Nampa just canceled its Halloween party downtown. Not for the reason you might think.

A Halloween celebration scheduled Saturday in downtown Nampa has been canceled — but not for the fun-erasing reason we’re all accustomed to hearing in 2020.

Spooky weather prompted city officials to pull the plug.

An outdoor movie screening of “Hocus Pocus” was planned between 5:30 and 8 p.m. in Lloyd Square, with free treat bags for the first 100 children, and vendors set up at a nearby food court. But Saturday’s forecast predicts rain and wind gusts above 15 miles per hour, with temperatures in the 40s, according to a news release from the city of Nampa.

“The movie screen is not recommended for use with wind gusts above 10 miles per hour. Event planners chose to announce the cancellation today, rather than wait, to allow food vendors the opportunity to make alternate arrangements. For event questions, please email downtown@cityofnampa.us.”

The Halloween movie party had been set up as an alternative to trick-or-treating during the coronavirus pandemic. Families and individuals had been invited to check in at an information booth to choose physically distanced viewing spaces. Free masks would have been available, and attendees were “encouraged to follow health recommendations by Southwest District Health to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” according to a news release.

This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 12:01 PM.