SINGAPORE - As night fell on Oct 31, residents at Woodgrove Avenue opened their doors to trick-or-treaters of all shapes and sizes.

"The first year we bought 20 packets of candies and we realised we were out in like 10 to 15 minutes. So the second year we decided to buy a lot more so it can last at least an hour or so," said resident Priscillia Yeong, 37.

The mother of two young children started preparing for the Halloween night as early as 4pm on Monday (Oct 31) - dressing up her children and laying out the candy.

At 7.30pm, the scene at her gate was like that of a zombie apocalypse, with ghosts, pumpkins, witches and even a Pacman reaching through the bars for some treats.

Her two children - Jovie, five, and Ethan, three - also took a walk around the neighbourhood in Woodlands, filling up their pumpkin baskets with goodies.

"
Halloween to us is just a night where the kids come and play, and collect treats, and they're very happy when they do that. It's just another excuse for a big party," said Ms Yeong, as her children clamoured for attention to show her their loot for the day.

Halloween has been celebrated at Woodgrove Avenue since 2007, when 30 residents got together to share the American tradition.

The area has a sizeable number of families from the United States, whose children attend the nearby Singapore American School.

This year, more than 60 residents participated in the spooky event.