Movie buffs consider the 1978 classic “Halloween” starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence to be among the greatest horror movies ever made.
The sequels, however, often come up short in the eyes of critics and fans.
At least one trade group hopes their idea for a second Halloween holiday is bigger and better the original, and packs a bigger fun and safety factor than October 31.
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In 2018, a trade group representing Halloween merchants uploaded a petition with an idea to alter the annual holiday by moving trick-or-treating to the Saturday before October 31.
The Halloween & Costume Association, formed in 2005 and based in New Jersey, received over 150,000 signatures in support of an end-of-October Saturday observation to promote the safety and increase the fun associated with Halloween.
Instead of changing the date of Halloween, the group wants to add an additional day of festivities in partnership with Party City and other brands through the creation of “National Trick or Treat Day” or NTTD for short.
The association is launching the #ALLoween campaign designed to support the all-day celebration of NTTD and the “time-honored traditions of Halloween on October 31.”
According to the organization, 51% of Millennials say Halloween is their favorite holiday, so “why cram it into two rushed evening weekday hours when it deserves a fully day?”
Some Alabama cities are already moving forward with Saturday celebrations this year, shifting the traditional trick-or-treating away from October 31 because it falls on a Sunday.
Aneisha McMillan, spokeswoman with the Halloween & Costume Association, answered some questions about the vision for their organization’s national initiative.
Here are some of her responses:
What is the vision for National Trick or Treat Day and how will it compare to Halloween day?
We never set out to take away anyone’s Halloween, we simply have the goal to make it bigger and better. We envision families and communities coming together to celebrate National Trick or Treat Day by throwing block parties, community events, costume contests, parades, walks and runs, trunk or treating and daytime trick or treating as well. NTTD is just an additional day to celebrate Halloween. There are many people and communities that will opt for family fun on NTTD and still trick or treat on Halloween or perhaps have adult parties that night. Just like the spirit of Halloween itself, there are no rules. It’s simply a time to let loose and celebrate our imaginations.
Does this mean neighborhoods should prepare for two days of trick-or-treating (National Trick or Treat Day and Halloween)?
We are absolutely leaving that up to the neighborhoods, communities and cities. Often times when Halloween falls on a Sunday or there is a rain day, people will consult with their local officials to find out when trick-or-treating will take place. The same thing happens when families are trying to figure out when the official trick-or-treating hours are. For NTTD and/or Halloween, communities have choices and can decide what is best for them. Some cities, like Tilton, New Hampshire, celebrated NTTD with parades and contests and a zombie walk but then did trick-or-treating on Halloween. Other cities like Saugatuck, Michigan, had a trick-or-treat day along with all their parades and events.
How do communities know who is participating and what to expect?
We believe the addition of NTTD will happen organically, it will evolve over time and grow in a grassroots manner. Trick-or-treating as we know it today started this same way here in America. Halloween is the favorite holiday of Millennials. We believe as more and more become parents, the celebration will evolve into something much bigger.
What makes the day ‘official’ now as a holiday?
We haven’t received an official position from the U.S. government, but we are excited to announce that NTTD has been added to the National Day Calendar and many cities and communities across the country are excited to add an additional day of fun.
Why Saturday and why daytime?
The statistics listed on our site are accurate. Children are more than twice as likely to be struck and killed by a car on Halloween than any other night of the year. We wanted to focus on safety and the daytime trick-or-treating adds the benefit of visibility. Unfortunately, 82% of parents don’t currently use high visibility aids on costumes and 63% of kids don’t carry a flashlight. Lastly, 12% of kids under 5 go trick-or-treating without adult supervision. We want to give Americans the option of a longer, safer, stress-free celebration and Saturday was the perfect day for that.
Any plans to continue pushing for the actual Halloween holiday to be moved to the last Saturday of October?
At this point, we want Halloween and National Trick or Treat Day to work in tandem for Americans to find reasons to pull together and celebrate happiness and positive change. We believe this is the best of both worlds and never intended for any type of polarization. We are listening to Americans and believe this ‘addition’ of our beloved holiday will serve as another reminder that Halloween is all about acceptance and unity. It’s all about coming together in the spirit of wonder while giving people more opportunities for a safer, longer celebration.
This movement is backed by Party City and others that seem to make money on Halloween and an additional holiday could provide more opportunities for that. How can parents be assured this is not just a marketing ploy?
Halloween spending means big bucks in the U.S., with an estimated $6 billion spent annually on the day, making it the country’s second largest commercial holiday after Christmas. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).
The Halloween & Costume Association is the non-profit voice of the industry. We launched this petition on our own specifically to address the safety concerns that the statistics have proven. We have only partnered with other companies and organizations to help amplify the message. All of the support for National Trick or Treat Day from media, celebrities, brands and Halloween enthusiasts has been real. No one has been paid to support the petition. At the end of the day, a Saturday celebration offers up a safer alternative to night time trick-or-treating, reduces absenteeism in schools and gives families more opportunities to create Halloween memories and spend time with the people they love most.
Coming Wednesday: National Trick or Treat Day is a concept that aims to have traditional trick-or-treating during daylight hours to promote safety. At least one professor who specializes in the holiday and in horror movies believes that efforts to make Halloween “safer” are rooted in unfounded allegations that the holiday was never safe to begin with.
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National Trick or Treat Day? A second Halloween could be coming - AL.com
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