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It’s Halloween, which means that there will be trick or treaters all over the country, knocking on doors and ringing bells for candy. But, what time does all of this start? In some areas, trick or treating has been rescheduled because of weather. For example, in areas of Illinois, trick or treating was rescheduled for Friday, November 2, 2018. But, for those across the country, who are venturing out for candy today, trick or treating times can range from 2 – 9 p.m. local time. Just to be safe, however, we would say that the best hours to go trick or treating range from 4 – 8 p.m.
According to TrickorTreatTimes.com, many cities officially kick off their trick or treating around 5 – 6 p.m. local time. Some people prefer to start trick or treating when at sunset. For example, according to AL.com, the sunset time in Alabama tonight is approximately 5:53 p.m., so many people will head out for trick or treating around 6 p.m. Find out what time the sun sets in your area today here.
In recent years, there has been a decline in door-to-door trick-or-treaters because of all the candy-collecting events put on by communities, to ensure safe Halloween experiences. There are trunk or treat events, as well as designated trick or treating areas, to keep children under a watchful eye for the holiday. For those unfamiliar with “trunk or treating,” these are events where members of the community gather up their cars with Halloween decorations and have candy in the trunks for trick or treaters.
Castina Wingard, a stay-at-home mother who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, told The Atlantic that, “I always count how many trick or treaters we get, because my mom did that growing up, and we get fewer than 10 every year. We have tons of kids in our neighborhood. Our lights are on, and we have jack o’ lanterns out and nobody really comes to our door.”
As for why this may be happening, Halloween historian Lesley Bannatyne explained that, “When you don’t have kids and you don’t know your neighbors, you’re less apt to turn on the light and put out a bowl of candy. And the kids who are looking for Halloween neighborhoods look down their street and they only see one light, and they just don’t bother.” So, it may not be that there is a decline in trick or treating. Trick or treaters just may be opting to carry out activities at Halloween events that will end up more fruitful.
The age limit for trick or treating, in many areas, is 12 years old. In fact, some towns have penalties for trick or treating over a certain age. Keep that in mind when planning your Halloween outing. In addition, some towns have curfews in place for the night. And, with many communities cracking down harder on age limits for trick or treaters, that does cut out a percentage of kids roaming the streets.
When trick or treating tonight, if you are unsure what time to end your candy gathering, a good rule of thumb is to stay away from houses without their front or porch lights on. They are usually not participating in trick or treating or they are done for the night.