The Ultimate Guide to Halloween 2020
Updated: Oct. 15, 2020
Mask up! Here’s everything you need for a creepy-fun (and safe) Halloween.
Goblins and ghosts, superheroes and… social distancing? Halloween is bound to look different this year, thanks to the pandemic, but we can still keep some of our most hallowed haunted traditions alive. And hey, it’s the perfect time to wear a mask! Read on for the 2020 updates, funniest-scariest costumes, spookiest decorations, scary-tasty candy, fascinating facts, and the thrilling-chilling entertainment you need to get into the Halloween spirit.
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Halloween Updates for 2020
Whether trick-or-treating is happening on All Hallows Eve this year or not, the holiday will not be canceled. A full moon, a blue moon, and Saturday celebrations mean the fun, the fright, and the delight of Halloween is as strong as ever. Here’s what to expect on Halloween 2020.
- What Halloween Could Look Like This Year—See all the rituals to skip or keep in 2020 and how we can borrow from other holidays to keep Halloween fun and festive.
- How to Trick or Treat Safely in 2020—Trick-or-treaters may continue the tradition with these simple safety protocols.
- Your Halloween Tradition May Be Changing Soon—Here’s Why—Halloween may soon have an official part two in National Trick or Treat Day.
Fascinating Halloween History and Facts
Halloween in America may seem like a day to indulge the darker, creepier side of life and eat loads of candy, but this holiday has serious religious and cultural origins dating back more than 2,000 years. Before you deck your halls in black and orange, read on to reveal the history and mystery behind the frightful fun.
- What Is Halloween and How Is It Celebrated?—It’s a simple question that you’ve been able to answer since you were old enough to go trick-or-treating…or is it?
- The Spookiest Ghost Story from Each State—These chilling tales tap into our most terrible fears about human nature. Light a campfire, pop some corn, and get ready to have your spine tingled.
- Why People Will Be Painting Their Pumpkins Teal This Halloween—See how teal pumpkins on porches are making Halloween safer for families with allergies.
- Black Cats and Halloween: What’s True and What’s Not—Black cats have been misunderstood and accused of outrageous things for centuries. Find out what holds true and what you should bury for good about our black feline friends.
- Here’s Why We Pass Out Candy on Halloween—How those M&Ms and KitKats got their start as a way to appease wandering spirits.
- Creepy Real Events That Actually Happened on Halloween—Unexplainable, scary, and downright horrible things do sometimes happen on Halloween. True stories!
- The Real Reason Halloween Colors Are Black and Orange—Is it just because of black cats and pumpkins, or is there a deeper meaning behind this spooky color combo?
- Ways Halloween Is Celebrated Around the World—Sweet bread, nuts on a crackling fire, operas, and puppet shows are just some features of October 31 in other countries.
- The Hidden Origins of Halloween’s Spookiest Creatures—Find out the secrets behind the holiday’s scariest monsters, from ancient myths to modern incarnations.
- Spooky Halloween Superstitions and How They Came to Haunt Us—Ever wonder why we fear black cats or carve faces into pumpkins? These traditions are actually centuries old.
- Things You Probably Never Knew About Halloween—Spiritual self-defense? Burning of bonfires and effigies? There’s so much more to this holiday than costumes and candy.
The Funniest, Scariest, Most Popular Costumes
Whether you go for the ghoul as a skeleton or zombie, glitz it up as a rock star or royalty, masquerade as your favorite evil villain, or just throw on a sheet and call it a day, we’ve got the scoop on the most clever, creative, wallet-friendly costumes for every grown-up and child, couple, cat, and dog.
- What You Should Be For Halloween Based on Your Zodiac—Is it a chance to pull off a good joke costume or scare the daylights out of your friends? Let astrology be your guide.
- The Most Popular Halloween Costumes on Amazon—From Harry Potter heroes to life-size tacos, these are the top-trending costumes of the year—with overnight shipping!
- Halloween Costumes You Can Only Find at Target—Tar-jay has an exclusive line of photo-worthy costumes from Hide & Eek that are scary-good deals.
- Adorable (and Clever!) Halloween Costumes Every Couple Has to Try—Taco Belle or Netflix and Chill? These ideas will make you a power pair this Halloween.
- The Best Mom-and-Baby Halloween Costume Ideas—Every Betty needs a Bam Bam. Adding baby to these costumes doubles the fun factor (and the cute quotient).
- Easy Halloween Makeup Ideas Almost Anyone Can Master—Can’t think of a costume? Look in your makeup bag.
- Easy Halloween Face Paint Ideas to Try This Year—A lion, a witch, a warlock, and more are just a few strategic swipes of cosmetics away.
- Vintage Halloween Costumes That Could Still Be Worn Today—Start digging into Grandma and Grandpa’s wardrobe because these retro looks are back in a big way.
- Cheap Halloween Costumes for Kids Basically Anyone Can DIY—The most memorable costumes can be made from pipe cleaners, glitter glue, and a bit of imagination.
- The Best Halloween Costumes for Dogs—Get your doggy dino or punky pup in the Halloween spirit with these adorable and hilarious canine costumes.
- The Best Cat Costumes for Halloween—Captain Cat Sparrow? Aye-aye. Meet the purr-fect Halloween costumes for your feline friends.
The Spookiest Decorations
Build your best-ever haunted house with skeletons, skulls, tombstones, and other spooktacular decorations for every style and budget. Prepare to scare!
- Under $30 Amazon Finds That Turn Your Home into a Haunted House—Go from homey to haunted—without shelling out a horrific amount of money.
- Spookiest Halloween Decorations You Can Only Buy at Target—Target is your one-stop-shop for light-up ghosts, skeleton signs, Day of the Dead skull wreaths, and other boo-tiful Halloween décor.
- Utterly Creepy Halloween Yard Decorations You Need This Year—This dark décor takes your house from charmingly haunted to terribly terrifying.
- Genius Hacks for Halloween Pumpkin Carving You’ll Use from Now On—Find out the secrets to effortless scooping, precise carving, and the joys of the perfect jack-o-lantern.
- Free Pumpkin Carving Stencils to Take Your Jack-o’-Lantern to the Next Level—Why settle for a smiley face when you could create a chilling masterpiece?
- Simple No-Carve Decoration Ideas for Pumpkins—Put away the knife. These pumpkins get gorgeous with paint, lights, googly eyes, and other craft materials you already own.
- Cheap DIY Halloween Decorations for the Spookiest Holiday Ever—Raid your recycling bin and junk drawer to craft the homemade Halloween decorations that are so cute, it’s scary.
- Easy Halloween Crafts Your Kid Will Love to Make—Get your little monsters in the spooky spirit with these super-simple—but very impressive—Halloween crafts.
The Best Halloween Candy and Fare
At least half the fun of Halloween for kids is that once-a-year permission to indulge in pounds of junk food. Even if trick-or-treating is off the table for your family this year, you can still make the season’s candy dreams come true for all good little witches and wizards (big ones, too).
- Mind-Blowing Things You Didn’t Know About Halloween Candy—How much Americans really spend on candy, the history of “fun size,” and more sweet facts about your favorite Halloween treats.
- The Best Deals on Halloween Candy for 2020—Grab those Franken Cups and witchy Ring Pops while the deals are still sweet (and in stock).
- Clever Ways to Use Leftover Halloween Candy—Science experiments, crafts, and creative baking projects await!
- Bizarre Facts About Candy Corn You Never Knew—All the best trivia about the iconic candy that actually has its own national holiday, #NationalCandyCornDay.
- Non-Candy Halloween Treats Kids Actually Love—Kids are happy to forego more of the same old candy for a fun and spooky surprise instead.
- The Best Halloween Dish from Every State—Find recipes for snake-shaped sandwiches, ghostly hot chocolate, brainy cakes, and other devilish delights from around the country.
Thrilling-Chilling Entertainment
Set the stage for spooky with hair-raising horror movies and books, party games that put trick-or-treating to shame, “humerus” skeleton puns, riddles, jokes, and more. You’ll be laughing till you’re coffin! (Get it?)
- Halloween Movies That Will Scare You Senseless—With slashers, seances, and zombies galore, these are the best fright flicks for a scary night in.
- The Best Kids’ Halloween Movies—Scare up some Halloween fun with these spooky family favorites. (Don’t worry, they’re only faux frights.)
- Halloween Party Games to Get You in the Spooky Spirit—With a blindfold, balloons, apples, and other household items you can play 25 silly, funny Halloween games.
- 50 Corny Halloween Jokes—Why are ghosts so bad at lying? Because you can see right through them!
- Halloween Puns That’ll Have You Laughing Till You’re Coffin—Spooky season doesn’t have to be all boos and scares. Sometimes you just want to have a gourd time.
- Skeleton Puns You Can’t Help But Find ‘Humerus’—Enjoy a trip to the groan-yard with these clever Halloween skele-puns.
- Scary Good Halloween Riddles—When is it bad luck to see a black cat? When you’re a mouse!
- Can You Find the Cat Hidden in This Photo of Bats?—What’s hiding in the shadows here. Is it a ghost? A goblin? Or a black cat?
- Spooky, Silly Halloween Books for Kids—Little monsters everywhere will delight in these kooky-spooky, not-too-scary tales.
