There are very few evenings when I willingly send my children out after dinner with the express purpose of knocking on strangers’ doors and coming home with several pounds of sugar.
Halloween gets a pass.
And after enough years of trick-or-treating with kids, I have learned that the costume is actually the easy part. The harder question is figuring out exactly when everyone is supposed to show up.
Central Pennsylvania does not believe in one universal trick-or-treat night. Some communities choose Halloween. Some pick another night. Some give families two hours. Hummelstown historically gives you enough time to acquire what appears to be a small convenience store’s candy inventory.
So I did the digging.
Below are the 2026 trick-or-treat dates and times for Hershey, Harrisburg and the surrounding communities we cover, checked against current municipal, police and other local sources. I’ll continue updating this guide as the remaining communities release their 2026 schedules.
A quick note before you make plans: A ✓ means I found a current 2026 source confirming the information. An ⚠ means there is good information pointing to that schedule, but I am still looking for final 2026 municipal confirmation. Check back before Halloween for updates.
Photo credit: Rachael Benion
2026 Trick-or-Treat Times
Conewago Township
Saturday, October 31 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
Conewago Township has confirmed trick-or-treating for Halloween night from 6 to 8 p.m., rain or shine.
Source: Conewago Township
Derry Township / Hershey
Saturday, October 31 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
Hershey families can head out Halloween night from 6 to 8 p.m. The Derry Township Community Center will also be participating during trick-or-treat hours, with candy and Halloween activities inside.
Source: Derry Township
Elizabethtown Borough
Saturday, October 31 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
Source: Elizabethtown Borough
Harrisburg
Saturday, October 31 | expected 5:30–7:30 p.m. ⚠ VERIFY
Harrisburg has traditionally held trick-or-treat from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Current 2026 roundups still list the city's official time as not yet posted, so we are waiting for final confirmation from the City of Harrisburg before calling this one official.
Source: Current regional/statewide reporting; City of Harrisburg confirmation pending.
Highspire Borough
Saturday, October 31 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
Source: Highspire Borough
Hummelstown Borough
Saturday, October 31 | expected 6–9 p.m. ⚠ VERIFY
Hummelstown's 2026 Halloween Parade is scheduled for Monday, October 26 at 7 p.m. The borough's regular trick-or-treat announcement is still one we're watching. Hummelstown held trick-or-treat from 6 to 9 p.m. in 2025, but we're not carrying that time forward as confirmed 2026 information yet.
Source: Hummelstown Halloween Parade / prior borough schedule; 2026 trick-or-treat confirmation pending.
Londonderry Township
Saturday, October 31 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
Source: Londonderry Township
Lower Paxton Township
Saturday, October 31 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
Lower Paxton's official 2026 calendar confirms October 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. The description on the township page calls October 31 a Friday, but the calendar date itself correctly identifies Saturday, October 31, 2026, so Saturday is the date to put on your calendar.
Source: Lower Paxton Township
Lower Swatara Township
Saturday, October 31 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
Source: Lower Swatara Township / Lower Swatara Township Police
Middletown Borough
Thursday, October 29 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
This is one to notice because Middletown is NOT trick-or-treating on Halloween night.
Source: Middletown Borough
Mount Joy Township
Saturday, October 31 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
Source: Mount Joy Township
Photo credit: Rachael Benion
Paxtang Borough
Saturday, October 31 | expected 6–8 p.m. ⚠ VERIFY
Six to eight has been Paxtang's recent Halloween schedule, but we are still looking for a clean 2026 borough confirmation before stamping this one official.
Penbrook Borough
Saturday, October 31 | reported 5–8 p.m. ⚠ VERIFY
A current 2026 Pennsylvania trick-or-treat compilation reports Penbrook's hours as 5 to 8 p.m., which is notably an hour earlier than many neighboring communities. I have not yet found the corresponding 2026 borough announcement, so we're marking this one for final verification.
Rapho Township
Saturday, October 31 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
This one required some municipal-document archaeology. Rapho Township's supervisors established the 2026 trick-or-treat date and hours as part of their organizational business earlier this year.
Source: Rapho Township Board of Supervisors
Royalton Borough
Saturday, October 31 | reported 6–8 p.m. ⚠
Royalton's own calendar confirms trick-or-treat on October 31. Current regional information reports the hours as 6 to 8 p.m. We're treating the date as officially confirmed and the hours as awaiting final borough-source verification.
Source: Royalton Borough for date; hours awaiting borough confirmation.
Steelton Borough
Thursday, October 29 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
Like neighboring Middletown, Steelton is getting a head start on the candy.
Source: Borough of Steelton
Susquehanna Township
Saturday, October 31 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
Source: Susquehanna Township
Swatara Township
Saturday, October 31 | 6–8 p.m. ✓
Source: Swatara Township
West Hanover Township
Saturday, October 31 | expected 6–8 p.m. ⚠
West Hanover Township's official 2026 calendar confirms trick-or-treat on October 31 but currently lists the event as “all day” rather than publishing usable hours. Recent local schedules have used 6 to 8 p.m., so we're waiting for the township to confirm the 2026 hours.
Source: West Hanover Township for date; hours awaiting confirmation.
Dauphin Borough
2026 time not yet confirmed
We're watching for the borough's announcement.
South Hanover Township
2026 time not yet confirmed
We'll add it as soon as we can verify the township's 2026 schedule.
East Hanover Township, Dauphin County
2026 time not yet confirmed
And yes, we're specifying Dauphin County here because there is also an East Hanover Township in Lebanon County, and accidentally sending families there would be a rather ambitious trick-or-treat commute.
Photo credit: Rachael Benion
More Places to Trick-or-Treat in 2026
Neighborhood trick-or-treating is only part of October around here. These are some of the bigger community events where costumes and candy are also part of the plan.
Trick or Treat Trek at Fort Hunter
Sunday, October 25 | 2–5 p.m.
This is one of the big ones. Families follow the Trek around Fort Hunter Park collecting goodies at stops along the way, with family entertainment and outdoor lawn games mixed in. Tickets are required.
Where: Fort Hunter Park, Harrisburg
Source: Dauphin County Parks & Recreation
Lower Paxton Township Trunk or Treat
Tuesday, October 20 | 6:30–8 p.m.
A free community trunk-or-treat at the Friendship YMCA, with a rain date of October 22.
Where: Friendship YMCA, 5000 Commons Drive, Harrisburg
Source: Lower Paxton Township
Middletown Fall Festival & Halloween Parade
Saturday, October 24
Middletown's Fall Festival takes over Hoffer Park from noon to 5 p.m., followed by the Halloween Parade from 7 to 9 p.m. That makes this less of a quick candy stop and more of a full Halloween Saturday.
Source: Middletown Borough
Mount Joy Spooktacular
Friday, October 23 | 5–8 p.m.
Downtown Mount Joy gets into Halloween early with trick-or-treating at participating businesses plus activities throughout the evening.
Source: Mount Joy Borough
Hershey's Trick-or-Treat Trail
During Hersheypark Halloween
For kids 12 and younger, Hershey's Trick-or-Treat Trail has 14 candy stops, beginning at Hershey's Chocolate World and continuing into Treatville inside Hersheypark.
Treatville opens at 6 p.m. Fridays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and runs until 8:30 p.m. on operating evenings. This one requires a trip to Hersheypark rather than simply showing up with a pumpkin bucket, so check admission information before promising it to the kids.
Source: Hersheypark
Bookmark This One
I will keep checking municipal announcements as Halloween gets closer and update the remaining ⚠ VERIFY entries when those communities publish their final 2026 hours.
Because nothing says October quite like buying costumes weeks in advance and then discovering at 4:47 p.m. that your town decided Halloween is actually Thursday.
And once the candy comes home?
Based on extensive research conducted at my own dining-room table over the years, I can confirm that the sorting, trading and parental Reese's taxation may take considerably longer than trick-or-treat itself.
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