Apparently, most Americans want Halloween to become a national holiday, and I have one very important follow-up question: are we getting October 31 off, November 1 off, or—hear me out—both?
Ferrero released its third annual Halloween survey on October 12, 2026, and 58% of the U.S. adults surveyed said Halloween should be a national holiday. Which seems like a fairly compelling argument for formally recognizing the day we already spend weeks preparing for.
Adults are claiming Halloween for themselves
According to Ferrero’s survey, 70% said Halloween belongs to adults just as much as kids. Among parents, that rose to 81%. And 62% said adults deserve their own Halloween night.
And you know what? I get it. There’s planning the costume, buying the candy, deciding whether to go out, and then somehow locating a pumpkin that doesn’t disintegrate on your porch. This is a production.
But which day would we actually get off?
Here’s my issue with Halloween as an official holiday. Getting October 31 off sounds great until you remember what the morning after a Halloween party feels like.
What I really want to know is whether November 1 can be designated National Eat Leftover Candy and Watch Scary Movies Day. I feel like that proposal has legs.
To be clear, Ferrero surveyed public attitudes; it did not announce a proposed federal law or a change to anyone’s paid holidays.
Most adults would rather stay in anyway
The survey also found that 62% of respondents described a perfect Halloween night as staying in, not going out. Which, honestly, makes the whole thing even funnier. We want a national holiday to stay home and watch movies while guarding the good candy.
Ferrero reports 53% now count Halloween among their favorite holidays. For a celebration supposedly reserved for little kids, that’s a lot of adult enthusiasm.
And what about trick-or-treating?
There’s another interesting question behind all the holiday talk: what happens to the door-to-door tradition when celebrations evolve? We recently explored whether trick-or-treating is disappearing, and the answer is more complicated than an empty porch on one particular street.
A national day off wouldn’t automatically solve any of that, but it would certainly change how families could plan their Halloween activities.
My vote? Halloween deserves a little more respect.
Obviously, this isn’t a real ballot. It’s a candy-company survey and an extremely appealing thought experiment. But if we’re going to dedicate several weeks of our lives to costumes, haunted houses, decorations and arguing about candy corn, I would like to submit a formal request that the calendar acknowledge all this effort.
Just please consider November 1 while you’re at it.
Source: Ferrero’s October 12, 2026 Halloween survey announcement. These findings reflect a commissioned survey, not legislation.
