Conway, South Carolina, Changes Its Name Every October for Halloween

Halloween in Conway, South Carolina, wasn’t always a big deal. But over the past three years, the holiday has become so massive, the city did something drastic: It changed its name to celebrate.

For 11 months out of the year, the city keeps its given name. But every October, by proclamation of the mayor, it “officially” becomes the City of Halloween, South Carolina. The city’s website changes, many local businesses swap their signage, and the downtown is transformed into a Halloween wonderland.

“Obviously, it’s not legal,” explained June Wood, public information officer for the City of Conway. “People still get their water bills from the city of Conway, but [changing our name] was a way to really set ourselves apart as a Halloween destination.”

Conway’s decorations started small. In 2019, city employees began hanging about 500 trick-or-treat pumpkin buckets in the trees on Main Street every October. But when residents and visitors started asking when the pumpkins would be going up in 2021, the city had an “ah-ha” moment, according to Wood.

“We were like, ‘wait a minute, people are coming here to take pictures [with the pumpkins] and spend time in our downtown,’” she said. “We found out there’s a lot of people who really love Halloween, so that was our ‘we might be on to something’ realization.”

Since then, the city has double downed on its Halloween spirit in a big way. Instead of 500 pumpkins dotting Main Street, you’ll find roughly 5,000 today, which take about two weeks to set up.

“It’s a whole 18-wheeler of pumpkins,” said Wood. “You won’t find an orange pumpkin [bucket] anywhere in South Carolina.”

In addition to pumpkins everywhere the eye can see, the city also has several Halloween-themed installations and more than 200 events in October. Walk through the Tunnel of Bones made up of towering skeletons, a haunted City Hall, or the Witch’s Garden with eerie floating witch hats.

“Those areas on [our City of Halloween] map are just major points to stop at, but there are cute little things you’ll see along the way,” said Wood.

Events like Friday night outdoor movies showing classics such as “Hocus Pocus,” Halloween markets, a skeleton disco, and, of course, ghost tours and a haunted house dot the calendar throughout the month. There’s also a skeleton orphanage where kids can adopt a baby skeleton, complete with birth certificate. Last year, nearly 50,000 baby skeletons were adopted, according to Wood.

And if you get married in October, the city will issue you a non-binding marriage certificate from the City of Halloween. 

“It’s very intentional that we give people something they can be enamored with regardless of there being an event or not,” said Wood of the city’s efforts to live up to its City of Halloween name. It’s spooky season to the max, and it’s worth a visit to immerse yourself in all things Halloween.