Trick-or-Treating SafetyNo. 6188 · The 2026 edition
CDC's Halloween Guidelines Warn Against Typical Trick-Or-Treating
CDC issues new Halloween safety guidelines discouraging traditional trick-or-treating.
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at npr.org.
The CDC's latest recommendations for Halloween advise against typical door-to-door trick-or-treating, citing health concerns. Alternative celebration ideas are suggested to keep the holiday fun while reducing risk.
About this
The CDC's latest recommendations for Halloween advise against typical door-to-door trick-or-treating, citing health concerns. Alternative celebration ideas are suggested to keep the holiday fun while reducing risk.
Tips
- Opt for virtual Halloween activities or ones done only with your household to minimize risk.
- Low-risk activities include carving pumpkins with your household or outdoors with friends while socially distanced, and a Halloween scavenger hunt for treats in your own home.
- Moderate-risk activities: outdoor costume parade with 6-foot distancing, outdoor costume party with masks and distance, one-way haunted forest with masks and 6-foot spacing (with greater distancing if screaming is likely), apple picking or pumpkin patch with hand sanitizer and masks, outdoor movie night with social distancing.
- High-risk activities to avoid: traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating, trunk-or-treat events, crowded indoor costume parties, indoor haunted houses, hayrides with non-household members, and fall festivals in rural areas.
- Do not use a costume mask as a substitute for a cloth mask. A Halloween-themed cloth mask is recommended; do not layer a costume mask over a cloth mask as it may cause breathing difficulty.
- If you have COVID-19 or have been exposed, do not attend in-person Halloween activities or hand out candy.
- Avoid alcohol and drugs as they can cloud judgment and increase risky behaviors.
