This countdown updates live in your local timezone.
When is Halloween 2030?
Halloween 2030 falls on Thursday, October 31, 2030.
About Halloween
Halloween falls on October 31 every year and is celebrated mainly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and a growing number of other countries. Its roots lie in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter. That festival was later blended with the Christian observance of All Hallows' Eve, the night before All Saints' Day on November 1. Modern Halloween is largely secular, and its customs include costume parties, trick-or-treating, jack-o'-lanterns carved from pumpkins, haunted-house attractions and horror films. It is not a public holiday, so shops and offices stay open, but it is one of the biggest commercial events of the autumn, especially for sweets and costumes.
The carved jack-o'-lantern tradition began in Ireland, where turnips, swedes or beets were originally hollowed out and carved, and the term jack-o'-lantern itself dates from the 17th century. When Irish immigrants reached North America in the 19th century, they found that pumpkins were plentiful and far easier to carve, and the modern pumpkin jack-o'-lantern was the result. Halloween is now the second-largest commercial holiday in the United States after Christmas, and annual spending on costumes, sweets and decorations has regularly passed $10 billion in recent years. Its spread beyond the traditional Anglo-Celtic countries has picked up speed since around 2000. Halloween is now widely observed in Brazil, Japan and parts of continental Europe, and in Mexico it sits alongside the Día de Muertos celebrations.
Frequently asked questions
What are the origins of Halloween?
Halloween has mixed origins. Its oldest root is the Celtic festival of Samhain, kept in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, which marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter and a time when the boundary with the spirit world was thought to be thin. The Christian church later placed All Saints' Day on November 1, with the evening before known as All Hallows' Eve. Over centuries the two traditions blended, and Halloween grew from that combination of seasonal folk custom and Christian observance.
Why do people carve pumpkins at Halloween?
The carved pumpkin, or jack-o'-lantern, comes from an Irish tradition. People in Ireland and Scotland once carved faces into turnips and other root vegetables and set a light inside, linked to folklore including the tale of a figure called Stingy Jack. When Irish immigrants reached North America, they found pumpkins easier to carve and widely available, so the pumpkin took over. The lit jack-o'-lantern is now one of the most recognisable symbols of Halloween.
Why do children go trick-or-treating?
Trick-or-treating, where children in costume call at houses asking for sweets, has roots in older customs. Medieval practices such as souling, going door to door for food and prayers around All Saints' and All Souls' Day, and the Scottish and Irish custom of guising, where young people performed for treats, both fed into it. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried these customs to North America, where modern trick-or-treating took shape in the 20th century and then spread to other countries.
Is Halloween a public holiday?
Halloween is not a public holiday in the United States, the United Kingdom or other countries that celebrate it. October 31 is a normal working day, with schools, offices and shops open as usual. Despite that, it is one of the biggest commercial occasions of the autumn, with heavy spending on costumes, sweets, decorations and parties. The lack of holiday status simply means the celebrations, such as trick-or-treating and parties, mostly take place in the evening and around the nearest weekend.
How is Halloween celebrated in different countries?
Halloween is strongest in the United States and Canada, where costumes, trick-or-treating, decorated houses and parties are widespread. Ireland and Scotland, where the tradition began, keep customs such as guising and bonfires. In England the celebration is more recent and has grown alongside Bonfire Night a few days later. Outside the English-speaking world, Halloween has spread since around 2000 to countries such as Japan, Brazil and parts of Europe, often as a costume and party occasion. In Mexico it overlaps with the separate Día de Muertos.