Halloween

Content Guide

• What Is Halloween
• When Is Halloween
• Best Halloween Deals
• Costumes
• Decor
• Candy
• Food
• 2026 Halloween Trends
• Fun Facts

What Is Halloween?

Halloween began as an ancient harvest festival and has since grown into one of the most commercially active nights of the year in the US.

Trick-or-treating, costume parties, and elaborately decorated homes have turned late October into a shopping season in its own right, with candy, costumes, and décor all seeing a sharp spike in demand.

For retailers, it's also become a reliable moment to roll out seasonal promotions, which is exactly why shoppers start comparing prices so early.

When Is Halloween?

Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31, 2026. Landing on a weekend this year, it's likely to push even more people toward parties, larger group costumes, and home decorating, since there's no work or school the next morning to plan around.

Nearly half of shoppers already begin buying in September, so the best Halloween sale events tend to appear well before the final week of October, not on the day itself.

What Day Does Halloween Fall On This Year?

Halloween is always October 31, but since that date isn't tied to a fixed weekday, it lands somewhere different every year.

Year	Day of the Week
2026	Saturday
2027	Sunday
2028	Tuesday
2029	Wednesday
2030	Thursday

The Best Halloween Deals

A few categories account for most of the spending during the season, and each is worth checking separately.

Halloween Costume Sale

A Spirit Halloween coupon is the easiest way to save at the retailer that dominates costume shopping every fall, with over 1,400 pop-up stores across the country plus a full online catalog.

For anyone shopping from home, HalloweenCostumes.com coupon codes are worth checking too, as the site carries a much wider size range and licensed character lineup than most physical stores can stock.

Amazon rounds out the list as the go-to for shoppers who wait until the final week and need fast shipping over a specific style.

Halloween Decor Sale

Yard displays have gotten a lot bigger in recent years:

• The Home Depot Halloween is the reference point for yard displays, with oversized animatronic skeletons and inflatables that return in updated versions each season and often sell out before the holiday.
• A Target Halloween sale usually rolls out gradually from September into October, mixing full-size skeletons and lighted yard stakes with smaller tabletop pieces suited to apartment porches or smaller entryways.
• A Walmart Halloween sale tends to bring some of the deepest markdowns of the season once it kicks in during the final two weeks of October, especially on inflatables and string lighting that retailers are trying to clear before November.
• A Lowe's Halloween sale is worth checking for the hardware side of decorating (fencing, spotlights, outdoor-rated extension cords) since that part of the setup often gets overlooked next to costumes and candy.
• A Michaels Halloween sale typically layers coupons on top of already-discounted craft supplies, making it the best stop for anyone building decorations from scratch rather than buying them pre-made.

Watch for markdowns on this category to intensify in the final two weeks of October as retailers work through seasonal stock.

Halloween Candy Sale

Candy is where a huge share of the seasonal budget goes, with total US candy spending for the holiday running in the billions of dollars a year according to retail industry surveys. Big-name chocolate and candy brands dominate the bulk bags sold every fall, and a Walmart Halloween candy sale is usually one of the first places multi-bag packs get marked down as October progresses.

Pharmacies join in too, with CVS Halloween candy on sale promotions typically starting a few weeks out and often stacking with store loyalty discounts.

For anyone stocking up for a bigger neighborhood or hosting a party, Costco Halloween candy runs are worth planning around, since bulk-format bags there tend to work out cheaper per pound than standard grocery packs.

Halloween Food Deals

Restaurant chains build some of the biggest marketing pushes of the season around the holiday, and a Chipotle Halloween deal is usually the one people talk about most: the chain's long-running Boorito promotion has offered a discounted entrée to anyone who shows up in costume on Halloween every year since 2000.

Pizza chains join in too, with Pizza Hut Halloween deals typically covering themed pizzas or limited-time bundles timed to trick-or-treat night in past seasons.

Beyond those two, Halloween fast food deals show up across most major chains in the form of app-exclusive codes or one-day promotions each October, though the exact offers for this year are usually only confirmed a few weeks out, so it's worth checking each chain's app closer to the 31st.

Why Shop Through Discoup

Comparing prices across every retailer running a Halloween discount takes time, and offers change fast as October progresses.

Instead of checking each site separately, you can browse verified Halloween coupons in one place and apply them at checkout without hunting for a working code.

Every offer listed is checked before publishing, so you're not stuck testing expired promotions the week before the holiday.

2026 Halloween Costumes and Decor Trends

Spirit Halloween's 2026 costume lineup is dominated by a handful of specific looks rather than the usual generic categories: K-Pop Demon Hunters costumes remain the top group and solo pick, mixing idol-style neon outfits with supernatural accessories for a high-energy group look. Spider-Man suits are back as a staple too, with new comic and screen appearances renewing interest in both classic and Miles Morales versions alongside villain pairings like Doctor Doom and Green Goblin.

Witch costumes have moved away from the classic green face this year in favor of a softer, gothic-romance look built around velvet, flowing capes, and vintage-style jewelry, while Regency-era pieces (corsets, lace gloves, tailored waistcoats) are trending for anyone after a period-drama take on spooky season.

On the decor side, animatronics have gotten noticeably more advanced. This year's standout pieces include:

• a voice-reactive witch figure that responds to spoken commands in real time,
• a 7-foot animatronic Michael Myers with motion-tracking and the original film's theme music,
• a Bluetooth-enabled backwoods character that streams audio through its harmonica,
• a blacklight-reactive raccoon prop built for glow-in-the-dark yard displays.

This year's must-have decorations tend to sell out early, so anyone after a specific animatronic piece is better off buying in September rather than waiting for last-minute discounts in late October.

Fun Facts About Halloween

• When do Halloween sales typically start?

Most retailers begin discounting seasonal stock in early October, though some decorations and costumes go on clearance even earlier if inventory is high. Halloween candy sales tend to start later, usually in the final two weeks before the 31st, once retailers are confident about how much stock they'll need to move.

• Is Halloween a holiday?

It isn't a federal or bank holiday in the US, so there's no day off work or mail service closure tied to it. It's still one of the most widely celebrated cultural holidays on the calendar, with most schools, workplaces, and retailers leaning into the day regardless.

• Where to watch Halloween movies?

Streaming Halloween movies on Peacock is the most reliable way to catch general horror and Halloween-themed titles, which are also scattered across other services or available to rent through Amazon Prime Video.

• What to do with leftover Halloween candy?

Common options include freezing it for later, baking it into cookies or brownies, donating unopened bags to organizations that collect candy for troops overseas, or just portioning it out so it lasts longer than the first week of November.

• Where to buy Halloween costumes?

Spirit Halloween and HalloweenCostumes.com cover most of the demand, between seasonal pop-up stores and a wider online size and character range.

• What to do on Halloween?

Typical plans include trick-or-treating, costume parties, pumpkin carving, haunted house visits, and horror movie marathons, with the exact mix usually depending on whether kids or adults are the main focus of the night.

• When to decorate for Halloween?

Many households start putting up Halloween decorations in late September or early October, and retailers time their biggest promotions to match that earlier shopping window rather than waiting until the final week.