It's officially that special time of year: Halloween.
Chicago and its neighboring areas will see a night of fun, frights and candy galore as witches, zombies and other creative costumed trick-or-treaters flood the streets looking for sweets.
But when is the candy-seeking tradition supposed to pan out? Well, it depends.
Several neighborhoods in the Chicago area have designated official hours for trick-or-treaters. A list of times for 45 suburbs can be found here.
As for Chicago, the city doesn't have official trick-or-treat hours, according to officials. Instead, the city has outlined ways the community can safely celebrate the spooky holiday.
The city is currently running its third annual Halloweek, a week-long series of celebrations that kicked off Oct. 22.
As a part of the program, the Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Library will host virtual and in-person programming throughout the day.
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Additional events set to unfold in the evening include film screenings, pumpkin painting, Halloween parties and trick-or-treating in neighborhoods. More information is available here.
Along with the holiday programs, the city shared precautionary COVID-19 guidelines.
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The city's guidance is as follows:
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination, including all primary series doses and boosters for your age group
- Do not hand out candy or participate in Halloween events if you are having symptoms of COVID-19 or feel sick, even if you have been fully vaccinated
- Wash hands or use hand sanitizer before and after trick-or-treating and use hand sanitizer
- Eat candy at home, or after washing or sanitizing your hands
- Masks are recommended when trick-or-treating in indoor public settings, particularly if you are at risk of getting very sick — a costume mask is not a substitute for a high-quality mask or respirator
- Outdoor activities are safer than indoor activities