Trick-or-treating in Watervliet does not have a hard stop for every minor this year. The city's Halloween curfew generally restricts minors from being in any public place starting at 10 p.m. Saturday night until 6 a.m. the next morning, but minors accompanied by a parent, guardian, or custodian may continue trick-or-treating after 10 p.m.
According to the city council, the rule applies broadly to minors in public places during those overnight hours, with exceptions for minors accompanied by a parent, guardian, or custodian who are trick-or-treating, as well as for work, emergency errands, and certain registered events, as reported by WRGB. Minors are also barred from driving a car during the curfew window, the station notes, extending the restriction beyond just being out on foot.
It is not only kids who could face consequences. The station reports it is against the law for parents and guardians to knowingly allow their children to be out in violation of the curfew, putting the legal burden on families to make sure Halloween night wraps up on time.
What Happens If the Curfew Is Broken
Penalties for violating the curfew include public service and fines of up to $250, per the same report. The curfew is described as returning for 2026, according to WNYT, suggesting the city has taken this approach before.
A separate listing from B95 describes the 10 p.m. cutoff as applying specifically to unaccompanied minors. Minors accompanied by a parent, guardian, or custodian may continue trick-or-treating after 10 p.m.
How Watervliet Compares to Its Neighbors
Watervliet is not alone in setting Halloween ground rules. Other communities in the New York City area reportedly have their own Halloween curfews, including Yonkers, Woodbridge, South Plainfield, Plainfield, Waldwick, Hasbrouck Heights, and Long Branch, while New York City does not, according to FOX 5 New York.
For now, the clearest guidance available to Watervliet families is the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew window, the ban on minors driving during those hours, and the warning to parents that knowingly allowing children to violate the curfew could carry a cost. Minors accompanied by a parent, guardian, or custodian may continue trick-or-treating after 10 p.m.; other exceptions include work, emergency errands, and certain registered events.
