Hey Michigan, Should We Change When We Celebrate Halloween?

Halloween is one of those multi-generational holidays that is enjoyed almost as much by adults as it is by kids. But should Michigan consider changing it up a little?

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This year (2023) October 31 falls on a Tuesday. Most communities in Michigan are celebrating the annual candy-grab on Halloween, urging residents to turn on porch lights to welcome trick-ot-treaters beginning at 6:00 pm.

Follow this link for the official Trick-or-Treat times for communities in Genesee County.

Follow this link for the official Trick-or-Treat times for communities in Lapeer County.

Should We Consider Making a Change?

Does celebrating Halloween on a weeknight really make sense? While there's no official data regarding parental preference (and we didn't feel like going out and taking a poll), moving Halloween to the last Saturday of October seems to make a lot of sense.

Weeknights are More Dangerous

Safe Kids, a national group in favor of moving Trick-or-Treat festivities to Saturday says children's safety is at the to of their list of reasons why.

A national study found that there's an 83% increase in fatal crashes involving children and a 55% increase in pedestrian fatal crashes when Halloween falls on weeknights. The group also noted that there's been an increase of about 21 fatal crashes every time Halloween has fallen on a Friday since 1994.

The group notes that moving Halloween to Saturday would allow trick-or-treat activities to begin earlier, taking advantage of daylight hours.

National Push for Change

Since 2018, a petition started by the Halloween and Costume Association to move the annual Halloween celebration to the last weekend in October has gathered more that 158,000 signatures.

While not getting enough traction to enact change nationally, the organization has since focused on adding an annual day of festivities, and hopes families will join them by unofficially celebrating 'National Trick or Treat Day' on the last Saturday of October.

So what do you think? Should Michigan consider changing Halloween to the last Saturday in October?