For years Halloween has been an event that children look forward to all year. Nothing sounds more appealing to kids than being able to accumulate enough free candy to fill buckets. Despite the day being regarded as one of the “big three” end of the year holidays, the main way of celebration seems to be losing popularity. Halloween and trick-or-treating are seen as inseparable concepts, but in recent years it seems that there has been a substantial decline in the festivity’s participants.
After this passing Halloween, many people turned to social media to share how their candy bowls for trick-or-treaters were nearly full at the end of the night. Young adults were particularly vocal about the lack of costumed visitors; many of them looking forward to being on the other side of the celebration they remembered so fondly.
The decrease in trick-or-treaters can be attributed to a few factors. In a post-Covid society, many people have changed their approach to certain activities to be more health conscious. Families have shared that they have chosen to do an at home Halloween celebration for their kids rather than participate in the door-to-door activity. Parents are also aware that the world is in a different state compared to when they were children. In recent years there has been a rise in predators who wish to cause harm onto kids on Halloween night. The harm can range from hiding harmful object inside of candy to abducting kids that are trick-or-treaters.
While Halloween celebrations have shifted from traditional ways, that doesn’t mean that the holiday’s spirit has been lost. “Trunk-or-treating” has become a popular alternative to trick-or-treating. This event is usually organized by churches and schools and entails kids coming and collecting candy from car trunks within the parking lot. This method of trick-or-treating allows kids to still participate in the event, but within a smaller set area, rather than several neighborhoods.
