Switching the date of Halloween Trick or Treating--Why do this?

[Miss Cellane]

Just got an email from the Town, in which they state that Trick or Treating will be Tuesday, Oct. 30, from 5-8 pm. They've done this before, moving Halloween to the day before. They didn't do it last year, when Halloween was on a Monday night.

Why do some places do this? I could sort of see it if they were moving Trick or Treating to a Saturday night instead of a Sunday night, because it would make sense to let the kids stay up later on a weekend night. But moving it from Wednesday to Tuesday don't give any benefit that I can see. And the only place I have seen this information is in that email. It's not up on the town website. So how many people aren't going to be prepared for trick or treaters a day early?

Anyone else live where they do this? Any idea *why* they do this?

And to confuse matters even more, the business district on Main Street is having Trick or Treating on the Saturday before Halloween.

When did Halloween become a week long holiday instead of a few hours after dark one day a year?

[ToomuchStuff]

Go through your cities website and email them!!! If they haven't updated it, they need to know that, as if they did change it (verses someone screwing with their system), they should be able to explain it to you.

My guess, is so the kids can do that function, and the people who work for them could then be off to take their kids out, trick or treating at places like the grandparents neighborhoods, the next day.

[Tussiemussies]

They might do it so that there is no mischief night the night before Halloween. Don't know if that goes on where you live or not...

[Jilly]

As long as candy is involved, who cares!!!!!!

I just moved to a new city and should probably find out when ours is and buy some candy. Have to buy stuff I do not like so that there is some left for the trick-or-treaters.

[Mrs-M]

Asinine! Altering holiday/celebration dates never takes place in our neck of the woods. I'm totally biased towards date-moving, as in against it. Like the time-change issue, very irritating!

Halloween, happens on October 31, whether the 31st falls on a Monday, a Sunday, or a Wednesday. I'd definitely ring-up the city and question them on it.

Re: celebrating the event days in advance... I don't understand that, either.

[Gardenarian]

I've never heard of such a thing. Crazy!
Where do you live?

[Stella]

Weird! It seems a little strange for a city to be telling people when to celebrate a non-civic holiday.

[Tiam]

I've never heard of this or seen it.

[Miss Cellane]

Currently, I live in a small city in New Hampshire. But the same thing happened when I was a child, I think when we lived in Pennsylvania.

The only explanation anyone has ever been able to give me is that they are trying to avoid Devil's Night, as Tussiemussies suggests. That has never made sense to me, because either the kids will simply change Devil's Night to the 29th, or they'll just go ahead and do their mischief while everyone is trick or treating. That explanation never came from anyone in a position to really know why the change was made, so I've never really trusted it.

It's just odd, and I don't really understand it.

[Tussiemussies]

It's interesting but mischief night is fading out in our area. WhenI was younger you would be on your way to school and see so many trees strewn with toilet paper hanging down from them. Cars with the windows soaped up and the remnants of thrown eggs and smashed pumpkins. I live in a different part of the state now, but have rarely seen any of this. The only thing that goes on here this time of year is the deer eating our Mums...:cool:

[Miss Cellane]

Well, I stumbled across a list of towns in my state and when they are having trick or treating. Most are holding Halloween on Wednesday, the correct date. But there are a good number that are like my town, where trick or treating will be on Tuesday. And one town where it will be Saturday, the 27th, and about 4 places where it will be on Sunday. Most of the weekend towns have trick or treating in the afternoon, from 1-4 or something like that, so I'm guessing it's for the safety factor of being out in daylight. But I figure if someone had to make a list of when Halloween is, then many communities have been changing the date for a while, otherwise there'd be no need for the list.

I did come across an explanation for moving Halloween from Sunday to Saturday--that the churches in an area didn't want the "pagan festival" on Sunday. I don't agree with that, but I can understand it.

[Mrs-M]

So odd, is right, Miss Cellane.

[SimplyL]

Maybe they expect with Halloween parties, contests at local bars/pubs, it's best to schedule Trick or Treating, when children and families will be out, the night before. That keeps the public service departments from being overtaxed with keeping roads safe, monitoring registered offenders (our county has a policy for that), and thinking of DUI's, arrests that may be increased due to people being out partying coupled with people walking with children trick or treating. It does sound like a mess, depending on how your city is. I didn't even think of the mischief aspect. (I don't think we have too much of that out here?)

Our school district has a 1/2 day for Wednesday. I haven't even checked, but think we've just always had it on the actual day. However, we're in a small individual neighborhood and don't go out that night. Our neighbor is having a little party/potluck, so we may go over there.