The White House South Lawn will welcome trick-or-treaters on Thursday evening, as First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald J. Trump open the gates for the administration's annual Halloween celebration. Thousands of children and their families are expected to stream through trick-or-treat booths and spooky decorations themed around the harvest moon, according to Melania Trump.
The announcement, detailed in a release posted to whitehouse.gov, confirms that Thursday, October 29, 2026, is the date set for this year's gathering. The White House announcement says the event will run from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. EST; WOAI reports an end time of 7:30 p.m. The event is open to ticket holders, a group that includes military and law-enforcement families, foster and adoptive families, and the children of administration officials.
Trump and the first lady are expected to personally hand out commemorative candies on the South Drive, continuing a tradition the couple has kept up every year they've been in the White House, inviting local schoolchildren and military families onto the grounds, according to the historical record kept by the White House Historical Association. Last year, on October 30, 2025, the couple handed out candy and welcomed military, law enforcement, foster and adoptive families, and administration officials and their children onto the White House grounds for the same event.
Federal Agencies Turn Out With Pumpkins, Postcards and Science Kits
This year's event draws in a wide roster of federal agencies and outside organizations, each setting up its own activity for young visitors. The U.S. Postal Service will provide toy mail trucks and operate a Be Best postcard station for children, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans a giant pumpkin photo opportunity along with mini pumpkins handed out courtesy of American farmers.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury will share coloring books promoting Trump Accounts, the federal savings program for qualifying children born between 2025 and 2028, the details of which were outlined by The Hill. The Center of Science and Industry is set to provide a steam science-experiment kit for kids, and the International Fresh Produce Association will offer apples from Michigan. The National Confectioners Association rounds things out with sweet treats for trick-or-treaters. Event participants also include America 250, NASA, the National Park Service, the U.S. Mint and the U.S. Secret Service.
Air Force Strings and a Tradition Stretching Back Decades
Music for the evening comes courtesy of the U.S. Air Force Strolling Strings, who will play a mix of traditional Halloween songs and modern tunes as families move through the South Portico's trick-or-treat booths and spooky decorations. The White House Halloween event has been held annually, a tradition the National Confectioners Association and other participants help keep running each fall.
The South Lawn's Halloween tradition traces back decades. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower decorated the White House for Halloween for the first time on October 30, 1958, hosting a luncheon for staff members' wives, per the White House Historical Association's timeline. The Bushes later hosted a Halloween party for 600 schoolchildren on the South Lawn in 1989, and the Obamas handed out goody bags with presidential M&Ms, cookies and dried fruit to 2,000 children at their first White House Halloween in 2009 — a tradition they kept up every year except 2012, when Superstorm Sandy struck the East Coast.
Photos from last year's event, published by Reuters, show Trump and the first lady greeting trick-or-treating children on the White House grounds. This year's celebration is expected to welcome thousands of children and their parents to the South Lawn to visit trick-or-treat booths and enjoy autumnal decorations on the South Portico.
