Halloween Countdown
Halloween lands on October 31 every year, a night of costumes, candy and jack-o'-lanterns with roots more than two thousand years old. This countdown is to Halloween 2026, ticking down to October 31, live.
How many days until Halloween?
Halloween is on Saturday, October 31, 2026, which is 112 days away. The live countdown above ticks down to the exact moment, to the second.
From Samhain to trick-or-treat
Halloween traces back to Samhain, the Celtic festival marking summer's end, when the boundary between worlds was said to thin. Christianity layered All Hallows' Eve on top of it, Irish and Scottish immigrants carried the customs to North America, and trick-or-treating took its modern form in the 1930s, 50s.
Why the jack-o'-lantern
The carved pumpkin comes from the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, doomed to wander with a burning coal in a hollow turnip. In America, the native pumpkin proved much easier to carve, and much bigger.
Quick facts
- Rooted in Samhain, a Celtic harvest festival over 2,000 years old
- Second-largest commercial holiday in the United States
- Jack-o'-lanterns were originally carved from turnips
- Trick-or-treating became widespread in the 1950s
Get Halloween-ready
Carve, decorate, dress up, and stock enough candy to survive the doorbell.
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Halloween — frequently asked questions
When is Halloween?
Halloween is on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
How many days until Halloween?
Halloween is on Saturday, October 31, 2026, which is 112 days away. The live countdown above ticks down to the exact moment, to the second.
Fact-checked & updated July 2026 · alarm-clock.org