The Best Time to Go Trick-or-Treating on Halloween 2026

Halloween is on a Saturday this year, which means that some kids, if they had their way, would wake up and go trick-or-treating as soon as they changed from their PJs into their Halloween costumes. But when Halloween falls on a weekend, what time does trick-or-treating actually start?

Many cities, towns, and neighborhoods have events planned for the morning and afternoon to make the interminable wait for candy go a little faster. Some cities also have hard-and-fast rules around trick-or-treating times—TrickOrTreatTimes.com is a good place to look them up—while others are more open to a wider range of times. Here’s everything you need to know.

Before the kids go knocking on any doors, explain to your kids how important it is to stay safe and follow the guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Don’t skip these key steps:

• Even if the kids are older, go with them. Yes, they may complain, but adults can hang back at a discreet distance as they walk ahead of you.
• Make sure that everyone’s costumes are reflective (or make them carry a glow stick wand), shoes fit well, kids can see out of masks, and there's nothing sharp that can stick them or long that can trip them.
• Bring a flashlight with a bright, large beam.
• Tell kids they're only allowed to keep sealed candy, and that it has to be inspected before they can eat it at home.
• Avoid poorly lit areas.
• With young kids, keep everyone walking in a group—on sidewalks—and position the adults next to the street as the group moves along. Teach kids important pedestrian tips, like how to properly cross the street after looking both ways.
• This goes without saying: If any person answering a door exhibits strange or creepy behavior, move on immediately. Always be safe rather than sorry.
• Remember to bring along a few handy items like string (in case someone’s mask elastic breaks), safety pins (for costume emergencies), and magic gloves (because little ones can get cold hands as the evening wears on).

This is debated on social media, because a lot of cities across the United States don’t have official start times. The consensus seems to be between 5:30 and 8 p.m., with peak candy-seeking time occurring around 7. As a general rule, most trick-or-treaters head out at sunset after dinnertime.

Because Halloween falls on a weekend this year, the window is moved up. Many places begin trick-or-treating at 3 p.m., which is handy for those with real little kids at home.

For those who don’t want to participate or run out of candy, the old rule of turning off the lights still applies. For those on their candy hunt, skip those houses and look elsewhere!

Here's when trick-or-treating usually occurs in the following cities:

• Atlanta: The city has no set hours, but there are several October 31 events that seem to take place between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
• Boston: The city has no set hours, but neighborhoods like historic Beacon Hill did set a time frame of 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Chicago: The city has no set hours, but many Chicago-area neighborhoods have declared earlier trick-or-treat hours this year, including Oak Park (3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.), Oak Forest (1 p.m. to 6 p.m.), and Lisle (3 p.m. to 8 p.m.).
• Cincinnati: According to WLWT5 in Cincinnati, most of the trick-or-treating in the area takes place between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
• Cleveland: Trick-or-treating in Cleveland is between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., but many of the surrounding areas start earlier and end earlier, according to WKYC3.
• Denver: The city has no set hours, but nearby Monument, CO, has set its trick-or-treat hours as 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and other local events take place in the afternoon.
• Indianapolis: Times for this year have not been announced yet, but last year the city hosted trick-or-treaters from 6 p.m. through 8 p.m., WFYI reports. There’s no word yet on whether they’ll have earlier hours for this year given that it’s on a Saturday.
• Las Vegas: No starting hours have been set for 2026. However, the Clark County “Inside by 9” campaign recommends all children finish trick-or-treating by 9 p.m. on Halloween.
• New York City: “Trick or Streets” events take place across many areas of the city all day on Halloween, with some beginning as early as 8 a.m. and some ending as late as 10 p.m., according to the New York City Department of Transportation.
• Philadelphia: The city doesn’t have set trick-or-treating hours, but events take place at a variety of times on and around Halloween, and candy-seekers can be ready to start sometime between 1 p.m. (per nearby areas on TrickOrTreatTimes.com) and 4:30 p.m. (per Philly Bite).
• Phoenix: Phoenix doesn’t have set trick-or-treating hours at this time, but the city hosts many fun activities throughout the Halloween season.
• Pittsburgh: City Hall has not announced trick-or-treating hours, though last year the city hosted trick-or-treaters between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Many local events take place in the afternoon.
• San Antonio: Hours vary, but younger children can start trick-or-treating as early as 4:30 p.m. while older kids start closer to 7 p.m., suggests a local outlet in previous years.
• San Diego: While there is no set time for trick-or-treating, many local events begin at 3 p.m., according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
• Seattle: The trick-or-treating sweet spot is between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., according to Seattle Met’s cheeky "Official Rules of Halloween According to Seattle Met." There are many afternoon events for kids as well, according to Seattle’s Child.
• Washington, DC: There are no set hours announced by the city. However, last year trunk-or-treat events occurred between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., according to a statement from Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Maybe kids don’t like the dark, or get scared easily by frightening costumes. Maybe the neighbors aren’t on board with giving out candy. Whatever the reason, trick-or-treating isn’t for everyone, and that’s totally fine. Kids can still have the best time! Here are some other ways to celebrate the day.

• Find an event at a local zoo, museum, children’s center, or library.
• Throw an afternoon Halloween party at home.
• Have a family-friendly Halloween movie marathon.
• Carve a pumpkin.
• Make pumpkin treats.
• Do Halloween karaoke.
• Make a Halloween craft.
• Do face-painting.

Whether you're going all out, or just hanging out together watching Linus wait for the Great Pumpkin, a wonderful Halloween is whatever you want it to be. Have a boo-tiful evening!

Lisa Mulcahy

Contributing Writer

Lisa is an internationally established health writer whose credits include Good Housekeeping, Prevention, Men’s Health, Oprah Daily, Woman’s Day, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Glamour, The Washington Post, WebMD, Medscape, The Los Angeles Times, Parade, Health, Self, Family Circle and Seventeen. She is the author of eight best-selling books, including The Essentials of Theater.