📍 CITYWIDE · FACTS CHECKED OCT. 24, 2026
Carved jack-o’-lanterns on a porch (photo taken in Seattle, not Grand Rapids). Photo: Lianguanlun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped
Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, and the city has shared its recommended trick-or-treat window: 6 to 8 p.m. on Sat, Oct. 31.
The porch light does the talking. If yours is on, you’re handing out candy. If it’s off, trick-or-treaters should skip your door. Kids should only stop at homes with a lit porch.
The rest of the city’s list is the stuff worth repeating every year. Little ones go out with a parent or another adult, ideally in a group. Light or reflective costumes help drivers see them, and masks shouldn’t block anyone’s view, side vision included. Bring a flashlight. Work one side of the street first, then come back down the other, so you cross less often, and cross at corners or crosswalks. Use the sidewalk, and if there isn’t one, walk on the left, facing traffic. Grown-ups check the candy before anyone digs in.
And if you’re driving through a neighborhood that evening, slow down and keep an eye out: there will be a lot of small superheroes about.
Key facts
When: Sat, Oct. 31, 6–8 p.m. (recommended hours)
Porch light: On means you’re welcoming trick-or-treaters
Kids: Go with an adult, carry a flashlight, cross at corners
Drivers: Take extra care in residential streets
Sources
City offers tips to help keep trick-or-treaters safe this Halloween (City of Grand Rapids, Oct. 21)
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