Illustration by Tom Garrett; Debate photos courtesy of families; Shutterstock.com (all other images)

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Should Halloween Always Be on Saturday?

Last year, kids in Roscoe, Illinois, got to celebrate Halloween two days early. That’s because Roscoe officials had voted to move trick-or-treating to the Saturday before Halloween. One reason was to give families more time to enjoy the holiday.

“When Halloween falls on a weekday, families are hurrying home to get ready,” says Roscoe official Stacy Mallicoat.

Some people believe Halloween should always be on a Saturday—even if it’s not October 31. They say weekend trick-or-treating is safer, since kids can go door-to-door while it’s still light outside.

But not everyone thinks moving the holiday is a spook-tacular idea. Many Roscoe residents didn’t like the large crowds that came from other towns to get an additional day of trick-or-treating. 

“Neighborhoods that normally have 100 to 150 visitors saw that number grow to more than 300,” Mallicoat explains.

This year, the village moved trick-or-treating back to October 31. Why mess with tradition, many residents say.

Here’s what two of our readers think.

Halloween should always be on a Saturday. That way kids wouldn’t have to go to school tired the next day. We would be able to stay up after trick-or-treating and sleep in the morning after.

Kids could also trick-or-treat earlier in the day. That’s safer than doing it at night, when it’s dark and accidents are more likely. Plus, adults who work on weekdays might not have time to take their kids trick-or-treating or want to stay up late giving out candy.

Halloween has been celebrated on October 31 for centuries. Changing it to Saturday would make things confusing. People might want to change other holidays too. 

I like when Halloween is on a weekday because I get to show off my costume in class. I also get to celebrate with my friends at school. When Halloween is on a Saturday, we don’t get to see each other because some of my classmates live far away. 

What does your class think?

Should Halloween always be on Saturday?

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