Halloween Custody Schedules
Halloween is a 2-4 hour evening event in most families. Most plans either alternate years for trick-or-treating or split the evening between parents who live close.
by The CoreParent Co-Founders · Last updated
Typical arrangements
Parent A takes even years, Parent B takes odd years. Full evening (trick-or-treating, candy count, overnight). Simplest; fairest over time.
Children trick-or-treat with one parent from 5-7 PM, with the other from 7-9 PM. Works only when both parents live in the same neighborhood.
One parent gets the weekend before (for costume parade, school parties, pumpkin carving). The other parent gets Halloween evening itself. Alternates yearly.
Common conflict scenarios
Plans should specify whether Halloween overrides the regular schedule. The easier approach: Halloween always follows alternating years regardless of weekday. The off-parent gets the overnight that year, but returns to regular schedule at school drop-off.
Morning costume events usually fall to whoever has school drop-off that day. No special swap needed.