Trick-or-treating is a Halloween tradition and a rite of passage for many. Most people have been trick or treating since they were little, but as they get older, less and less trick-or-treat. This is due in part to the notion that adults and teenagers see trick-or-treating as a “kids” thing. But how old is too old?

Halloween is a day where everybody is allowed to dress up however they want. For some, trick-or-treating is the highlight of Halloween. 

Junior Marcus Andres said, “I’ve been trick-or-treating since I was 5,” and that it means a lot to him. 

But teenagers and young adults are often told they’re too old to trick-or-treat. The age that’s considered “too old” is often disputed by many adults; they believe that kids should stop once they reach their teens. But others think it’s okay to continue until they graduate high school. 

For many, trick-or-treating is the main attraction of Halloween, but it’s also considered a kids activity and this leads to a decline in participation as kids begin to reach adolescence. 

Some municipalities even restrict who is allowed to trick or treat. For example, Apex, NC’s municipal code states, “Sec. 14-18. – Halloween restrictions. (a) No person over 12 years of age shall engage in the practice of “trick-or-treating” at any time.”
Trick-or-treating is an activity for all regardless of age. Halloween is meant to be a holiday of fun and kids should be allowed to enjoy themselves however they want. How people choose to spend their Halloween shouldn’t be determined by their age. 

Andres said “Trick-or-treating brings the community together” and that laws restricting trick-or-treating at certain ages are “pointless.

 Laws restricting trick-or-treating convey  the idea that there is an age at which you have to stop trick-or-treating which hurts the Halloween spirit. 

These laws are put in place to protect kids who are trick-or-treating but do little as not only are they rarely enforced, but older trick-or-treaters are not the danger to younger kids. 

According to the organization Safe Kids USA, Kids are more than twice as likely to get hit by a car on Halloween than any other day of the year.

No one should be shunned for trick or treating, regardless of if they’re an adult or a kid.