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Halloween at school: costumes, discos and what to send
Debs · 10 October 2026
The short answer
Halloween 2026 is on Saturday 31 October, at the end of half term for most schools in England and Wales, so most school Halloween events (dress-up days, discos and pumpkin competitions) will happen the week before. Check the school's letter for the day, whether it's non-uniform with a donation, and any costume rules. Choose a costume a child can sit, play and go to the toilet in, without a mask.
Every October, a letter goes home. It mentions a Halloween disco, a dress-up day, a pumpkin competition and a cake sale, possibly on four different days, and it's at the bottom of the book bag under a satsuma. This year Halloween is on a Saturday at the end of half term, which means the school version is probably sooner than you think.
When will school Halloween be this year?
For most schools in England and Wales, half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, and Halloween is the Saturday after. So the dress-up day and the disco will usually be in the week before half term, often on Thursday 22 or Friday 23 October. Our guide to October half term 2026 has the dates.
- Dress-up or non-uniform day, often with a £1 donation.
- An after-school disco, sometimes with tickets to buy in advance.
- A pumpkin carving or decorating competition, brought in on a set day.
- A cake or sweet sale, usually with allergy rules.
The costume is never the problem. Finding out about it at 8pm the night before is the problem.
Left: the best school costume is one they can sit, play and go to the toilet in. Right: the extras that come with it, usually on different days.
Halloween costumes that work for school
A school costume has to last a whole day, including PE, lunch and the toilet. Easy wins: a witch or wizard (hat, cape, their own clothes underneath), a cat or skeleton (black clothes, face paint or a printed top), a pumpkin (orange jumper, green hat), or a character from a book they love. Most of these use clothes you already have.
Many schools ask for no masks that cover the face, no toy weapons and nothing too gory for the little ones, so read the letter. If the day is non-uniform rather than dress-up, the same rules as any non-uniform day apply: comfortable, practical, and nothing you'd mind getting paint on.
The best Halloween costume for school is the one that still looks like something at 3:15pm.
The disco, the pumpkin and the cake sale
Discos often need tickets bought online in advance, a signed form, and someone to collect the child at a different time from usual: put the collection time in the family calendar so whoever's picking up knows. Pumpkins usually go in on a set morning, carved at home. And for cake sales, check whether the school is nut-free and whether shop-bought is fine (it almost always is). If there's an INSET day before half term, the school version might be even earlier: here's what an INSET day is.
School Halloween checklist
What to check in the school's letter, and when.
| What to check | When | |
|---|---|---|
| Dress-up or non-uniform day | The day, the rules, any donation | As soon as the letter arrives |
| Halloween disco | Tickets, consent form, pick-up time | A week before |
| Pumpkin competition | Which day to bring it in | The weekend before |
| Cake sale | Nut-free rules, shop-bought allowed? | The night before |
Mistakes we've all made
- Buying a costume with a mask, then reading that masks aren't allowed.
- Missing the disco tickets because they sold out the day the letter came.
- Sending a nut-filled cake to a nut-free school.
- Getting the day wrong because the email said Friday and the letter said Thursday.
The letter, read for you
Debs, your own school admin assistant, reads the school's emails and the letters attached to them, so the dress-up day, the disco and the cake sale go on the family calendar on the right days. A week before, Debs adds "Sort a costume" to your list, and the night before, each child's bag says what to wear and what to take: the costume, the £1, the pumpkin. Paper letter in the book bag? Take a photo and Debs reads that too. See everything Debs can do.
Questions parents ask
When is Halloween in 2026?
Halloween is on Saturday 31 October 2026, the end of half term for most schools in England and Wales.
When will my child's school celebrate Halloween this year?
Most schools in England and Wales break up for half term on Friday 23 October, so school dress-up days and discos will usually be that week. Check the school's letter or newsletter.
What are good Halloween costumes for school?
Choose something a child can wear all day, sit in and go to the toilet in: a witch, wizard, cat, skeleton, pumpkin or a book character, mostly made from clothes you already have.
Can children wear masks to school on Halloween?
Many schools ask for no masks that cover the face, and no toy weapons. Check your school's letter, because the rules vary.
Is Halloween a non-uniform day?
Often, but not always. Some schools hold a dress-up day, some a non-uniform day with a donation, and some neither. The school's letter will say.