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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:
andHelenknowsimmiserablenow · 31/10/2024 19:23

I noticed driving home that there were loads of cars parked around the side streets where I live, as though every other house was having a party.
I bought loads of trick or treat sweets but have only recognised a handful of locals out of the trick or treaters so far.
One woman said she'd driven a few miles because most of their neighbours didn't like trick or treaters and we do here!
I don't really mind, but I'm running out of sweets now and it's not even 7.30 😁

sprigatito · 31/10/2024 19:23

Screamingabdabz · 30/10/2024 23:45

I think it’s C AF. If you’ve chosen to live in some rural out of the way area then you should take the consequences of that. Not take from a community you’re unlikely to reciprocate to in any way.

What are you "taking" from the community? A few cheap sweets, or a mini Milky Way from people who have bought them to give out to children? Hardly a significant drain on local resources, is it?

It never ceases to amaze me how mean-spirited and transactional some people's attitudes are.

HellofromJohnCraven · 31/10/2024 19:31

Literally don't care.
We live in a cul de sac at the end of a tiny estate (well to me) of 80 odd houses in 2 streets.
Kids come from all round cos we are in rural east sussex. Elsewhere around here it's lanes and sporadic houses so the kids would get nowt/give up!
Kids only knock on where houses have pumpkins/decorations. They make an effort and are a delight!

Username9898 · 31/10/2024 19:34

We ran out of sweets by 6.15 and we had over 100 to hand out. Lots of people travel to our road and I do think it’s a bit cheeky to be honest. I always think of it as being slightly reciprocal and that you should stick roughly to your area or do one of the local business trails if there is not much around your own house. My own LO was quite disappointed that other houses had already run out by the time we made it out (as the literal hordes of people at our door made it really hard to leave!).

pudseypie · 31/10/2024 19:40

We handed out 230 sweets in 1 hour tonight and had to put a sign saying we'd run out of sweets on our door. I recognised quite a few of the children and we always enjoy getting the house decorated and seeing the reactions. However, it's more and more kids each year, so I'm not convinced they're all local by the way the numbers are going up!

whatthedickens5 · 31/10/2024 19:41

We live in a more afluent area (by chance and we are not!) but yeah mums drive their kids into our small village to get better goodies. Also half the population of our small village is retired and they really do love kids coming round. Last year my son come back with a pillowcase rammed full of sweets 😳 We simply don't have enough kids in our village for all the sweets 🫣

Soapy23 · 31/10/2024 19:43

We live on a small estate, when my teenagers were small nobody on here seemed to do anything and we never got any trick or treaters ourselves. I used to take them to do it with friends where they lived.

OpalSpirit · 31/10/2024 19:44

We used to drive to a village a couple of miles away.
The village was known for going to town on decorations and adults answering doors in costumes etc.

We used to go as we lived in a very rough area.
Didnt want to go into rabbit warrens of flats that were scary enough on a normal day, never mind with young men wearing scream masks!

If a child lives in an awful area should they have to miss out? Only local children in nice areas should be allowed to join in?

VioletCrawleyForever · 31/10/2024 19:44

I have not asked one child yet for their proof of address tonight.

I really don't mind.

It's kids. It's one night.

Unclench people.

florasl · 31/10/2024 19:46

We used to live in a new build estate that people from our city used to travel to. We used to get through 10kg of sweets from Costco every year. Now we live rurally we travel to a near buy estate on the edge of the village.

It’s odd that adults begrudge children from having a 5p lollipop because they happen to live in a less populated area.

tediber · 31/10/2024 19:46

My sisters area is like this. They have tonnes of kids arrive that aren't from the area. It really pisses her off as literally she had about 50 kids by 5.45pm and only 2 of them she knew.

I can see why ppl do it though my house is about 20yrs old and a lot of the "kids" around here are grown up so not as many ppl do it. In my street of 9 houses it's usually only me that's puts anything out. We often get left with at least half the bags. I had to walk hire a bit to even find say 10 houses and then it's home. I bumped into parent from the school and they were on their way to the new build estate over the back from us to go round the doors (she has family there to be fair so the kids were going out with cousins). So I can see why ppl do it but I'd feel a bit cheeky doing that.

30percent · 31/10/2024 19:49

It's weird because certain streets have nothing, no pumpkins, the lights are out etc then you'll turn a corner and the whole street is lit up with spooky Decs and kids everywhere. And these are streets with very similar houses and types of people living in them. Guess some streets just get into being "the area" for it. Saying that I'm still only walking about four blocks away so I'm hardly a "cheeky fucker" haha

thicklysettled · 31/10/2024 19:49

Only on MN do people begrudge giving sweets to kids who are "not from round here".

FFS, people.

Buy the sweets you're going to buy and when they run out, turn your front light off and be done with it.

BeachHutsAndDeckchairs · 31/10/2024 19:51

I don't think it matters. If some kids live in a street where there are a lot of households not taking part, which is their right to do so, they would lose out if they couldn't travel elsewhere. My dc have taken themselves tonight and gone all over the place. No-one has come here.

Summerbreeze456 · 31/10/2024 19:52

We've not had a single visitor tonight. Most of our neighbours are elderly and not very much into Halloween. I've got the pumpkin lit up outside and the lights are on but it would be unusual for anyone to walk down our road during the day, let alone at night.

DiscoDragon · 31/10/2024 19:59

It's not something we've ever done here as I do think it's a bit weird, however I'm starting to understand why some parents do! I took my son out trick or treating around our village tonight and there were less than 10 houses decorated for Halloween, most of the residents of the village are older and their children have long grown up so they don't bother!

User37482 · 31/10/2024 20:04

I think it’s fine as long as kids don’t bother houses that aren’t decorated, are polite and not teens who cba with dressing up etc. It’s supposed to be generous and fun.

RaspberryBeretxx · 31/10/2024 20:27

We are in a village known for good trick or treating and apparently some people have driven here. I don’t mind really. Dd (3) enjoyed handing out sweets and ds is out with friends. I know they’ll be polite though.

I have just left no pumpkin, locked the door and turned the hall lights off some years and not got any knockers (eg when I had a baby to get to bed). The picking through my sweet bowl is pissing me off though so next year I’m getting all the same sweets and handing one to each child to avoid that!

eta I actually used to find it all a bit cringey and firmly didn’t take part but when ds was maybe 9 ish and desperate to go and I agreed to take him, he was just so shocked and grateful that “people I don’t know have given me all these sweets mummy!”. Just the kindness of people was amazing to him and it has sort of changed my mind about it all. It’s nice to touch children’s lives, maybe some of them will be ungrateful but some will be amazed at the generosity and really grateful and that’s just so lovely to be a part of.

anon666 · 31/10/2024 20:34

It's not cheeky. I live in an area which has lots of houses decorated and we love it. We get in loads of sweets, always run out. We're not bothered whether these are local kids or from miles away - it's the same basic transaction.

Loupenny25 · 31/10/2024 20:41

We live in "the" halloween estate for the town and we personally go all out on the decorations and we do a different game/experience/challenge every year.

Last year we had 300 kids by 7.30, this year we bought for 500 and we've got about 80 left.

Everyone comes into the area, only a handful of kids are local but we couldn't care less. The only problem is we do get quite a bit of trouble from teens which was really bad last year and I'd say there's only half the houses taking part this year - most likely because of how bad the vandalism got last year. We've actually got a riot style police van going round and round the estate this evening and no signs of trouble so far.

Yes it costs us a fortune in sweets and it does wind me up when kids complain about "getting just one" but the pay off is our kids get an amazing Halloween experience every year and we have so much fun seeing the littles and having a laugh with the bigger ones!

TwinklyAmberOrca · 31/10/2024 20:45

We live in a good area for Trick and Treat. Lots of cars parked for people that drive in and lots run out of sweets by 6pm!

What annoyed me this year was the amount of parents driving slowly down the road whilst their kids walked door to door! Wtf?!?!

Lovemycat2023 · 31/10/2024 21:20

Our road is one where people come from other roads. It’s safe for traffic, lots of houses, lots of kids and some great decorations.

the only thing I mind is the kids all over the road when I’m driving home!

this year I was home early enough to take part. Pumpkin out and we had well over 50 kids. I took the pumpkin in at 7ish and no knocks after that.

loved all the costumes, especially the older kids in full combat gear who were super polite!

Menopausalmutha · 31/10/2024 21:43

We live on a street of mainly elderly people. There’s literally 2 pumpkins on the whole street, so yes we travel to the streets where her school friends live. She is an only child and doesn’t have an easy time for various reasons so I am not letting her miss out. And bluntly it’s a thing that nearly everyone does round here. I am surprised that you think that every street is good for trick or treating?!

mamajong · 31/10/2024 21:47

Our area goes mad for Halloween and people do come from other areas of the city because of the atmosphere. I think it's great, the streets are packed and it feels like a mini carnival with people making a huge effort with decorations

celticprincess · 31/10/2024 22:19

No one on our street really takes part. It’s mostly older couples. Not many kids live on our street. We aren’t on an estate. But there are family orientated streets and estates in our town. One of my children doesn’t like to take part. The other goes out with their friends on the estate where their friend lives and usually comes back with plenty of swag.