours stop by, and families take photos.

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Polish expat Ewa Ledeboer, who lives in Damac Hills 2, has turned her home's facade into a“Circus of Horrors” - complete with a clown ticket booth, spinning knives, and a prison for Barbies.

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“It took me around three to four weeks to put everything together,” said Ewa.“I actually started months ago, collecting things and painting. The last two weeks were quite intense - but everything is recycled. I've got a very strict budget that I never cross.”

Ewa's setup is a riot of colour and creativity. Her display uses old boxes, wood scraps, discarded chairs, and even shower curtains, all repurposed into spooky circus props.
“I collected things from neighbours, from trash, from around - boxes, wood, old chairs. Someone even threw out perfectly good curtains that became part of my circus,” she said with a laugh.“This year's theme is colourful and interactive. Last year, it was darker - underwater horror. Now, it's all about fun and chaos.”

Walking through her carport, visitors enter through a giant clown's mouth, an idea inspired by her 14-year-old son, Matthew. Inside, there's a candy stand, a spinning wheel of knives, and even a 'Jumping Jack' figure crafted from leftover pieces of last year's Kraken prop.
“I love moving elements - that's what gives magic to the setup,” she said.“My 11-year-old daughter Stephanie also helped. She designed a little Barbie prison - it's part of our freak show. And there's a skeleton clown where people can take pictures. Everything is interactive.”

Ewa's total spend? Barely Dh500, mostly on a few reusable fabrics and foam boards.
“I used around 50 cardboard boxes,” she explained.“After Halloween, I'll cut them down for school projects. I have maybe four boxes of decorations in total - everything else is reused.”

Gothic architecture meets ghostly glamour

Over in the same community, French resident Christine Quartier La Tente has gone in a completely different direction - a towering Addams Family-inspired Victorian manor, built right over her carport.
“We used our pergola to build a Victorian-style roof,” said Christine.“We painted 30 cardboard boxes to look like roof tiles, and used a fridge box for the main tower. It's 2.45 metres high - we had to secure it with industrial ties.”

From the street, the house looks like something out of a Tim Burton film - complete with crooked towers and glowing windows.
“It's a bit cartoonish. You see it from the corner, and people stop to ask, 'What's that house?'” Christine said.“With the trend of Wednesday Addams on Netflix, we wanted to introduce younger kids to the original Addams Family. So, we made all the characters - even Cousin Itt, with his long hair and hat.”

The highlight this year, she said, is a mobile prop - a child's ride-on car, revamped in purple and black and driven remotely, blasting the Addams Family theme music as it rolls down the street.
“We'd never done mobile props before,” Christine said proudly.“Now the kids see it and think it's real!”

Building haunted dreams from scratch

Christine and her househelp spent three weeks bringing the haunted house to life, reusing half the materials from previous years.
“We built UV-reactive walls, created a portrait gallery that gives the illusion of depth, and even an electric chair made from an old wooden chair and a broken garden fan,” she said.“Kids love it - they line up to pretend they're being electrocuted!”

To add architectural realism, Christine invested in a few custom-made foam Greek columns and a pediment, sourced from a local factory that builds props for theme parks.
“It was the first time I splurged - around Dh1,600,” she said.“But the effect is worth it. You can never get this precision by hand.”

Even her iron rocking bench - a find from someone giving it away online - now sits eerily in front of a granite window, completing the Victorian tableau.

Inspired by Aliens

In Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), American expat Natalia Miranda is taking Halloween creativity to the next level this year - even as her family's decorations are scaled back due to home renovations.“Our costumes are hopefully going to be award-winning because we're entering a competition at the Ritz-Carlton on Saturday,” she said with excitement. Instead of buying ready-made outfits, Miranda's family decided to go all out with a DIY approach, handcrafting every element of their costumes.

“We're making all of the heads and everything from a template we found online,” she explained.“We ordered a few small materials, but basically, we're making everything ourselves - cardboard, wire, paint, and even a wearable LED screen.” Inspired by the Aliens movie, the family's theme follows the creature's evolution - with her son playing the alien emerging from its host, while the rest of the family dons spaceship-style suits complete with the iconic logo from the film.

Labubu dolls trending

Adding to the Halloween buzz, local retailers are also seeing a rise in creative trends this year.

Bhavna Mulchandani, Marketing Director at Party Zone LLC, said,“A new and growing trend for Halloween 2025 is dressing up Labubu dolls in festive, themed costumes. Embraced by collectors and fans alike, these quirky figures are taking on a spooky twist this season. We have on offer an exclusive range of Halloween outfits designed especially for Labubu dolls. And as the holidays approach, the fun continues with a brand-new collection of Christmas costumes, ensuring your Labubu stays stylish well into the festive season.”

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