Summerween
Groups: All Campers and Staff (Pre-K through Grade 8)
On-Campus Special Event | Full Day
Muhahahaha.
Welcome to Summerween, the most delightfully chaotic day on the CRU calendar. Halloween. In July. At camp. Everyone comes in costume, every activity gets a spooky twist, and the day ends with a full campus costume contest where each division crowns its own winner.Over the years, I’ve seen everything from coordinated group costumes to Tiny Tots dressed as pizza slices stealing the show. The energy is silly, creative, loud, and completely camp.
Come in costume. Come ready for anything. And maybe watch out for the counselors… they take this one very seriously.
It is the middle of summer. The sun is out. The temperature is up. And somehow, inexplicably, gloriously, it is Halloween. Welcome to Summerween, Camps ‘R’ Us’s wildly popular summer twist on the spookiest holiday of the year. Costumes on. Candy vibes activated. Every activity on campus adjusted to the theme. From the opening Breakout to the end of day costume contest, Summerween is a full day celebration of everything wonderfully weird, creative, and camp about Halloween in July. Mini vampires, dancing hot dogs, elaborate superheroes, and creatures that defy easy categorization: they are all welcome here. The only rule is to show up in costume and bring your best energy. Camp does the rest.
- Event Date: Check your campus calendar for scheduling. {insert link to calendars}
- Costumes: Campers and staff are encouraged to arrive in costume. Please keep costumes school-appropriate, comfortable enough for a full active camp day, and free of any real or realistic looking weapons or props that could cause concern.
- This is a Full Day Event: Every activity on campus is adjusted to the Summerween theme. Normal drop-off and pick-up schedules apply.
- Spending Money: Not needed. Summerween is fully included and there is nothing to purchase.
- Phones and Cameras: Not permitted. CRU is a phone-free and camera-free environment across all trips and programs.
- Weather: Rain or shine!
hIGHlights
- Everyone Dresses Up. Everyone. Campers, counselors, directors, and staff all come in costume on Summerween. This is a whole campus commitment and the result is one of the most visually spectacular days of the entire summer.
- The Special Summerween Breakout. The day kicks off with a Summerween themed Breakout that nobody sees coming and everyone talks about after. Per Breakout tradition: details revealed on the day itself.
- Every Activity Goes Halloween. Every single activity area on campus is adjusted to the Summerween theme for the full day. Arts and crafts, athletics, STEAM, games, and everything in between gets a spooky or silly seasonal twist.
- The End of Day Costume Contest. Every division crowns its own Summerween costume winner at the end of the day. The judging criteria are creativity, commitment, and the kind of costume that makes the whole campus stop and stare. Every age group has a champion.
- A Full Day of Pure Camp Magic. Summerween is not a half day theme or a one period activity. It is a full camp day completely dedicated to the most creative, expressive, and joyfully chaotic celebration on the CRU calendar.
Why We Love It
Summerween works because it does something camp is uniquely positioned to do: it takes something everyone already loves and makes it bigger, better, and more fun than it could ever be anywhere else. Halloween is already great. Halloween in July, at camp, with your entire group in costume, every activity themed, a special Breakout waiting at 9:05, and a costume contest at the end of the day? That is in a completely different category.
LOOK OUT ANOTHER GHOST!!!
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What we love most is the creativity it unlocks. Summerween gives every camper permission to be whoever or whatever they want to be for a full day, and the results are consistently extraordinary. The coordinated group costumes that clearly took weeks of secret planning. The Tiny Tot who shows up as something completely unexpected and steals the whole division. The counselor whose costume is so elaborate that everyone spends the first twenty minutes trying to figure out what they are. The Explorer who commits so fully to their character that they stay in costume through every activity without breaking once.
This is what camp is for. One day a summer where absolutely anything goes as long as it fits the theme and keeps everyone smiling. Summerween delivers that every single year without fail.
FAQ
Summerween is Camps ‘R’ Us’s annual full day Halloween in July celebration. Every camper and staff member comes in costume, every activity on campus is adjusted to the theme, a special Summerween Breakout kicks off the morning, and the day ends with a costume contest where every division crowns its own winner. It is one of the most beloved and anticipated days of the entire CRU summer.
Every camper on campus from Pre-K through Grade 8 participates. Counselors, directors, and staff also dress up. Summerween is a whole campus commitment.
Campers are strongly encouraged to come in costume. It is a full campus event and the energy of Summerween builds significantly when everyone is dressed up together. Costumes should be school-appropriate and comfortable enough for a full active day of camp.
Yes. Costumes should be school-appropriate and suitable for a camp environment. Please avoid real or realistic looking weapons, props that could cause concern, or anything that would not be appropriate in a school setting. Costumes should also be comfortable and practical enough for a full day of camp activities including outdoor play.
Yes. Campers are welcome and encouraged to arrive in costume on Summerween morning.
At the end of the day each division holds a costume contest with winners crowned per division. Judging is based on creativity, commitment, and overall Summerween spirit. Every age group has its own winner.
The whole day. Every activity on campus is adjusted to the Summerween theme for the full day. It is not a one period event or a half day celebration. From the opening Breakout to the closing costume contest, Summerween is all day.
No. Summerween is fully included as part of the standard CRU summer program at no additional cost to families.
No. CRU is a phone-free and camera-free environment for all campers across every event and every program. All photography is handled exclusively by designated CRU staff who have undergone extensive background checks.
This event is rain or shine!
Summerween takes place once per summer at each campus. Dates vary by campus and are updated regularly throughout the summer. Please check your campus calendar for scheduling. {insert link to calendars}
Summerween is one of the many traditions that make Camps ‘R’ Us what it is. Family owned and operated for over 30 years, CRU has always believed that the best summers are the ones kids come back for. Not just because the trips are great or the programs are excellent, but because there is something here that feels the same every year in the best possible way. Familiar faces. Familiar energy. And moments like Summerween that remind every camper, whether it is their first summer or their eighth, that this place was built for them.
CRU is one of Long Island’s most trusted day camp experiences, proudly offering a premium summer program at a price built for families, for campers from Pre-K through 8th Grade. With campuses across Nassau and Suffolk County including Syosset, Farmingdale, Massapequa, Bellmore, Hicksville, East Rockaway, Saint James, Kings Park, Williston Park and more, we offer families a screen-free, activity-packed summer built around confidence, friendship, and adventure. All programs are ACA accredited.
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