What day, time is trick-or-treating? Here’s what you need to know about Halloween customs in the San Antonio area

San Antonio newcomers wonder about local customs

SAN ANTONIO – “What day and time is trick-or-treating?”

Those of us who were born and raised in San Antonio may find that a strange question, but it's being asked in many Facebook neighborhood groups. Some KSAT viewers are emailing and sending direct messages over social media asking the same thing.

If you’ve lived in the San Antonio area your whole life, you may not realize that some neighborhoods, communities and cities outside of Texas have rules regarding trick-or-treating. For instance, some areas have age restrictions — a fact that was making headlines a few years ago.

Other areas have designated dates and times for trick-or-treating. There has even been a push to create a National Trick or Treat Day.

But, here in San Antonio and surrounding communities, there are no such limitations. Kids go trick-or-treating on Oct. 31 around dinner time. You may see some younger children as early as 4:30 or 5 p.m. while older kids may wait until 7 p.m or so.

It’s traditionally assumed that homes with their porch lights on are participating in the holiday while those with their lights off should be skipped.

And it’s generally accepted that trick-or-treating should end between 9 or 10 p.m. at the latest.

Of course, some neighborhoods and communities have additional trick-or-treating or Halloween-themed events throughout the month of October, but these guidelines are fairly universal for the San Antonio area on Halloween night.

Get more Halloween news on KSAT.com.


About the Author:

Julie Moreno has worked in local television news for more than 25 years. She came to KSAT as a news producer in 2000. After producing thousands of newscasts, she transitioned to the digital team in 2015. She writes on a wide variety of topics from breaking news to trending stories and manages KSAT’s daily digital content strategy.