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Original poster

Travelling to other areas for trick or treating

189 replies

MidnightPatrol · 30/10/2024 20:25

I’d always assumed that everyone just trick or treated on their own / surrounding streets.

But our town’s parents group (mainly nursery and primary school chat) has people suggesting travelling to a handful of specific streets…

This does explain why there were quite so many trick or treaters last year (at least 100 - we eventually tuned the lights off and brought the pumpkins inside by about 7pm).

I thought it was just the local kids pottering round, not that their parents had driven them here.

Is this normal? Seems like CF behaviour to me!

OP posts:
AllstarFacilier · 30/10/2024 21:10

Our estate does a treasure trail and competes with the treats that they give out. We give out sweets, but don’t get involved in the competition. We had some small kids brought round by their parents earlier tonight, and DH said the same kids and their parents knocked yesterday. I wish they’d just stick to Halloween

Osory · 30/10/2024 21:08

Ah its not cheeky it's just kids finding somewhere to go trick or treating - it's only a few sweets.
I did it as a child and am 49 so not something new. Although we would get more apples and monkey nuts than sweets

SouthLondonMum22 · 30/10/2024 21:07

Ifailed · 30/10/2024 20:59

If you are going to take your kids begging, then why not go to where they'll get a better return?

Is it begging when Halloween decorations generally mean please knock here, we have sweets?

BabyCloud · 30/10/2024 21:06

I have a feeling people will flock to our new build estate. It’s my first year here but my sister said she literally had 100s turn up at hers last year.

TaeAgus · 30/10/2024 21:06

This wouldn't bother me tbh, but then I've never had 100 trick or treaters before 7pm! That's nuts tbh and I don't blame you for bringing your pumpkin in.

I don't think it's cheeky to do this, but equally understand people refusing to participate if they have as many as you have in one evening

Jc2001 · 30/10/2024 21:06

Ifailed · 30/10/2024 20:59

If you are going to take your kids begging, then why not go to where they'll get a better return?

🥱

SouthLondonMum22 · 30/10/2024 21:03

I don’t think it’s cheeky. It’s just a few sweets, it doesn’t matter who gets them.

Some streets don’t have many who will join in so they will just go somewhere where more join in.

LivelyBlake · 30/10/2024 21:00

I haven't seen any decorations yet in my village. Halloween is tomorrow night, isn't it?

Mandylovescandy · 30/10/2024 21:00

We drive to another area but mainly so that the DC can go with friends - wouldn't just pick a random location. Might be cheeky but there is nothing in walking distance of our house and nobody to go with

Mmr224 · 30/10/2024 21:00

We go round the road where our parents live with our children and thier cousins. Granny comes round with us and we meet lots of other grandparents doing the same, we know a lot of the neighbours even though we now live 20.minues walk away . So there is a direct connection to the area we go to. They are in a nice set of streets which are all houses, we are in a street of modern flats where no one really does trick or treating. We wouldn't go somewhere random though.

I grew up in a rural area and we did travel around to houses but I ly those with a connection so relatives or people we were in school or brownies etc with. It was guising then and you had to to a turn to get anything.

Ifailed · 30/10/2024 20:59

If you are going to take your kids begging, then why not go to where they'll get a better return?

JustTalkToThem · 30/10/2024 20:55

Wow it's like MN Halloween Bingo this week - drugs in sweets, bussing poor kids into rich areas... I'm just waiting for the costume judging...

Marblesbackagain · 30/10/2024 20:53

This was a thing when I was a child nearly 50 years ago, so it's not new. I don't mind as streets go in and out of trick or treat as the children grow up. My family love any child knocking and it's a few bits of chocolate which is bought anyway.

Tattletail · 30/10/2024 20:49

Could it be some streets are participating more then others?

Personally I stick to the street where we live as people generally recognise each other, feels a little less like you are encroaching on people

Jc2001 · 30/10/2024 20:46

stayathomer · 30/10/2024 20:31

It’s not cheeky, we go to mil’s road because it’s where dh grew up and they get very little trick or treaters and we live on a dangerous rural road that has no path and only elderly people who don’t put up decorations.

I think that's a bit different as you have some connection with the area you're going to, but going to a completely random area is a bit odd. It like when chuggers turn up in a van at the top of your street and walk door to door 😁

southsidegal · 30/10/2024 20:45

Potentiallyplausible · 30/10/2024 20:33

I think it’s a bit cheeky, but then I don’t really approve of trick or treating. It wasn’t a thing when I was little.

Same. I never did understand the whole thing - possibly as my parents never let me do it and referred to it as begging. But I've been glad to avoid it with my own DC. We've always gone to Halloween parties, love dressing up, and done pumpkins/apples at home, but we will be turning off the doorbell, front lights and closing all blinds as usual tomorrow evening!

I do recognise that IABU though as it's a very normal thing to do. However, going to another area, unless you have a connection of family or friends, just because you think you will get better sweets, totally CF territory.

Gymmum82 · 30/10/2024 20:44

If your house is decorated for Halloween you’ve chosen to participate. I’m not bothered if the children who knock are my neighbours or from the next town over as long as they are having fun.

Last year we went trick or treating on holiday. The kids absolutely loved it and the locals had gone to town on their decorations. Hadn’t occurred to me that there was anything cheeky about it

TheYearOfSmallThings · 30/10/2024 20:44

I don't think it's cheeky, as long as everyone is well behaved. Some areas really go for it at Halloween whereas other areas don't. The children unlucky enough to live in the latter areas will have much more fun going to a nearby area where people are enthusiastic about it.

Anyone who doesn't want to participate should obviously be left undisturbed.

VioletCrawleyForever · 30/10/2024 20:40

Our estate is like ET. All the houses are decorated and there's hundreds of guisers.

I expect some have travelled from estates that aren't so into it.

I really don't mind. As long as the kids have fun.

Clearinguptheclutter · 30/10/2024 20:40

Wolframandhart · 30/10/2024 20:35

Barely anyone had decorations where we used to live so we travelled to where my parents lived instead.

now we live on an estate where people travel for trick or treating. People have their houses professionally decorated (at Christmas too). A few have marquees outside their houses with mini scare rooms. You can hear the screams as you walk around. It has a very strict 5-8 policy. But the atmosphere is always great. Parents are also dressed up when trick or treating.

5-8 is that the time or the age range?

up to 12-13 age wise seems ok round here, I’m telling my 11yo I think he’s almost too old now

Original poster
MidnightPatrol · 30/10/2024 20:40

Wolframandhart · 30/10/2024 20:35

Barely anyone had decorations where we used to live so we travelled to where my parents lived instead.

now we live on an estate where people travel for trick or treating. People have their houses professionally decorated (at Christmas too). A few have marquees outside their houses with mini scare rooms. You can hear the screams as you walk around. It has a very strict 5-8 policy. But the atmosphere is always great. Parents are also dressed up when trick or treating.

Wow! That sounds fun - never seen anything like that, I can see why that might be perceived to be encouraging people to come and have a look.

Here it’s just the traditional stuff - pumpkins, spiders. I can think of one house that goes really overboard and is maybe worth going to look at, but the rest… nothing anything like what you describe.

OP posts:
Beamur · 30/10/2024 20:39

The village I live in gets lots of people coming to. It's pretty, safe and friendly and lots of people get sweets in.

mindutopia · 30/10/2024 20:39

I think it’s fine. Personally, we wouldn’t have time, but I don’t see anything wrong with it. There are some streets that go all out and I think it’s lovely people get into it. We live in the arse end of nowhere without neighbours, so we have to travel to our nearest village anyway.

BarbaraHoward · 30/10/2024 20:39

I think going to an area you have no ties to could be seen as cheeky. But some areas are shit craic (like ours) or dangerous because they don't have suitable footpaths, or are too rural for trick or treating to be sensible. So I don't blame those families going to other more suitable areas to trick or treat with friends or family.

DC1 went to a friend's last year and came home with a sack of sweets. I took DC2 around locally and I don't think we called at five doors. This year I'm staying home to make sure the locals have someone to call to, and DH is taking both DCs to the friend's.

Our road went all out when I was growing up and it was the same then - friends who lived on main roads etc tagging along.

Keiththecatwithamagichat · 30/10/2024 20:37

We will be joining friends who live in a different area to us so that our children can go round trick or treating together. My son is an only child so it's nice to join up with other children for things like this.

It wouldn't even occur to me that it's cheeky to go to a different area. Previous years we've gone to surprise my parents and then trick or treated the street they live on too.