{"id":1759,"date":"2026-11-01T16:56:41","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T16:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/?p=1759"},"modified":"2026-11-01T16:56:41","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T16:56:41","slug":"powys-residents-furious-as-halloween-revellers-once-again-mistake-their-everyday-appearance-for-elaborate-costumes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/?p=1759","title":{"rendered":"Powys Residents Furious as Halloween Revellers Once Again Mistake Their Everyday Appearance for Elaborate Costumes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dai Morgan, 67, from Llanfair Caereinion, who wished to remain anonymous<\/strong>, said he was furious after a group of children complimented him on his frightening Halloween costume while he was putting the bins out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was wearing my normal clothes. A pair of trousers I’ve had since 1987, an old green jumper and my wellies.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“One little bugger asked if I was supposed to be a zombie. Another said my face looked really realistic and wanted to know where I’d bought the mask.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I told him it was my actual bloody face.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Morgan said the situation deteriorated when one of the children asked whether the strange smell was part of the costume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That was the manure I’d been spreading in the garden. I’ve never been so insulted in my life.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Houses Mistaken for Haunted Attractions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Across the county, residents have reported similar problems, with ordinary homes being mistaken for professionally decorated haunted houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Llanidloes, Mair Evans, 74, who wished to remain anonymous<\/strong>, said she was forced to turn away more than thirty trick-or-treaters who believed her cottage was part of a Halloween attraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I haven’t decorated the house for Halloween. That’s just what it looks like.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The cobwebs have been there for years, the front gate’s been hanging off since 2009 and the strange noise coming from the attic is probably a squirrel.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs Evans said one family had spent fifteen minutes photographing her property before asking whether they could pay to go inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They said it was the most authentic haunted house they’d ever seen.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I told them it was a two-bedroom cottage and I was trying to watch The Chase<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation became particularly unpleasant when a father congratulated her on the realistic skeleton sitting in the upstairs window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That’s my husband Gwyn. He was having a nap.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trick-or-Treaters Have Become an Annual Menace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Residents say the worst aspect of Halloween is the relentless stream of children knocking on doors demanding sweets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many households report being visited repeatedly throughout the evening, despite having no pumpkins, decorations or illuminated signs suggesting they are participating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gareth Price, 59, from Rhayader, who wished to remain anonymous<\/strong>, said the annual ordeal had become unbearable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Every bloody year it’s the same. They knock on the door, shout ‘trick or treat’ and then tell me how frightening I look.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I don’t celebrate Halloween. I don’t buy sweets for strangers and I certainly don’t dress up.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Last year a little girl asked if I was Frankenstein. This year her younger brother asked if I was the monster from The Goonies<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Price said he had attempted to discourage visitors by switching off all the lights, closing the curtains and refusing to answer the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, the strategy backfired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They thought it was part of the haunted house experience. One family stood outside for twenty minutes saying how atmospheric it was.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Then somebody posted a photograph of my house on Facebook with the caption ‘Best Halloween display in Mid Wales’.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I had people driving past until midnight.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local Man Wins Fancy Dress Competition Without Entering<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In one particularly embarrassing incident, a man from Builth Wells reportedly won first prize at a Halloween fancy dress competition despite having no knowledge that the event was taking place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emrys Jenkins, 71, who wished to remain anonymous<\/strong>, had stopped at his local pub for a pint after spending the afternoon repairing a fence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’d been working outside all day. I had mud on my trousers, a bit of blood on my hand where I’d caught it on some wire and an old coat with a hole in the shoulder.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Next thing I know, somebody’s handing me a \u00a350 voucher and telling me I’ve won best costume.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Jenkins said he was initially delighted until he discovered the judges believed he was dressed as a recently exhumed Victorian grave robber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was bloody furious. That’s my Sunday coat.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has since refused to return the prize, arguing that the judges’ decision was final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Halloween Tourism Creating New Problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The county’s apparent reputation for frightening appearances and atmospheric properties has reportedly attracted increasing numbers of Halloween enthusiasts from elsewhere in Wales and England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visitors have been spotted photographing abandoned farm machinery, overgrown gardens and residents waiting for buses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One family from Birmingham reportedly drove to Machynlleth after reading online that the town featured some of Britain’s most realistic Halloween characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were particularly impressed by a group of elderly men standing outside a pub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They looked absolutely terrifying,” said one visitor. “The costumes were incredible. One of them even had a real pipe.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men, who had been discussing the price of sheep, reportedly told the visitors to piss off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The family described the encounter as “a brilliantly immersive experience”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Council Urged to Take Action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A fictional campaign group, Powys Residents Against Halloween Nonsense (PRAHN)<\/strong>, has called for greater public awareness and an end to what it describes as seasonal appearance-based discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group wants visitors to understand that not every old cottage is a haunted house, not every person wearing an old coat is dressed as a zombie, and not every unexplained noise in a garden is part of an elaborate Halloween sound installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spokesperson Glenys Pugh, 63, from Knighton, who wished to remain anonymous<\/strong>, said enough was enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“People need to understand that we’re not putting on a show. This is just Powys.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If someone’s got a rusty tractor in their front garden, it’s probably because it hasn’t worked since 1994, not because they’re recreating a scene from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“And if you see an old woman walking down the street with a broom, she’s probably just been sweeping the yard.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs Pugh added that the campaign was particularly concerned about children shouting “witch” at elderly women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Last year somebody offered my sister \u00a320 to have her photograph taken because they thought she was dressed as the witch from Snow White<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“She’s 82 and was waiting for the bus to Newtown.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents Already Dreading Next Year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With Halloween now over, residents across Powys are hoping for a return to normality, although many fear the same problems will return next October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Morgan says he intends to prepare for next year by putting a large sign outside his property explaining that he is not participating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed sign will read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“THIS IS NOT A HALLOWEEN DISPLAY. THIS IS MY HOUSE. THESE ARE MY NORMAL CLOTHES. THIS IS MY ACTUAL FACE. NOW BUGGER OFF.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, neighbours have warned that the sign could be mistaken for part of an elaborate horror attraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Mrs Evans from Llanidloes has reportedly received a letter from a television production company asking whether her cottage could feature in a documentary about Britain’s most haunted homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She’s declined the invitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’ve got enough problems with the damp without some bloody ghost hunter wandering around with a camera.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of going to press, Powys residents were bracing themselves for Christmas, when visitors traditionally begin complimenting them on their realistic Victorian poverty-themed decorations.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dai Morgan, 67, from Llanfair Caereinion, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was furious after a group of children complimented him on his frightening Halloween costume while he was putting the bins out. “I was wearing my normal clothes. A pair of trousers I’ve had since 1987, an old …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,18],"tags":[92,25,24,26],"class_list":["post-1759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-news","tag-culture","tag-funny","tag-wales","tag-welsh-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1759"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1761,"href":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1759\/revisions\/1761"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/welshbollocks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}