It’s our first Halloween at my new house, and, to welcome trick-or-treaters, my fiancé Jordan and I renewed our Costco membership so we can appropriately load up on full-sized candy bars and have buckets full of other sugary treats to offer. We’re also transforming our backyard bar into a “spookeasy” with hot apple cider ladled from a witch’s cauldron and setting up a light show with projectors synced to a Halloween-themed playlist. Jordan is prototyping a ghost costume for a drone that he can fly around our front yard.

We’re big on Halloween around here. So, when I heard that our street (a quiet one-way) just on the southern edge of Denver draws droves of trick or treaters from around the area, I was excited especially since I previously lived on a busy street with not a lot of great lighting. With so much traffic, it wasn’t safe for trick-or-treaters, and I usually was left with a basket brimming with candy every Oct. 31, not a ghoul or ghost or Barbie in sight.

But, just about every year—on local news channels, in Reddit’s “AITA” (Am I The A-Hole?) forums, in Nextdoor threads, and in queries seeking advice from etiquette columnists—gripes arise about kids coming to trick-or-treat in neighborhoods that are not their own. Homeowners complain that caravans of out-of-neighborhood trick-or-treaters bring too much traffic to their neighborhoods and that living in nice neighborhoods makes them a target for trick-or-treaters looking to score big with their Halloween hauls.

But, my take? Bring on the wicked witches of the East and the West and wherever, really. I love handing out candy to any and all.

Ahead, a dive into “neighborhood hopping” on Halloween, including what etiquette experts have to say about trick-or-treating outside of your own neighborhood.

What’s Wrong With Trick-or-Treating in Other Neighborhoods?

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Neighborhood hopping is so common that it’s even inspired TV episodes, like this “Bob’s Burgers” Halloween episode. The costumed Belcher kids reroute to a wealthy island after finding packets of sauce and cough drops while trick-or-treating on their home turf and agree that “rich people are better at Halloween.”

But not everyone loves trick-or-treaters descending on their neighborhood. There’s been the viral signs like this one that Facebook user Adventures of a Couponista spotted and shared several years ago that says:

“Due to the fact that people from other neighborhoods truck their children into this neighborhood by the dozens, this house will no longer be handing out candy. Thank you for ruining Halloween for us and the children who actually LIVE HERE. Thanks for your understanding, now GO AWAY!”

My own Nextdoor feed has Halloween highlights, like one house that sets up animatronics and invites families to come pose for photos in front of the display. There’s a QR code should they want to donate to a charity. Then, every year, there’s people who post Ring footage of kids ignoring the “please take 1 piece of candy” rule and instead dumping the buckets into their trick-or-treat bags.

And among the Halloween posts, there’s always a neighbor or two who complain about the trick-or-treaters they don’t recognize and that get dropped off in the neighborhood with pillowcases bulging with candy.

This debate isn’t a new one, either.

A decade ago, an anonymous homeowner who said they lived in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country wrote into a “Dear Prudence” column, complaining that 75% of trick-or-treaters that come to their doorstep don’t live in the neighborhood. “Halloween isn’t a social service or a charity in which I have to buy candy for less fortunate children,” they griped.

Prudence’s response was a sharp one: “Your whine makes me kind of wish that people from the actual poor side of town come this year not with scary costumes but with real pitchforks,” she wrote. “Stop being callous and miserly and go to Costco, you cheapskate, and get enough candy to fill the bags of the kids who come one day a year to marvel at how the 1 percent live.”

Etiquette expert Jo Hayes says she thinks it’s best for families to stick to their own neighborhood for trick or treating mainly because it’s great for building and strengthening community.

“Families can stop and chat to their friends and neighbors,” she says. “It creates a beautiful sense of neighborliness, especially for older people, who perhaps don’t have grandchildren or family nearby.”

But, she says, if there’s not a strong tradition of trick-or-treating in your own neighborhood, there’s nothing wrong with going elsewhere, she says.

The Case for Trick Or Treating in Other Neighborhoods

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Marianne Sarcich, of Wilmington, Delaware, said she lived in one of those neighborhoods that didn’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters—usually less than a half dozen. So, to make trick-or-treating more fun, she left a bowl of candy on her doorstep and started taking her daughters to surrounding neighborhoods where her daughters’ friends lived.

“These were the neighborhoods where you can’t drive in the street because there are so many families and children out for the night,” she says. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Families might also “neighborhood hop” on Halloween because their neighborhood isn’t well lit, is heavily trafficked, isn’t safe, isn’t wheelchair friendly, or has a lot of residents who work late and aren’t home to celebrate.

For many, when it comes to Halloween, the more the merrier (or scarier, rather!). Sazan Sylejmani, who owns Westmont Pharmacy in a Chicago suburb, says he “considers the whole town as our community.” He gives out full-sized candy bars and little flashlights for kids. Last year, he had more than 500 trick-or-treaters come through.

Whether you’re trick-or-treating in your own neighborhood or another one, the ghoulish holiday is full of opportunities to teach your kids good manners. Some top tips include taking just one piece of candy, walking only on walkways and sidewalks, and, of course, saying thank you, says Heather Wiese, an etiquette writer and founder of Bell’INVITO, a stationary brand.

“If porch lights are on or the door has decor, it should be a sign that trick-or-treaters are welcome,” she says. “Once the lights are off, it’s over. That home is closed for business. Don’t bother them.”

Good manners can go a long way in keeping trick-or-treating traditions alive.

Headshot of Brittany Anas

Brittany Anas is a former newspaper reporter (The Denver Post, Boulder Daily Camera) turned freelance writer. Before she struck out on her own, she covered just about every beat—from higher education to crime. Now she writes about food, cocktails, travel, and lifestyle topics for Men’s Journal, House Beautiful, Forbes, Simplemost, Shondaland, Livability, Hearst newspapers, TripSavvy and more. In her free time, she coaches basketball, crashes pools, and loves hanging out with her rude-but-adorable Boston Terrier that never got the memo the breed is nicknamed “America’s gentleman.”


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