Halloween 2026: Canadians Aren’t Too Old for a Little Fright

Halloween isn’t something everyone truly outgrows.

Our latest survey shows that while family traditions remain a big part of the holiday, younger adults are finding their own ways to celebrate. Participation also varies across the country, and not everyone considers Halloween’s supernatural side to be pure make-believe.

• 80% of parents with children old enough to trick-or-treat say their children will go this Halloween.

• 48% of Canadians plan to hand out candy, while 37% will decorate their home.

• 72% of respondents able to compare their spending expect to spend about the same as last year.

• 32% of adults plan to celebrate Halloween, rising to 59% among those aged 18 to 34.

• 39% of Canadians believe in ghosts and the paranormal, while 48% believe in angels.

Trick-or-treating remains a popular tradition among Canadian families, but children may have very different experiences depending on where they live. Not everyone plans to hand out candy, and the proportion of households participating varies considerably across the country:

• Atlantic Canada: 67% say they or someone in their household will hand out candy.

• Ontario and Alberta: 52% and 55%, respectively, plan to do the same.

• Quebec: At 32%, residents are the least likely to participate among the regions surveyed.

Households with children are also much more likely to decorate their homes for Halloween than those without children (58% versus 29%). Younger adults are more likely to decorate than older Canadians, adding another generational dimension to how the holiday is celebrated.

Those differences help explain why Halloween may feel like a neighbourhood-wide event on one street and a quieter evening on another.

Although Halloween is an important season for candy and snack retailers, Canadians’ spending plans suggest that celebrations do not necessarily mean bigger budgets. Most expect their spending to remain relatively stable, with modest amounts allocated to candy and treats.

But while children may agree on the appeal of free candy, adults have different opinions about when trick-or-treating should end. Nearly one-third of Canadians aged 18 to 34 believe there should be no age limit, compared with fewer than one in five of those aged 55 and older. Even the unwritten rules of Halloween seem to vary across generations.

For adults with children at home, Halloween is not necessarily just about organizing activities for the kids. Nearly half (46%) plan to celebrate themselves, suggesting that the holiday can be a shared family occasion rather than exclusively a children’s event.

Children aren’t a prerequisite for joining in, either. More than one-quarter of adults without children at home (27%) have Halloween plans of their own. The holiday clearly has a place in adult social life beyond traditional family activities, particularly among younger Canadians.

Among those celebrating, attending a party at someone’s home, watching horror movies or Halloween-themed shows, and dressing up are tied as the most popular activities. How adults choose to celebrate also varies: Quebecers are particularly fond of Halloween parties at someone’s home, while younger Canadians are more likely to head to bars, nightclubs or restaurants.

Whether it’s a night out with friends or a movie at home, Halloween offers adults plenty of ways to take part without having to go trick-or-treating.

Halloween may be full of fictional monsters, but belief in the supernatural is far from unusual among Canadians.

Belief in angels, ghosts and people with special powers is considerably more widespread than belief in vampires, werewolves or zombies. This distinction suggests that Canadians are more open to certain spiritual or paranormal phenomena than to the creatures traditionally associated with horror stories.

Women are more likely than men to believe in ghosts and the paranormal, as well as in people with special powers. Younger Canadians, meanwhile, are more likely than older adults to believe in vampires and werewolves.

These findings are broadly consistent with our 2025 Halloween survey, which found similar levels of belief in angels, ghosts and other supernatural phenomena.

So while Halloween may be an occasion to dress up and enjoy a good scare, for some Canadians, the supernatural is more than just entertainment.

Our online survey was conducted from October 24 to 26, 2026, among 1,513 Canadians aged 18 and older, randomly recruited from Leger’s LEO panel and could complete the survey in English or French.

Results were weighted according to age, gender, mother tongue, region, education and presence of children in the household. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size would have a margin of error of ±2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Explore the full report for more findings and detailed demographic breakdowns.