About the Halloween Countdown
Halloween falls on October 31 every year, which sounds simple until you realize the useful question isn't how many days are left — it's what should already be done. The countdown at the top of this page ticks live, and the panel below turns it into actual deadlines: when to order a costume while sizes still exist, when to send invitations so guests can plan, and when to buy pumpkins so they're still firm on the night.
The countdown never expires. Once October 31 passes it rolls straight to the following year, so this page keeps working every Halloween without anything being hard-coded. It runs entirely in your browser using your device's own clock, which is why it stays accurate in your time zone.
The countdown runs on your device's clock, in your browser. Nothing is tracked and no account is needed.
How to use it
- The countdown at the top of the page updates every second automatically.
- The panel below shows the day of the week Halloween falls on, and how many weeks are left.
- Use the three planning dates as deadlines — costumes about three weeks out, invitations two weeks, pumpkins one week.
- Press Copy to share the number of days with someone.
Tips
- Costumes sell out by size, not by style. Common adult and children's sizes disappear roughly three weeks before the night.
- Carve late, not early. A carved pumpkin only lasts about five to ten days — see the carving ideas when you're ready.
- Buy candy in the last two weeks. Earlier than that and it tends to get eaten. The Candy Calculator tells you how much to get.
- If Halloween falls midweek, expect trick-or-treating to run earlier and finish sooner, and parties to move to the nearest weekend.
Frequently asked questions
Halloween is on October 31 every year. The panel above shows the exact day of the week for the next Halloween, calculated from your device's clock.
The live countdown at the top of this page shows the exact number of days, hours, minutes and seconds remaining.
Yes. Once October 31 has passed, it automatically rolls over to the next year's Halloween — nothing is hard-coded to a single year.
It sits the night before All Saints' Day on November 1, and traces back to the Gaelic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter.