Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31, 2026 this year, and if you’re looking for the official trick-or-treat hours in your community, here is the honest answer as of October 27: most North Country villages and cities still haven’t announced them — but the late announcements have landed for a few. Fort Drum’s housing areas have set trick-or-treat hours at 5–8 p.m. on October 31; the villages of Carthage and West Carthage have set 5–8 p.m. as well, and Dexter has set 5:30–8 p.m. Three more villages — Sackets Harbor, Massena, and Canton — have confirmed they don’t set official hours at all.
That’s normal for this region. New York State sets no statewide schedule, and the communities that do set hours usually do it by a village board vote in the second half of October. Others never set official hours at all and leave the evening to residents and the porch-light rule.
Below is where things stand in each county as of October 27, after our final pre-Halloween re-check. We will update this post again if any late announcements land before Halloween — and if your community has set hours that aren’t reflected here yet, email us at nnyinfo.com@gmail.com and we’ll add them. For trunk-or-treats, haunted houses, and other Halloween events, see our events calendar and our Northern New York Halloween events guide.
Confirmed 2026 trick-or-treat hours
Fort Drum (housing areas) — 5–8 p.m., Saturday, October 31. Announced in the Fort Drum Community Information Exchange recap for October 2026. This covers the post’s housing areas; off-post communities are listed by county below.
Carthage — 5–8 p.m., Saturday, October 31. The Village of Carthage posted its official hours on its website on October 26. West Carthage — 5–8 p.m. as well, with no rain date, per the villages’ Clerk-Treasurer (October 26).
Dexter — 5:30–8 p.m., Saturday, October 31. Village trick-or-treating hours posted on the Village of Dexter calendar.
Three villages have confirmed they don’t set official hours at all: Sackets Harbor — where residents usually start around 4:30–5 p.m., per the Village Clerk — plus Massena and Canton. In those communities, the porch-light rule below is the schedule.
Jefferson County
As of October 27, Watertown, Clayton, Alexandria Bay, Adams, and Philadelphia still hadn’t announced set trick-or-treat hours for 2026. Carthage’s hours are in the confirmed list above, and Sackets Harbor doesn’t set hours at all (see the confirmed list).
Scheduled Halloween events in the county so far:
- Alexandria Bay — the Chamber of Commerce holds its downtown Trick or Treat on James Street on Saturday, October 24, 1–3 p.m., a week before Halloween, with candy at local shops and establishments.
- Sackets Harbor — the 4th annual HalloweenVille takes over downtown on Saturday, October 24, noon–4 p.m., including a trunk-or-treat along West Main Street.
- Watertown — Boo at the Zoo ran at Zoo New York on October 17, 18, 24, and 25; the Girl Scouts held a trunk-or-treat on Saturday, October 24, 6–8 p.m. (location not yet posted by the council); and Mall-oween at Salmon Run Mall offers mall-wide trick-or-treating on Friday, October 30, 6–7 p.m. Flower Memorial Library’s Trick-or-Treat-or-Trucks was held earlier this month, on October 3.
- Fort Drum — a Trunk or Treat is set for Friday, October 23, 5–8 p.m. at the Magrath Sports Complex Outdoor Track, with 20+ decorated trunks and food trucks. It is on post, so base-access rules apply.
- Dexter — the village holds a Trunk or Treat at the Dexter Market on Saturday, October 24, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., free, with trunk setup from 9:30 a.m.
Lewis County
As of October 27, Lowville, Boonville, and Lyons Falls still hadn’t announced set trick-or-treat hours for 2026.
Scheduled Halloween events in the county so far:
- Lowville — Halloween Towne trick-or-treating at the Lewis County Historical Society on Saturday, October 31, noon–2 p.m., presented by the Historical Society, followed by a Halloween matinee at the Town Hall Theater at 2 p.m.
- Lyons Falls — a trunk-or-treat at the 3 Willows Event Center on Saturday, October 31, 4–7 p.m., listed in InformNNY’s 2026 Halloween guide — check before you go.
St. Lawrence County
As of October 27, Ogdensburg, Potsdam, Gouverneur, Hammond, and Heuvelton still hadn’t announced set trick-or-treat hours for 2026. Massena and Canton don’t set hours at all (see the confirmed list above). Gouverneur was one to watch — its village board set hours by vote at a mid-October meeting in 2023 and 2024 (5–7 p.m.) — but as of October 27 we couldn’t find a 2026 announcement; the village’s Halloween event this year was its Trunk or Treat at the fairgrounds on October 23.
Scheduled Halloween events in the county so far:
- Massena — the Massena Rescue Squad hosted its haunted house at the squad headquarters on East Orvis Street on Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17, 6–10 p.m., $10 per person, after Fall Fest: Pumpkinpalooza downtown earlier on Saturday. On Halloween itself, a Trunk or Treat runs at Massena Village Hall on Saturday, October 31, noon–4 p.m.
- Potsdam — Fright Night takes over downtown on Thursday, October 29, 5–8 p.m., with downtown trick-or-treating, decorated trunks, and costume contests, presented by the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce.
- Canton — a Halloween Trunk or Treat is set for Friday, October 30, 5–7 p.m. at the North Country Auto Parts / Canton Tire lot on Riverside Drive; the St. Lawrence County Countywide Trunk or Treat (Human Services Building, 80 State Highway 310) and SUNY Canton’s Trunk or Treat are the same evening.
- Ogdensburg — the Frederic Remington Art Museum hosts a Haunted House on Saturday, October 24, 6–9 p.m. ($10 adults, $5 ages 5–18, under 5 free), and the Ogdensburg Public Library holds its Halloween party on Wednesday, October 28, 5–6:30 p.m.
- Waddington — a Trunk or Treat is set for Saturday, October 24, 4–6 p.m. at Island View Park Pavilion, free, sponsored by the Waddington Chamber of Commerce.
- Heuvelton — the Amvets Post 1997 hosts a Trunk or Treat on Saturday, October 31, 1–3 p.m. at the post, 107 State St.
Before you head out
- Porch light on means participating. A lit porch or front light is the standing signal that a home is handing out candy; if the house is dark, skip it.
- Drivers: slow down at dusk. Halloween is on a Saturday this year, which means more kids out, many in dark costumes. Take it easy on residential streets from late afternoon on.
- Check your community’s page before you go. Hours and events can change with the weather, and several villages are expected to announce hours in the days right before Halloween. Your village or city website and Facebook page are the final word.
- See and be seen. A flashlight or glow stick helps drivers spot trick-or-treaters once the light fades.
Sources: Fort Drum Community Information Exchange recap, October 2026 (Fort Drum housing hours and on-post trunk-or-treat details via Fort Drum MWR); Village of Carthage (official hours announcement, October 26) and the Village of Dexter calendar (Dexter hours); WBA Consulting’s North Country trick-or-treat hours roundup, updated October 26, 2026, reporting October 26 replies from the clerks of West Carthage, Sackets Harbor, and Canton and the Massena village administrator (West Carthage hours, and the no-official-hours confirmations); Salmon Run Mall (Mall-oween time); InformNNY’s 2026 Halloween guide (Lyons Falls trunk-or-treat); Town Hall Theater / Lewis County Historical Society (Halloween Towne); municipal, village, and chamber pages and local outlet event calendars (including NorthCountryNow and YES FM) for the communities listed, checked October 12–27, 2026. Facts verified October 27, 2026.
Related
- Northern New York Halloween Events 2026 — haunted houses, trunk-or-treats, and fall festivals across the tri-county area
- October Events in Northern New York 2026 — the month’s full roundup
- NNY Info events calendar
Know the hours for a community we haven’t listed yet, or spot an error? Email additions and corrections to nnyinfo.com@gmail.com — we read every message and will update this post through Halloween.