When Is Halloween 2026? Date, Day & Countdown Guide

When is Halloween 2026?

Halloween 2026 is on Saturday, October 31, 2026. Halloween has a fixed date, so it is October 31 every year, but the day of the week changes. In 2026 it lands on a Saturday, which means most people won't have work or school the next morning.

Halloween night is also the night the clocks go back in the US. Daylight saving time ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026, so you get an extra hour of sleep after trick-or-treating.

Halloween 2026 key dates at a glance

Is Halloween on the same date in every country?

Yes. Halloween is October 31 in the USA, UK, Canada, Ireland and Australia, and everywhere else that marks it. The only difference is time zone, so Australia and New Zealand reach Halloween night first and the US West Coast is among the last.

In the Southern Hemisphere, Halloween falls in spring, not autumn, so evenings are lighter and warmer. That changes the feel of the night: trick-or-treating in Australia often starts in daylight, and pumpkins aren't in season the way they are in North America and Europe.

How many days until Halloween?

Any fixed number goes out of date the day after it's written, so here's how to work it out yourself:

• If it's already October, just subtract today's date from 31. On October 20, for example, Halloween is 11 days away.
• Earlier in the year, count the days left in the current month, add each full month before October, then add 31.
• Easiest option: search "days until October 31" or use a date calculator on your phone.

Here are some useful milestones on the way to Halloween 2026:

"Halfway to Halloween" is celebrated by fans on April 30 each year, so the next one is April 30, 2027.

What time is trick-or-treating on Halloween 2026?

There's no national trick-or-treat time. In the US and Canada, many towns and cities publish official trick-or-treat hours, and a common window is roughly 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Some communities start earlier for young children, and some hold trunk-or-treat or downtown events during the afternoon instead.

A few things worth knowing for 2026:

• It's a Saturday, so expect bigger crowds and an earlier start than on a school night, as families have the whole day free.
• Some towns move trick-or-treating to a different day when Halloween falls on a weekend or a Sunday. Check your city, town or village website, or local news, for the official hours.
• A porch light on is the usual signal that a house is handing out treats. Lights off generally means no.
• In the UK and Ireland, there are no official hours, but most trick-or-treating finishes by around 8 p.m., and it gets dark earlier because the clocks have already gone back.

Is Halloween a public holiday?

No. Halloween is not a federal holiday in the US, and it isn't a bank holiday in the UK or a public holiday in Australia or Canada. Banks, post offices and most businesses keep normal hours, which matters less this year because October 31 is a Saturday anyway.

Ireland doesn't have a Halloween holiday either, but its October bank holiday (the last Monday in October, which was October 26 in 2026) falls close to Halloween every year.

Are schools off for Halloween?

In the US, schools stay open for Halloween as normal, although in 2026 the question doesn't come up because it's a Saturday. Many schools hold costume parades or class parties on the Friday before, October 30.

In the UK, Halloween usually lands during or just after October half-term. In 2026, many schools in England and Wales are off from Monday, October 26 to Friday, October 30, so Halloween falls on the Saturday at the end of the break. Some areas break a week earlier or take two weeks, and Scottish schools generally have their October break earlier, so check your local authority's term-dates page.

Do the clocks change on Halloween?

In the US, daylight saving time ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026, the night after Halloween. Clocks go back one hour, so you get an extra hour that night. Arizona (outside the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii don't use daylight saving, so their clocks don't change. Most phones update automatically, but set any manual clocks back before bed. Clocks go forward again on Sunday, March 14, 2027.

In the UK and Ireland, the clocks already went back on Sunday, October 25, 2026, so it gets dark around an hour earlier in the evening than it did before that. In Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT moved their clocks forward on Sunday, October 4, 2026, as it's spring there. Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory don't use daylight saving.

What will the weather be like on Halloween 2026?

Nobody can reliably forecast a specific night more than a week or so ahead, so check your local forecast a few days before, and again on the day. In much of the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland, late October evenings can be cold and wet, so plan costumes that work with a coat or extra layers.

Halloween dates for the next few years

The weekday usually moves forward by one day each year, and by two days after a leap year's February 29, which is why 2028 jumps from Sunday to Tuesday.

Why is Halloween on October 31?

Halloween's date comes from two traditions that met on the same night:

• Samhain: an ancient Celtic festival in Ireland, Scotland and other Gaelic regions that marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter. It was celebrated from the evening of October 31 into November 1, and was traditionally seen as a time when the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin.
• All Hallows' Eve: the Christian church celebrates All Saints' Day (also called All Hallows) on November 1. The evening before became All Hallows' Eve, which was later shortened to "Hallowe'en" and then "Halloween".

Irish and Scottish immigrants brought many of their Halloween customs to North America in the 19th century, and traditions such as costumes, carved jack-o'-lanterns and trick-or-treating grew from there into the event we know today.

Shopping for Halloween 2026

With only days to go, faster shipping matters more than the lowest price. Amazon is the usual choice for last-minute costumes, candy and decorations with quick delivery, while Temu is cheaper but generally slower to arrive, so it's better for planning next year's decorations. For bigger outdoor pieces, check Best Choice Products. You can browse every store with codes on our stores page.

For more ideas, see our guides to Halloween deals 2026, Halloween decoration ideas and shopping at Spirit Halloween. If you can wait, our after-Halloween sales guide explains how much decorations and costumes are usually marked down from November 1. And with Halloween done, the next big date is Black Friday 2026 on November 27.

Frequently asked questions

What day is Halloween 2026?

Saturday, October 31, 2026.

Is Halloween always on October 31?

Yes. Halloween has a fixed date and only the day of the week changes from year to year.

Is Halloween on the same day in the UK and the US?

Yes, it's October 31 in both, as well as in Canada, Ireland and Australia.

Is Halloween a holiday?

No. It isn't a federal holiday in the US or a bank holiday in the UK, so businesses and services run as normal.

What time does trick-or-treating start?

It depends on where you live. Many US communities set official hours, often around 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Check your local government website for exact times.

Do we get an extra hour on Halloween 2026?

In the US, yes. Daylight saving time ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, so clocks go back one hour on Halloween night. The UK clocks already changed on October 25.

When is Halloween 2027?

Sunday, October 31, 2027.

What is the day after Halloween called?

November 1 is All Saints' Day (All Hallows' Day). It's also the first day of Día de los Muertos celebrations, which continue on November 2.