After taking into consideration the Illinois Department of Public Health’s recommendations (PDF) and their Halloween Festivities Guidance for celebrating this year, the City has established the Trick or Treat hours of 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 31st. You are encouraged to read the linked recommendations and guidance articles to determine which activities may or may not be best suited for you and your household. The CDC considers door-to-door trick or treating a high risk activity, and offers alternative suggestions to Halloween and other fall activities.
When making your Halloween plans, please take into consideration that not everyone may feel comfortable with trick or treaters coming to their homes this year. In an effort to help eliminate instances of little ghosts and goblins being turned away at the door, signs have been created for residents to print out and post. For those households indicating they will be participating in handing out treats, the green “Trick or Treaters Welcome!” sign can be posted. For those households opting out of participating in handing out treats this year, the red circle “Sorry, No Treats this Year” sign can be posted. These signs are not the only ones that can be used, you may want to make your own. If you choose to make your own sign, please make sure your option is clearly stated and easily distinguishable.
Protective face masks/coverings should be worn while trick or treating. Since wearing both a protective face mask/covering and a costume mask may interfere with your child’s breathing, leave the protective face mask/covering on and the costume mask at home. Don’t forget to bring hand sanitizer to use along the way, and discuss and plan ahead for putting the candy away for 72 hours to let any potential germs naturally fade. Whatever your plans are this year, be safe – be seen (or relax and have fun at home) and have a Happy Halloween!
Yes, Trick or Treaters Welcome! (English / Spanish) (PDF)
Sorry, No Treats this Year (English / Spanish) (PDF)
