Halloween Falls on a Saturday for the First Time Since 2020
Halloween 2026 fell on a Saturday, 31 October, for the first time since 2020, with mostly calm weather in the East and rain in parts of Texas and the South.
Halloween Saturday 2026 arrived on 31 October, the first time the holiday had fallen on a Saturday since 2020, and the next Saturday Halloween will not come until 2037. The weekend timing gave families a full evening for trick-or-treating without a school night the next morning, and towns across the country planned parades, pumpkin patches and neighbourhood gatherings for the Saturday night. A few hours after the candy runs ended, at 2 a.m. on Sunday, 1 November, daylight saving time was due to end and clocks were set to fall back one hour, giving everyone an extra hour of sleep after the celebrations. The combination of a Saturday Halloween and the clock change made the weekend a rare one on the calendar.
Weather was the main question for families planning their evening. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Pastelok described the national picture as fairly quiet compared with other years, with the best weather in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, where dry conditions, mainly clear skies and warm temperatures were expected. The Carolinas, the eastern Ohio Valley and the eastern Great Lakes, including Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, were also expected to see pleasant conditions. The worst weather was forecast along the Gulf Coast, with wet weather from east Texas to Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, and rain also possible in southern California, including Los Angeles, during the day and into the evening. Snow was possible in parts of Idaho, Utah and northern Nevada, in the higher terrain.
Halloween Saturday 2026 brings calm weather east
Spending figures showed how large the holiday had become. The National Retail Federation expected Americans to spend a record 13.5 billion dollars on Halloween in 2026, covering costumes, candy, decorations and parties. There is no national trick-or-treat time in the United States, and each city or town sets its own hours, with most starting near sunset. Cleveland, for example, set citywide hours from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Families were advised to check local times, to dress children in bright or reflective clothing, to carry a torch and to check the local forecast on Saturday afternoon, because rain timing could still shift in the South and West.
Source: PEOPLE
