“What time does trick-or-treat start?” sounds like it should have one national answer, but it doesn’t — trick-or-treat hours aren’t set federally or even statewide in most places. They’re set locally, city by city or township by township, which is exactly why the same question gets a different answer depending on which side of a county line you live on. Here’s how it actually works, why 2026 is a simpler year than most, and exactly where to look for your own city’s date and time.

When is trick-or-treat in 2026?

Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31, 2026. Because it lands on a weekend this year, most communities that would otherwise shift trick-or-treat to avoid a school night have less reason to move it — expect more towns than usual to simply trick-or-treat on Halloween itself. Typical local trick-or-treat windows run somewhere between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m., though the exact hours are set by each city, township, or homeowners’ association.

Why some cities trick-or-treat on a different night

In parts of the Midwest and Northeast — including areas of Ohio, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, western New York, southern Maine, and western Pennsylvania — some communities hold trick-or-treat on a designated evening that isn’t always October 31, often called “Beggars Night.” The tradition dates back generations and was originally meant to give younger kids a supervised, earlier evening to trick-or-treat separate from Halloween night itself. In some towns it carries its own local flavor — for instance, communities that historically asked kids to tell a joke or riddle at the door rather than just say “trick or treat.”

These dates aren’t fixed forever, either. Cities occasionally shift them — to avoid landing on a Sunday, to dodge bad weather, or simply to align with how the community wants to run it that year. Des Moines, Iowa, is a good example: after decades of a traditional October 30 Beggars Night, the city voted in 2025 to move trick-or-treat permanently to October 31 going forward. That kind of change is exactly why you can’t assume this year works the same way last year did, even in a town with a long tradition.

How to find your city’s official date and time

• Check your city or township’s official website first. Most publish a Halloween or Beggars Night announcement page every fall, usually by early-to-mid October.
• Search “[your city] trick-or-treat 2026” rather than just “Halloween.” Local news stations in many metro areas compile city-by-city schedules for the surrounding suburbs, which is often faster than checking a dozen township sites individually.
• Look for a parks and recreation or community affairs page. That’s typically where the announcement lives, alongside any trunk-or-treat or downtown trick-or-treat events happening the same week.
• Ask specifically about “Beggars Night” if you’re in the Midwest or Northeast. Some towns use that term instead of “trick-or-treat” in official notices, so searching only “trick-or-treat” can miss the announcement.
• Check with your HOA if you live in a planned community. Some set their own hours on top of (or instead of) the township’s official window.

What to know before you go

Once you’ve confirmed your local date and time, a few things stay true almost everywhere: porch lights on usually signal a house is participating, most communities encourage trick-or-treating before dark or with a flashlight once the sun sets, and many towns publish safety guidance alongside the schedule — reflective bags, sticking to sidewalks, and an adult with younger kids. If your family is also planning a haunted house visit this season, our first-timer’s guide to what to expect at a haunted house covers the basics for that separate (and much scarier) kind of night out.

Also planning a haunted house night this season? Find haunted houses near you and make it a full weekend of Halloween.