When are Halloween trick-or-treating hours in Massachusetts?

BOSTON - The kids' Halloween costumes are ready, the candy bowl is set up by the front door - all that's left is the trick-or-treating. 

But is there a "right" time period for trick-or-treaters to be walking around the neighborhood and ringing doorbells? What's too early and what's too late?

In Massachusetts, there are some cities and towns that advise residents on trick-or-treat hours for Halloween. The times that community officials have suggested for 2024 in the state so far range from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The city of Boston has not published any official trick-or-treating hours. In 2022, the Boston Police Department wrote in a blog post that "ideally, trick-or-treating should go no later than 8:30 p.m."

Worcester trick-or-treating hours

The city of Worcester says "recommended hours" for trick-or-treating are between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Police are asking drivers to slow down and watch out for children crossing the street. They're also telling parents supervise children under 12 and inspect all collected candy before letting kids eat it. 

Other municipalities explain that they don't get involved in setting specific trick-or-treat times on Halloween.

"The hours are under the discretion of the parents to decide," the city of Waltham says.

Trick-or-treat hours in Massachusetts

Below, we've compiled a list of all the Massachusetts cities and towns that have publicly shared recommended hours for trick-or-treating.

Acton: 6-8 p.m.
Amesbury: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Andover: 5-7 p.m.
Auburn: 5:30-8 p.m.
Beverly: 5-8 p.m.
Brockton: 4-7 p.m.
Charlton: 5-7:30 p.m.
Danvers: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Dracut: 6-8 p.m.
Gardner: 5-7 p.m.
Groton: 6-8 p.m.
Hamilton: 5-8 p.m.
Holden: 5-8 p.m.
Leominster: 6-8 p.m.
Littleton: 6-8 p.m.
Lowell: 6-8 p.m.
Methuen: 5-7 p.m.
Newburyport: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
North Andover: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
West Boylston: 5-8 p.m.
Weymouth: 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Westford: 6-8 p.m.
Worcester: 5-8 p.m.