City celebrates Halloween

JAKARTA: Halloween, which falls on Oct. 31, is now much celebrated here despite of the fact that it is not a traditional part of the country's culture.

Entertainment venues in Jakarta have been gearing up for the festival with special events as part of an effort to attract both children and adults.

Some places like Fashion Cafe and Planet Hollywood have even jumped the gun and tried to beat the competition by staging an early Halloween celebration last weekend, while local newspapers have been featuring adds offering various alternatives to Jakartans for marking the occasion.

Although trick-or-treating is not commonly practiced by local children, costume boutiques have sprung up in response to the seemingly growing demand and can now be found in several malls in Jakarta. --JP