Private businesses in Naxxar have joined forces with the town’s local council to put on a memorable Halloween for local children, with no LCD screen in sight.

The event, which will be held on the evening of Wednesday October 31 in the town's centre, will see kids sing karaoke, practise their penalties against Naxxar Lions goalkeepers, read stories, go on treasure hunts, play games or meet Marvel superheroes.

“We are fighting a battle against technology,” said Reclaiming Childhood’s Stephen Mifsud.

Mr Mifsud, who runs the Naxxar toy shop formerly known as RC World, is the brains behind the Halloween event.

“Children are consumed by their mobile phones or tablet computers. As a father of two, I know just how hard it is for parents to engage their children in activities. So I wanted to do something about it,” he told Times of Malta.

“I reached out to the Naxxar local council and after lots of thinking and quite a few sleepless nights, we’ve brought together a number of local businesses to help put up this event,” he added.

As children play and are entertained, their parents will be able to take advantage of various discounts offered by several local businesses in the area specifically for the event.

And if shopping is not their cup of tea, they can take part in a yoga class or take a closer look at charity stalls put up for the evening.

Two days from the event, Mr Mifsud was eager to point out that all offers of help were welcome.

“Be it monetary donations, vouchers or the offer of their time – we need all the help we can get to make this event as memorable as can be,” he said.

All donations collected during the event will be in aid of NGO Beating Hearts Malta, which works to improve the lives of people with congenital heart defects.