New Jersey has no statewide trick-or-treating start time or curfew, so when Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, it's left up to individual towns to decide when the candy run begins and ends. Some South Jersey communities are starting in broad daylight, while others are shifting the whole event to Friday night to dodge a scheduling conflict. The result is a patchwork of trick-or-treating hours that families are being urged to check before they head out the door.
There is no statewide start time for trick-or-treating in New Jersey, and there is also no single statewide curfew, according to app.com, which means each municipality sets its own rules. Among the towns that have posted 2026 schedules, the most common window runs from 3 to 8 p.m., per the same report. But several communities are breaking from that norm entirely, opting for earlier or altogether different timing.
Collingswood and Nearby Towns Start Before Dark
Collingswood is holding trick-or-treating from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, according to a notice posted on the borough's own website, Collingswood.com. The borough is encouraging families to begin early, and Daniela Solano-Ward said the borough wants families, especially young children, to have the opportunity to go out earlier and return before dark, according to CBS News Philadelphia.
Haddon Heights and National Park are also encouraging families to trick-or-treat earlier in the day, the station reports. Haddon Heights has set its hours for 3 to 8 p.m. on October 31, matching the statewide trend identified by app.com, while Medford has opted for a longer noon-to-8 p.m. window the same day, also per the same outlet.
Why Toms River Pushed Trick-or-Treating to Friday
Not every town is sticking with Saturday at all. Toms River and four neighboring communities are celebrating trick-or-treating a day early, moving their event to Friday, October 30, from 4 to 8 p.m., the app.com report notes. The shift avoids a direct conflict with the Toms River Halloween Parade, which falls on Saturday, and the separate dates allow families to participate in both traditions, per the same report.
Elsewhere in the state, Northwest Jersey towns are keeping to Saturday but with their own variations. Alpha Borough has scheduled 5 to 8 p.m. hours, while Hackettstown is running 3 to 8 p.m., both according to WRNJ Radio. In Haddonfield, the mayor's office has recommended a tighter 3 to 6 p.m. window, as reported by FOX 29. South Jersey communities broadly are adjusting their schedules for the Saturday holiday, according to 6ABC.
A Saturday Halloween Collides With the Clock Change
Timing matters this year for more than scheduling convenience. Halloween lands on Saturday, October 31, and clocks will be returned to their regular time at 2 a.m. the very next morning, Sunday, November 1, according to NBC New York. That overlap is fueling extra caution from safety advocates and local officials alike.
An analysis of federal crash records by MoneyGeek found that 45 children were killed while walking on Halloween between 2010 and 2024, more than on any other date of the year, and 24 of those deaths occurred between 6 and 9 p.m. The riskiest stretch for trick-or-treaters falls between 6 and 7 p.m., when sunset, rush hour and peak trick-or-treating all overlap, according to the American Red Cross. Separately, PennLive reports that the combination of Halloween and the end of daylight saving time this weekend is creating what AAA describes as a triple threat on area roads — more children walking around, more impaired drivers and more fatigued motorists.
AAA and a South Jersey Mom on Staying Safe
Children are more than twice as likely to be struck by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year, according to AAA. Jana Tidwell, with AAA Mid-Atlantic, said more than 75% of pedestrian fatalities happen at night, and she is urging parents to walk with children and make sure they're visible after dark, per CBS News Philadelphia. Tidwell recommended putting a flashlight in children's treat bags, using cellphone flashlights, or adding reflector tape to costumes.
Caitlin Linhardt, a parent interviewed by the station, said she plans to stay alert with her three children and keep them together in a group rather than letting them cross streets without a parent nearby. She said her kids are mostly just excited to get candy and see friends across the street — a reminder that even with all the scheduling shuffles, the holiday still comes down to neighborhood kids chasing a good time before the sun goes down.
