Want to participate in Halloween this year but not sure how? Upper West Sider Mike Matthews is bringing his Halloween Door Decorating Competition back to the neighborhood, and it might be the perfect way to show off your creative side (unless of course you have an entire brownstone to terrify the neighborhood with).
Matthews has done this for several years, though he took a break in 2021 to get married and move to a new apartment.
(You might actually remember our coverage of his extra-elaborate marriage proposal. We also featured Mike when he and then-girlfriend, now-wife Amy handed out gift bags to MTA employees on Christmas Day in 2020.)
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Matthews initially created these contests as a way to connect with his neighbors, but it didn’t take long for the idea to spread to neighboring buildings.
This year’s event is open to all UWS residents interested in participating, and all you need is an Instagram account, some decorating materials and a door.

A door from a previous contest.
Once you trick out your door (see what we did there), post a photo of it on Instagram with the hashtag #HalloweenDoorUWS.
You can do this anytime during the month of October.
Once your post goes live, Mike will save it for a panel of ten judges to score. The judges are all nurses, because that’s what Mike’s wife does for a living, and she’s helping him out.
Mike will announce the winners on his Instagram page, and he’ll send you a direct message to coordinate trophy and medal shipments.
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If your building doesn’t allow you to put stuff on your door, feel free to use a bedroom door. Or any door.