Martha Sirait, a visitor from Jakarta, was pleasantly surprised by the celebrations held over the weekend at the Museum Angkut (Transportation Museum) in Batu. 

"I didn't think there would be such an exciting Halloween party here," said Martha, adding that she saw many people in costumes in the area.

The museum's operational manager, Endang A. Shobirin, said that while Halloween parties are known for people dressing up in scary costumes, he wanted to offer visitors something more. 

"The theme we picked this year is clowns, which was inspired by the character Pennywise the Dancing Clown from the film It," said Endang, referring to the 2017 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel. 

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He added that the museum's Halloween celebration took place on Oct. 26-28, with an added touch. "We emphasized education, which is why there was also a competition at this event," he said. 

The competition included makeup and costume contests, as well as clown-themed decorations. Endang said that the competition, which saw at least 300 participants, aimed to foster a creative and artistic spirit, and that the theme was different each year.

Last year's  event took on the theme of "local myths", the belief that ghosts appear during the Senja Kala (Dark Noon), which prompted costumes, make-up and decorations dominated by local ghosts.

Endang said that the museum, which had a collection of more than 200 antique cars, continued with its aim to educate visitors on transportation and vehicular equipment through the various cars it displayed during the Halloween party.

The event's ghost parades, as well as theatrical performances, also involved vehicles from the museum's collection.

"The old luxury cars in our collection are not just for display, and most of them still run," he said. (liz/kes)