I did a tally this year - 26 trick or treaters. Last year we had closer to 50, and it wasn't 1)the weekend 2) Daylight savings cutover.

The only thing I can think of is that most kids last year were driven from house to house, and gas prices are insane compared to 2025.

We plan to put out all the extra candy for delivery drivers/USPS employees. That way we don't eat all the extra and some adults get candy too.

We got almost 100. Nearly ran out of candy because my wife gives multiple every time. It was a great night!

I'm fortunate enough to have moved into a neighborhood that still has families going door-to-door. We've been here for just a few years now, but at first we weren't sure if we'd get any visitors. Reason being, we noticed a lot of signs in different areas, neighboring towns, etc., for "trunk or treat" events. Most involve church groups. It all sounds very insular and paranoid to me.

Could be all those kids in your neighborhood are being driven to a parking lot so they can get candy from the back of a minivan instead of meeting the people they live next to.

I've noticed a lot of places now offer kids "Trunk or Treat" events in the middle of the day as a "safer" alternative to the traditional activity. It's one of the most American things I've ever seen. An American holiday driven by an irrational parental fear of kids being targeted by poisoners and perverts which is resolved by holding an alternative event in a heavily surveiled parking lot where the candy's served out of the trunk of a car.

It rained here, so we skipped trick or treating. The kids are just old enough now, too, but we settled for the schools' Trunk or Treat event on Friday. 4yo loves TK, 2yo is massively envious of her, and both had a blast.

Our neighborhood also kinda sucks for it because of shabby homes, gangs, shitty loud muscle cars, etc; but there's still quite a few families who love to give. Just because we're poor doesn't mean we're not generous!

Buuut my home is a unit in a secured building so we won't be doing it anytime soon.

Same here. Normally we get a couple dozen, but not one showed up this year. Didn't feel good, I can tell you. Like Halloween is dying.

That’s unfortunate. I hope you and your son had fun watching movies, though! Halloween candy works just as well as a “eat this while we wait for the turkey to cook” on Thanksgiving or Christmas, if you do that sort of gathering.

We set up the projector outside and played a few family Halloween movies like Hocus Pocus and Hotel Transylvania while we handed out candy. Had roughly 60 kids come through but it died off way sooner than we expected. Usually we have groups coming around until 9 or even 9:30, but last night arrivals stopped at around 8.

I hope it’s one of those traditions that doesn’t die off, because it’s fun to see the costumes and it gets people out to see/meet their neighbors. We met a couple last night that just moved in down the block that we likely otherwise would not have interacted with or ever run into knowingly.

We didn't get any either. Kind of expected. It was the third year in a row at this place. I had a little hope cause some better decorated houses and new families had moved into the neighborhood this year. Starting to wonder if kids even trick or treat anymore or if it's all daytime activities now. 🤷‍♂️

Hard to tell but my impression is we had more kids come to our house this year than 2 years ago. We were out of town last year. I think a lot of it depends on weather.

It rained here, which drove away all but 2 of the trick or treaters, and also most of the grownups we'd invited to party and who did accept. Grownups are so lame! The kids were probably kept home by their parents, that's not their fault.

I kinda miss living on one of the main trick or treat streets. It was expensive, but so much fun and some of the older kids costumes were great. We would "treat" anyone of any age if costumed, and kept the wee bottles of booze as an option for the adults.

For grownup parties I think we will have to start having dinner parties like a 1960s couple. Or become swingers, surely they still party?

On the upside - we are still in an extreme drought so any rain is welcome. Like, if I had to choose party or rain I'd choose rain, just don't think that needs to be a choice!

Last yeah there were some nice ones at our place. This year fewer came, but still some with cool costumes.

However, we left out the remainder of the candies with a piece of paper stating that the kids are sleeping. Also the paper stated that you should draw something on it and then take a candy. Last year that worked nicely, we got some child drawings of skulls. This year, one group of kids just took all the candy and wrote some foul language on our paper.

But I guess that's just what some young teenagers do 🤷‍♂️

Ah, sorry your plans were foiled.

My kids trick or treat still and the youngest doesn't mind mum and dad tagging along behind and chatting together as a bit of a chaperone. Other parents join us as well. The eldest is now mortified at the idea, so we're enjoying it with the youngest while it lasts. Last night we did this again and took with us a bucket of lollies/chocolate (candy) and offered it to kids as we walked around - worked well, lots of kids and parents enjoyed it.

This kind of post gets made every year.

The general consensus among adults is that they no longer trust having their kids walk onto a stranger's property, even if it is Halloween. A lower yet still large percentage now drive their kids around instead of walking, and with gas prices being so high, they won't do that either.

In the end they just feel like it isn't safe anymore.

I took my kid to the city, same place we went with his brother years ago and back then it was so many people, it was like a block party outside. This year, there were maybe a handful of families and people having Halloween parties. I think that ever since covid and those parking lot trunk or treat events, people stopped going. Far fewer decorated houses and about half had porch lights turned off. That's totally fair imo, there's a cost of living crisis and people can't afford to give out candy. Still a little sad that Halloween is on the out it seems.