Quick answer
When is Halloween 2013?
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Halloween 2013 is Thursday, October 31, 2013. Halloween is observed on October 31, so the date is fixed while the weekday changes each year. Check local schedules for schools, events, employers, and travel plans.
Open the October 2013 calendar, print a monthly PDF, or subscribe to the United States holiday calendar in Google, Apple, or Outlook.
Not a U.S. federal public holiday. See all U.S. public holidays for a full 2013 list.
Month calendar
October 2013
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Halloween is observed on October 31, so the date is fixed while the weekday changes each year.
Not a U.S. federal public holiday
Halloween is widely observed in the United States, but it is not a federal public holiday.
What Halloween means in the United States
Halloween is October 31. It is not a U.S. federal public holiday, so most offices and schools run a normal schedule, with evening trick-or-treating and events layered on top. The planning problem is less “is the bank closed?” and more “what weekday is the 31st, and when do cities schedule safe-trick-or-treat hours?”
When October 31 falls on a Sunday or Monday, many neighborhoods shift community events to the prior Saturday. Retail treats the whole last week of October as peak for costumes and candy. If you ship party supplies, the weekend before Halloween is the practical cutoff for ground service in many areas.
Schools may host afternoon parties with strict food-allergy rules. Some districts ban homemade treats; others limit costumes. Read the school’s October newsletter. Employers sometimes host optional afternoon events; that is culture, not a public holiday.
Public-safety notes are local: some cities publish earlier trick-or-treat windows, street lighting checks, or downtown event maps. If you drive in residential areas after dark, expect higher pedestrian activity than a normal Thursday night.
For e-commerce and warehouses, late October volume can rival early November holiday prep. If you run logistics, staff the week as a mini peak even though the federal calendar is quiet.
At a glance
- Fixed date: October 31; not a U.S. federal public holiday
- Community events often move to the nearest Saturday when the 31st is awkward
- Schools usually open; parties follow local rules
- Retail and shipping peak the week before, not only the night of
Practical planning
- Check your city’s published trick-or-treat hours if you host or attend.
- If you ship costumes, use the prior weekend as the deliver-by target.
- If you manage a store, plan returns and leftover candy inventory for early November.
How 2013 compares to 2012
In 2012, the date was Wednesday, October 31, 2012. In 2013, the date is Thursday, October 31, 2013. The month and day stay the same, but the weekday changes as the calendar advances. The gap is 365 day(s) later year over year, which reflects whether the prior year included a leap day. Use the weekday, not only the fixed date, when you compare school schedules, shipping cutoffs, event hours, or travel plans.
Last year: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 · This page: Thursday, October 31, 2013
Other U.S. observances in October 2013
Same month, different rules—useful when you are planning October travel or event spacing.
- Columbus Day — Monday, October 14, 2013
Weekends, time off, and scheduling
Long weekends, substitute days, and school make-up days vary. Use the exact date with your employer, school, or state calendar when planning travel and time off.
When Halloween falls (multi-year)
Exact calendar dates and weekdays—useful for halloween 2024–2020 search intent.
| Year | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Oct 31 | Monday |
| 2012 | Oct 31 | Wednesday |
| 2013 this page | Oct 31 | Thursday |
| 2014 | Oct 31 | Friday |
| 2015 | Oct 31 | Saturday |
| 2016 | Oct 31 | Monday |
| 2017 | Oct 31 | Tuesday |
| 2018 | Oct 31 | Wednesday |
| 2019 | Oct 31 | Thursday |
| 2020 | Oct 31 | Saturday |
Questions about Halloween 2013
When is Halloween 2013, exactly?
Halloween in 2013 is Thursday, October 31, 2013 (use your local time zone for same-day events). The date on the calendar is fixed by the U.S. rule in our guide, not a guess. If you need a single ISO-style line for travel systems, the date is 2013-10-31.
Why does Halloween land on that Thursday in 2013?
Halloween is observed on October 31, so the date is fixed while the weekday changes each year. For fixed-date observances, the weekday is the part that changes from year to year. That weekday is often what determines school events, shipping deadlines, restaurant demand, travel timing, or whether a weekend observed closure applies.
How does the 2013 date compare to 2012?
In 2012, the date was Wednesday, October 31, 2012. In 2013, the date is Thursday, October 31, 2013. The month and day stay the same, but the weekday changes as the calendar advances. The gap is 365 day(s) later year over year, which reflects whether the prior year included a leap day. Use the weekday, not only the fixed date, when you compare school schedules, shipping cutoffs, event hours, or travel plans.
Is Halloween 2013 a U.S. federal public holiday, and do banks and post offices close?
This date is not a universal “everyone is off work” U.S. federal public holiday in the same way as, for example, New Year’s Day. Halloween is widely observed in the United States, but it is not a federal public holiday. If you are checking “open or closed” for a specific place, use that organization’s own holiday list rather than a generic U.S. label alone.
What about Halloween in 2014—and how should I use the multi-year table?
In 2014, Halloween is Friday, October 31, 2014. The table on this page is meant for multi-year search intent: you can line up several years at once to see when the same observance will fall near a trip, a budget cycle, or a school year boundary. For subscription calendars, also open the year view in AnyCalendar to catch adjacent holidays.
Where can I see this day on a full U.S. holiday list and in my own calendar?
The United States public-holiday list for 2013 (with long-weekend notes) is on anycalendar.org/holidays/us. You can also open the october 2013 month view, the full 2013 year view, and use the subscribe and print tools on AnyCalendar to move these dates into Google, Apple, Outlook, or a PDF you can print.