Halloween 2026 in Canada: trick-or-treat times and rules

Halloween falls on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, and there is no official trick-or-treating time in most of Canada, though the sun sets between about 5:30 and 6:15 p.m. in most large southern cities and a few municipalities set hours or limits of their own.

Updated Oct. 18, 2026

The sunset times below come from the National Research Council of Canada sunrise and sunset calculator, and the safety advice comes from Health Canada’s Halloween safety page. The one city rule that is written into law, in Bathurst, N.B., comes from the city’s Halloween bylaw.

Because Oct. 31 is a Saturday this year, children will not have school the next morning, and many families are likely to head out earlier in daylight. Clocks fall back one hour the next morning, at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, in Ontario, Quebec, the Atlantic provinces and most of Nunavut. That change does not affect Halloween night itself. Our guide to the end of daylight saving time in 2026 explains which provinces change their clocks this fall.

Sunset times on Halloween 2026

The table shows sunset and the end of civil twilight, the point when it is effectively dark outside, for Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in local time. The National Research Council publishes its times in standard time, so one hour has been added for places on daylight time that evening. Saskatchewan and Yukon stay on the same time all year, so their times are shown as published.

In practice, that means most trick-or-treating in southern Canada will happen after dark. Families who want younger children to finish in daylight have roughly until 5:30 p.m. in Quebec City and Montreal, and until about 6 p.m. in Toronto, Calgary and Halifax.

Trick-or-treating hours and local rules

No federal or provincial law sets trick-or-treating hours. Where rules exist, they come from municipal councils, and most Canadian cities leave the timing to custom. Houses with their porch lights on are generally taken as open for visitors, and Health Canada advises children to visit only homes with exterior lights on.

Bathurst is the best-known exception. Its By-law 2005-17, as amended, says Halloween is celebrated on Oct. 31 each year, that door-to-door trick-or-treating may not take place after 8 p.m., and that facial disguises are not permitted in public after 8 p.m. The bylaw also bars anyone over the age of 16 from trick-or-treating in the city. Fines run from $80 to $200 under New Brunswick’s provincial offences rules, with the province’s young offender procedures applying to children and teenagers. The amendment raised the limits from the original 7 p.m. and age 14.

Some Quebec municipalities organize the evening themselves. Saint-Pie, east of Montreal, has scheduled a candy collection at 5 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2026, at its Pavillon des loisirs. In Saint-Télesphore, west of Montreal, the municipality said firefighters will patrol the main streets of Saint-Télesphore and Dalhousie from 5 p.m. on Oct. 31 to watch over trick-or-treaters and hand out candy.

In past years, several Quebec towns have moved Halloween to another evening because of weather or the day of the week. None of the municipal notices we found had done so for 2026 as of Oct. 18. If your town has a history of moving the date, check its website or social media in the last week of October.

Halloween and statutory holidays

Halloween is not a statutory holiday anywhere in Canada. It does not appear on the list of general holidays for federally regulated workers on Canada.ca, or on provincial lists such as Ontario’s public holidays and British Columbia’s statutory holidays. Because it is not a holiday, no provincial rule closes stores or banks for it. The next holiday on the calendar is Remembrance Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and our province-by-province Remembrance Day guide covers who gets that day off and what is closed.

Health Canada safety advice

Health Canada’s guidance, last updated Sept. 24, 2026, says young children should always be supervised by an adult, and older children should go out in groups, follow a planned route through busy, well-lit areas and have a set time to be home.

The department advises trick-or-treaters to stay on sidewalks or paths, to cross only at intersections or crosswalks and never between parked cars, and to carry a flashlight and wear bright or reflective material so drivers can see them. It recommends face paint or makeup instead of masks where possible, because a poorly fitting mask can block vision and make breathing difficult, and suggests a patch test before using face paint.

Parents should check all treats before children eat them, Health Canada said, and throw away anything opened, unwrapped, damaged or homemade. Small, hard or chewy candies should not be given to children under three because they are a choking risk. Families managing food allergies can find label-reading advice on the department’s Halloween food safety page.

For decorations, Health Canada recommends battery-powered lights or flashlights instead of open-flame candles in pumpkins. Our guide on how to make a carved pumpkin last longer in Canada has tips for getting a jack-o’-lantern through to Oct. 31.

Sources: National Research Council of Canada sunrise and sunset calculator (times for Oct. 31, 2026); Health Canada, Halloween safety and Halloween food safety; City of Bathurst By-law 2005-17 relating to Halloween; Municipality of Saint-Pie events calendar; Municipality of Saint-Télesphore; Canada.ca general holidays for federally regulated employees; Government of Ontario and Government of British Columbia holiday lists.

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