For the third October in a row, Conway, South Carolina changed its name to the City of Halloween, but not without backlash from the community.
The city is now known for going all out during fall, with extravagant decorations and many spooky Halloween-themed events.
In “The City of Halloween’s” Facebook group, residents have been posting pictures and letting people know about various events throughout the season. They describe the town as a “spooktacular wonderland.”
However, there are some people in Conway who do not celebrate Halloween for religious reasons, and therefore don’t agree with the name change or the gory decorations. As a result of the religious objections, many participants of the Facebook group are going back and forth about the festivities in the town.
“You cannot rename it! It is Conway and will always be Conway, SC! Someone needs to reevaluate these displays,” one Facebook user wrote.
The city’s name was first changed in 2021. Halloween decorations began to appear around the city in the fall of 2020, and they’ve since added new ideas and decorations each year.
Many residents that work in the city love coming downtown and seeing all the seasonal decorations. Some even add festive decorations to their own workplaces.
Gabrielle Emery has worked in Downtown Conway for three years at Good Day Sunshine.
“I love it. I want to say since 2020 they started putting the pumpkins in the trees because everyone was so down, so then that kind of brought a little light back,” Emery said. “So ever since they did that, I feel like it blossomed from there.”
Conway Public Information Officer June Wood was born and raised in Conway and currently works for the City Council, participating in Halloween planning.
“We really need to pivot away from Christmas, not do less, but find something that we can make our own. And that’s when the idea of Halloween came about,” Wood said.
Only a small number of people have outwardly disagreed with the name change, but that does not mean their objections are unseen. The City Council is aware of this issue and acknowledges the backlash, but the economic boost it provides the community outweighs the cons.
Wood knows the approach taken by the city is not guaranteed to please everyone. However, she believes the measure of success is shown in thriving businesses. The changing of the city name and the elaborate decorations have boosted tourism, which keeps businesses booming with the influx of visitors.
Delaney Marks has lived in Conway for the past four years and works at Hop N’ Wich, one of the local restaurants affected by the increase in visitors. She said she enjoys the atmosphere of the downtown area each fall.
“I love it. I’m a big fan of Halloween,” Marks said. “They step it up each year to make it really true to the name.”
Wood said while decorations were being put up, there was a 19% increase of foot traffic downtown, and people spent an average of 90 minutes walking and shopping around.
Rather than participating in only one event, families can explore the city on their own terms, which Woods believes is more successful.
“So, we really tried to spread events throughout the month, but we really tried to create a way for people to be able to enjoy Conway in their own way, [and] in a set way through an event,” Wood said.
The funding for the decorations and the renaming of the town this year has not been confirmed, but last year it was between $30,000 to $40,000. The money comes from a hospitality tax, a form of sales tax attached to the products sold in Conway, which is put into a fund through the city.
The tourism and revenue from the decorations and festivities are a reimbursement of sorts for the initial funding.
The City of Halloween intends to continue the name change into next year, and they plan to have even more exciting and scary decorations.
