Halloween party at Turvey Centre set to go ahead Saturday

Halloween is just a few days away, and there will be plenty of people celebrating in Saskatchewan.

One such get-together is a party organized by The Tap Brewhouse in Regina, set for Saturday at the Turvey Centre.

The event is to feature live entertainment from Winnipeg musicians Marc Labossiere and Big Top Radio.

Jeff Stephen, the general manager and part-owner of The Tap, said he expects a crowd of about 600 people.

With the province’s COVID-19 situation as it is, many activists and politicians have questioned the wisdom of large get-togethers. Saskatoon will even be implementing its own gathering size limits.

However, Stephen defended the Halloween party, pointing out organizers will be following all of the province’s COVID rules, including mandatory masks and proof of either vaccination or a negative COVID test.

“We will be watching everyone to make sure (that) if you want to dance, you can dance, but you (have) to have your mask on. It’s simple as the rules that we’ve all abided by,” he said. “We’re abiding by the guidelines of the SHA.”

The show is also a fundraiser for the family that owned the Moosehead Inn in Kenosee, an iconic restaurant that burned down in September.

“In this case, we’re really getting together to try and help someone out. COVID doesn’t go away, even though you have to try and help out your neighbour, your brother, whatever it may be,” Stephen said.

“I just feel that life has to have some kind of normalcy … We’ll just make sure that we have a clean environment for everybody to be in, and that’s pretty much all we can do.”

Overall, he’s excited for the show to kick off.

“If you’re on the fence for coming or not, it’s going to be a great environment with some really good bands. I just think it would be a nice time for everyone to come out and support, and come enjoy some of the things we haven’t been able to for the last year and a half or more,” he said.

At the end of the day, Stephen believes it’s all up to how comfortable each individual is with coming.

The Moosehead Monster Bash is to kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Turvey Centre.