A stretch of East Dudley Avenue in Westfield has been crowned the best street in America for trick-or-treating, beating out 149 other contenders nationwide in a contest run by Reese's. The candy maker made the announcement Wednesday, and the Union County town is now bracing for a Halloween block party meant to celebrate the honor.
Reese's named East Dudley Avenue the “Trick-or-Treatiest Street in America” on Wednesday, according to Daily Voice. The street was selected from 150 streets nationwide, as Patch reports, edging out contenders across the country to take the top spot. NJ.com, which first covered the local angle, reported that Reese's ranked the Westfield block ahead of 149 other nationwide contenders, according to NJ.com.
How Reese's Picked a Winner From 150 Streets
The selection wasn't just a vibe check. Reese's analyzed a wide range of data points, including candy, costume and Halloween décor purchasing behavior, Census data, walkability and local reputation, per a statement from The Hershey Company. That data crunch was paired with a survey of 15,000 residents to round out the picture of what makes a block Halloween-worthy.
The final call landed with a five-person panel the company calls its Halloween Council — Christina Ricci, Kathy Najimy, and creators Rachel Iwanyszyn, Zaire Alford and Macy Blackwell — which crowned East Dudley Avenue, according to the Haunted Attraction Network. East Dudley Avenue earned a candy haul score of 84.4 and a haunt score of 91.5, the same Daily Voice report notes. Reese's said the neighborhood stood out for its community spirit, participation and creativity toward the holiday, according to USA Today.
A Block Party, Candy Carts and a Nod to the Addams Family
Reese's and Zillow are hosting a community Halloween party on East Dudley between Lawrence and Elm from 3 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31, Patch reports. The festivities will include a candy cart, hot chocolate, face painting, and more, according to the same report. Westfield's Halloween bona fides run deeper than this one block, too — a home on Elm Street in the town was designated by the town as the Charles Addams Inspiration House in 2024, per USA Today's reporting.
Why One Street Over Another
Forty-one percent of consumers say the perfect Halloween block is one where everyone participates, while 39% point to streets filled with trick-or-treaters, according to Hershey's own research. That framing helps explain why Reese's weighted community spirit so heavily in choosing a winner rather than simply handing the title to whichever street handed out the most full-size bars. Separately, the company's data found that 71% of Halloween enthusiasts are highly excited about Halloween candy, while Gen Z prefers full-size candy bars at four times the rate of Baby Boomers, 36% versus 9%.
How East Dudley Stacks Up Against the Competition
East Dudley wasn't the top scorer in every category nationally. South 13th Street in Philadelphia earned the highest candy haul score among Northeast entries at 99.0, Daily Voice reported, while Albemarle Road in Brooklyn posted the region's top haunt score of 97.4. Elsewhere on the list, Kingwood Road in Little Rock, Arkansas, made the cut with haul and haunt scores of 80.3 and 75.3, according to Fast Company, and Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts, earned scores in the upper 90s per the same outlet. Among all 150 streets evaluated, 36 earned a Jackpot Haul Score, 62 were classified as Ultra Haunted, and 24 achieved both distinctions, the Haunted Attraction Network noted.
The contest arrives as Halloween spending hits new heights nationally. U.S. consumers are expected to spend a total of $13.5 billion on Halloween this year, with sweets accounting for $4.1 billion of that total, according to the National Retail Federation as cited by Marketing Dive. For Westfield, the title means a few hours on Halloween afternoon when East Dudley Avenue will be the place in America where the candy, the costumes and the crowds are all guaranteed to show up.
