When did Halloween get like this?

[SoEasyToFall]

When I was younger Halloween was just about a school disco, and then when I was at uni it was a night out clubbing in fancy dress (or a flat party). It was never a huge thing.

Tonight while walking home from work there was masses of teens shouting abuse at everyone, smashing bottles and just being shits. More teens on the bus shouting abuse at everyone who wasn’t dressed up. I got called a miserable fat cunt because I wasn’t in a costume.

When did this happen? When did society get like this? I only left uni five years ago and it feels like it’s changed massively since then

Just a bit of fun round here on a rainy day! Bit of dressing up, Halloween baking, attempting to carve a pumpkin. Lots of families walking around. Amazing decorations on some houses! It’s quite nice as it’s usually just a few days or for half term. Breaks up the term.

sorry to hear it’s been like that for you.

Just a bit of fun round here on a rainy day! Bit of dressing up, Halloween baking, attempting to carve a pumpkin. Lots of families walking around. Amazing decorations on some houses! It’s quite nice as it’s usually just a few days or for half term. Breaks up the term.

sorry to hear it’s been like that for you.

Edited to say: sorry - it’s posted 3 times again!! Ahhhh.

We’ve had a great evening, tonnes of lovely kids in their costumes trick or treating, the vast majority have been very polite and said thank you. Even the teens who are aging out of it were polite and several were quite funny and chatty.

We’re not in a great area, generally hits the ‘most deprived’ or ‘worst places to live’ lists on a regular basis but I’ve not seen any anti-social behaviour yet this year.

Yes. I’m on a train and the place has been heaving with noisy teens and two drunk middle aged women 🥴

Same!

Lots of children out earlier and now a bit later lots of groups of teen out and about locally dressed up, minding their business in groups on the way to parties presumably

Sounds like an issue with anti social behaviour in that area generally. Surely the people/kids behaving like this aren't angelic the rest of the year? I don't think it's a nationwide societal issue either. I don't live in a Mumsnet naice area but have never experienced anything like that. We've had teens trick or treating but they've been lovely and respectful.

We had the cute kids and families.
Then we had the idiots letting off fireworks in the car park.
And also the older teens in hoods and face masks shouting abuse and generally being cunts.
Reminds me why i don't normally go out on Halloween.

I had quite a haul of Trick or Treaters tonight. I've had a little vampire, some sort of goblin, a cowboy, a Good Guy doll (Chuckie), a little princess, several witches, Spiderman and his twin brothers to name but a few. They were all super polite and said thank you. It was a joy.

Sounds like the problem is more with the horrible teens in your area than with Halloween itself, though Halloween (among other things) may be used as an excuse to indulge in ramped up bad behaviour.

Halloween where I grew up was very harmless and it still is where I live now - but I remember being on holiday in Cornwall with my family over Halloween one year when I was a kid (late 80s/early 90s) and being shocked by the state of the town the day after - eggs, loo roll, smashed glass, battered bollards etc - Halloween isn't any 'worse' now - there have always been dickheads who will use it as an excuse to be pricks.

Halloween where I grew up was very harmless and it still is where I live now - but I remember being on holiday in Cornwall with my family over Halloween one year when I was a kid (late 80s/early 90s) and being shocked by the state of the town the day after - eggs, loo roll, smashed glass, battered bollards etc - Halloween isn't any 'worse' now - there have always been dickheads who will use it as an excuse to be pricks.

It’s absolutely nothing like that here - we have a couple of organised parties for kids and all the trick or treaters have been lovely. I’ve not seen many teens but those who are out aren’t causing any drama.

I dont have kids i dont hate them but their not important to me.

Anyhoo tonight in my area it was quite nice little ones out all dressed up having fun in the dark parents tailing behind.
Little buckets with sweets and there little outfits on some done really well with there outfits very convincing looks.
But its one of them moments when you say this is how it should be.

We live in quite a deprived area but I haven't seen any bad behaviour. Took DS trick or treating and it was either children with their parents or teenagers with their friends. No-one was shouting abuse or throwing bottles.
Just been out to get a takeaway and lots of teens about but no bad behaviour. If anything they seem better behaved tonight then using.

This is only in big not so posh cities?? I am not far from London but our bubble of a bourgeois town is extremely quiet. I expected the very year when moved here will have a knock on the door for trick and treat, but 10 years later, complete silence, quiet roads etc. I understand the pubs host parties around etc but I am nowhere near such a pub

as I am old and Balkan, this thing is never been a thing I knew of, until I came to the UK. We light candles for the departed twice per year, usually for on specially allocated Saturdays and give neighbours sweet treats made from wheat, honey, lemon drizzle etc

Same in my area all calm and im on deprived housing estate.

I’m in London and lots of groups of kids or all ages. Some of the teens were a bit loud and silly but they weren’t rude or aggressive.

i was reminiscing the other day and I remember as a child in the 80s (before Halloween took off over here) Guy Fawkes was big and there were groups of kids walking about the streets with a guy. So while that’s died down Halloween has taken over.

We've had a few witches and vampires and a hilarious kid wearing an inflatable T Rex that was a bit flaccid. All polite and giggly fun.

It’s not Halloween that’s the issue / the police have been letting teens run rampant for years. Tescos near me - groups of girls run through it regularly destroying stock. They do thd sand in the streets. Young men on dirt bikes ragging through parks and nature reserves threatening people.

Why? Because they can. There’s no consequences. There’s no effective policing.

But - I live in a working class estate and we were inundated this evening and everyone including the teens were polite and respectful.
y daughter went out with friends supervised by a couple of adults to a different part of town - loads of teens about, zero trouble

It's more the Halloween ET scene where I am, lots of children trick or treating, a couple of drinks for the parents in someone'a home but there are residential zones across the City, lots of people know each other due to associated infant/junior schools. I was driving back from the supermarket tonight and saw lots of great costumes including three boys who were Alvin and the Chipmunks. I have teens now and youngest is at a party and eldest is going to the pub with Halloween theme. The city I live in has a huge student population so when I was in the supermarket lots of students in booze aisle dressed up ready to goo on somewhere, one teen girl in a vicar's outfit, very funny to look at. I haven't seen any violence though.

I am thinking the other coast. Blackpool or Morcambe.

Not where I live and I live in a city.

Halloween has become Americanised and I find it a horrible time of year. No, I wont allow my kids to go knocking on people's doors and I wire my gate up to the mains and smear dog shit on the handle. Go. A. Way. Or I will have to deploy the cattle prod.

to be fair me too but....

Erm we LOVE Halloween in Derry! But then we don’t do bonfire night for obvs reasons!