Should we change the day we celebrate Halloween? Thousands sign petition

When you were a kid, you might remember waiting all month for Halloween to finally arrive — then suddenly remembering the grim truth: It’s a school night.

But now, thousands of people are suggesting that we make sure that never happens again by changing the date of Halloween from Oct. 31 to the last Saturday in October.

By Friday morning, more than 6,500 people signed a Change.org petition to President Donald Trump called “Join the Saturday Halloween Movement,” which urges the government to change the date of the holiday.

The petition was started by the Halloween & Costume Association, a nonprofit representing the costume and Halloween industries.

The petition says safety is a major concern because the school day often forces kids to celebrate after dark, when it is more dangerous and they are less likely to be seen. And apart from that, there are older folks who would like more time to celebrate, too.

“51% Of Millennials say Halloween is their favorite holiday, why cram it into 2 rushed evening weekday hours when it deserves a full day!?!” it reads.

Thousands of people said they agreed.

“It makes more sense to have it always on a Saturday so that we don’t have to worry about getting the kids home and in bed early for school the next day. Also, for most people, they wouldn’t have to worry about working that day or the day following,” one signer named Danielle Paris wrote.

“(It) gives children and parents alike time to enjoy Halloween without rushing, taking time off work to spend the evening with their children, and takes away the stigma of what some people think the holiday is really about and just makes it a really fun day,” wrote Carolyn Boutin.

It is unclear how or if the president (or Congress, for that matter) could decide to make the move. Halloween is not a federal holiday, and even if it were, such holidays are only binding for federal employees.



“Neither Congress nor the President has asserted the authority to declare a ‘national holiday’ which would be binding on the 50 states,” a Senate report says.

The reason Halloween is celebrated on Oct. 31 is complicated and uncertain.