Here's When Trick-or-Treating Starts on Halloween in 2024 (2024)

Trick-or-treating is one of those things in life that you really enjoy when you're a kid, and feel so grateful to help out with when you're an adult. Either way, it's an excuse to splurge on Halloween candy (whether you're filling your own trick-or-treat bags or someone else's), and who wouldn't want to get behind that? It's a Halloween tradition!

Though, when it comes to such an event, there definitely is a right way to go about it. First things first, you want to make sure you're following the handy-dandy safety guide each year. Second, you'll obviously want to know what time trick-or-treating starts and ends on October 31, 2024. Because... what time does it start?

A good rule of thumb to follow is that in most places, younger trick-or-treaters are encouraged to go around sunset or earlier, while older children, pre-teens, and teens should more-or-less start around 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. However, this really does change depending on location (try typing in your ZIP code to the The Farmer's Almanac's Sunrise and Sunset calculator for reference).

See below for sunset times and suggested trick-or-treating times from local news outlets, and be sure to check to see if your town has any updated guidelines. Have fun! 🎃

Trick-or-Treating Hours

• Atlanta: 6:45 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., on average.)
• Baltimore: 6:06 p.m. sunset.
• Boston: 5:38 p.m. sunset.
• Chicago: 5:45 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., on average.)
• Cincinnati: 6:38 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., on average.)
• Cleveland: 6:22 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., on average.)
• Dallas: 6:36 p.m. sunset.
• Denver: 5:58 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., on average.)
• Houston: 6:35 p.m. sunset.
• Indianapolis: 6:43 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., on average.)
• Las Vegas: 5:45 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., on average.)
• Los Angeles: 6:00 p.m. sunset.
• Miami: 6:39 p.m. sunset.
• Milwaukee: 5:44 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 27, on average.)
• Minneapolis: 6:02 p.m. sunset.
• New Orleans: 6:14 p.m. sunset.
• New York: 5:53 p.m. sunset.
• Oklahoma City: 6:35 p.m. sunset.
• Philadelphia: 5:59 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., on average.)
• Phoenix: 5:37 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., on average.)
• Pittsburgh: 6:17 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., on average.)
• St. Louis: 6:01 p.m. sunset.
• Salt Lake City: 6:24 p.m. sunset.
• San Antonio: 6:48 p.m. sunset.
• San Diego: 5:58 p.m. sunset.
• San Francisco: 6:11 p.m. sunset.
• Seattle: 5:52 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., on average.)
• Washington: 6:08 p.m. sunset. (According to local news outlets in pervious years, it is suggested that trick-or-treating take place from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.)

Is trick-or-treating always on October 31?

Yes! Halloween falls on a Thursday this year, but don't expect trick-or-treating to be moved to the weekend. It will take place on October 31, as it does every year. But you can always get your Halloween celebration started early with a trunk-or-treat event or local festival the weekend before the big day.

What are some safe ways to trick-or-treat?

Your kid's safety should be top priority come Halloween! There are plenty of ways to make sure everyone is having fun while also being cautious. First, it's important to make sure all kids (especially those under 12) are being supervised. It's a good idea for you and your kids to have a flashlight, as it'll come in handy as it gets darker outside. It's also a good idea to make sure each group has a cellphone present—in the case of an emergency, this would be used to contact help. Oh, and while this is not possible in every situation, it's worth noting that the brighter the Halloween costume, the better! This is mostly for visibility purposes.

For those who are staying in this Halloween but plan to give out candy, it's always helpful to have your porch light on so that the trick-or-treaters can navigate around the neighborhood safely.