It’s September. A perfectly innocent month where, in my Dutch reality, we’re still happily complaining about the weather, wondering if we need to buy new raincoats, and pretending summer isn’t completely dead yet. Halloween? Not really a thing here. I know it from Hollywood movies, the occasional TV special, and, of course, Second Life, where October 31st has stretched itself into an almost two-month extravaganza of pumpkins and PBR blood. 

And friends, it’s already here.

At some point, soon…., you will log in and BAM: your peaceful neighbourhood looks like a Tim Burton fever dream. Cobwebs where there used to be curtains, skeletons hanging from balconies, and pumpkins…so many pumpkins. I swear, if you stacked every pumpkin in Second Life on top of each other, they’d reach the International Space Station, and you’ll still have enough left over to make soup for an entire zombie army.

So, how does one survive six weeks of this? Glad you asked.

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1. Accept the Pumpkins 🎃

Resistance is futile. Even if you’re not a “pumpkin spice” person in real life, in Second Life you will eventually own at least three pumpkin-themed outfits, a pumpkin carriage, and probably a wearable pumpkin head. Just lean in. You can’t fight it.

2. Cobweb Preparedness 🕸️🕷️

Cobwebs are the wallpaper of the season. Don’t waste energy dusting them away; this isn’t real life, they’re not a sign you’ve neglected housekeeping. They’re mandatory decor. In fact, if your home doesn’t look like a haunted attic, your friends may quietly judge you.

3. Blood Management 🩸🧛

Blood fountains, blood puddles, blood trails leading to ominous basements, bloody make-up…you’ll trip over them everywhere. I recommend investing in rubber boots. And if you teleport into a party where the dance floor is actually a pool of blood, just smile, join in, and try not to think about how sticky that would be in real life.

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4. Party Endurance 💀🎶

Halloween parties in Second Life don’t just happen on October 31st. Oh no. They start any moment now. Every week, sometimes every day, you’ll be invited to “the scariest event ever” with DJs, contests, and more skull decorations than a Viking funeral. Pace yourself. You don’t want to peak too early and be a virtual corpse before the actual night arrives.

5. Costume Pressure 🧙🧟🧛

The biggest survival tip: stockpile outfits. You’ll need witches, vampires, (slutty) zombies, (sexy) werewolves, skeletons, bloody nurses and at least one “original” look (good luck with that). And don’t forget: if you don’t change costumes at least three times per party, are you even doing Halloween in Second Life?

From my Dutch, Halloween-free perspective, the whole thing still feels absolutely bonkers. In my real world, I’d barely recognise a carved pumpkin if it rolled onto my bike path, though I’d probably just assume it escaped from a soup pot. But in Second Life? I can spot a bloody skeleton on a dance pole from three regions away.

And here’s my confession: while I might grumble about six weeks of bats and blood puddles, I secretly do love dressing up. For one or two parties, at least. It’s hard not to enjoy slipping into a ridiculous witch outfit or vampire gown when everyone else is happily throwing themselves into the chaos.

So yes, I may sigh and roll my Dutch eyes at the pumpkin overload, but for those who adore Halloween more than any other holiday, Second Life is your playground, and I honestly love seeing that kind of joy explode across the grid. Just…save me a corner of the dance floor where the blood puddle isn’t too deep.

Because like it or not, Halloween has arrived, and it won’t let go until November 1st, when we all wake up in a world filled with Santa hats and reindeer antlers.

Note: All pictures in this blog were taken this week. Slurls in the captions.

 

For another handy Second Life survival guide, all about handling awkward dance invites with style,  check out  ‘No, Thanks, I’m Sitting’: The Polite Guide to Second Life Dance Etiquette’!