Group behind proposal to move Halloween now calls for ‘National Trick or Treat Day’

The group that petitioned to move Halloween to the last Saturday of October amended its proposal on Wednesday: Instead of moving Halloween, it wants to create a new holiday altogether.

Instead of moving Halloween from its traditional Oct. 31 date, a petition launched by the Halloween & Costume Association now wants a National Trick or Treat Day.

“While we still believe an end-of-October Saturday observance will promote safety and increase the fun, this year we will be launching a national initiative designed to enhance the Halloween that we all know and love,” the petition says.{mosads}

The group will partner with Party City and other brands to launch the #ALLoween campaign, which aims to promote both National Trick or Treat Day and “the time-honored traditions of Halloween on October 31st,” the petition reads.

The initial petition, which gained traction on social media earlier this month, has gained nearly 125,000 signatures since it was initially launched last year. It’s unclear how many people have signed it since the Halloween & Costume Association made the proposal change.

The association — a trade organization that serves as a nonprofit voice for businesses that manufacture, import and distribute Halloween products — argued in the petition that moving Halloween could be safer for parents and children who are trick-or-treating.

The group didn’t specify how moving Halloween to a weekend would solve issues related to injuries and parental supervision, though a number of municipalities already hold trick-or-treating events on days other than Halloween to avoid potential incidents.