Saturday, August 8, 2026

• Young children should always be accompanied by an adult. Older children should travel in pairs or groups and trick or treat only in their own neighbourhood or neighbourhoods that are familiar to them. Make sure parents know the route being taken.
• Trick or treating should occur only in the early evening hours and “Trick or Treaters” should stay away from any homes that are in total darkness. That’s generally a sign that no one is home or they’ve shut down their candy operation for the night.
• Instruct children to stand in front of the door at the home and they shouldn’t enter homes under any circumstances.
• Pedestrian traffic is higher than any other day of the year – therefore drivers must remember to be extra careful and be especially alert for children.
• Make certain that children travel along one side of the street at a time and cross only at corners or marked crosswalks.
• Use the sidewalks whenever possible and encourage children to be courteous by NOT walking over lawns.

Costume Tips
• Use make-up instead of a mask. Masks can be hot and uncomfortable, and more importantly they can obstruct a child’s vision. If you do decide to use a mask, make the eye holes large enough so that vision is not restricted.
• Avoid dark coloured costumes. Halloween costumes should be bright and made of non-flammable material. Attach reflective tape or other light coloured material to the costume helps make trick-or-treaters more visible.
• For added safety, you may wish to even have your child use a flashlight
• Costumes should also be kept short enough to prevent tripping.
• Be especially careful around Halloween decorations with burning candles.
• If weapons are a part of a child’s costume, keep it safe by making sure they are only toys, and they should be made out of cardboard or other flexible materials.

Treat Tips
• Once the children arrive home, all treats should be inspected by parents before eating.
• Discard anything that looks homemade, is unwrapped or partially unwrapped.
• Children should not pick up any discarded candy or bags of candy they might find while trick or treating.

On the night before Halloween, commonly referred to as “Devil’s night”, some people feel the evening gives them permission to go out and cause mischief in the community. This type of behaviour will not be tolerated and the Hamilton Police wish to warn the public that those who are caught engaging in mischievous activity may be arrested and will be dealt with accordingly. Please keep your community safe by reporting suspicious activity.