What time does the Halloween event start in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

When you first launch the game on October 31, Isabelle will reveal that the special Halloween event runs from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. local time. In other words, as soon as the evening bell strikes it’s time to get cooking.

What to do during the Halloween event

The basic premise of the event revolves around giving your Villagers any Candy you may have purchased during the month of October from Nook’s shop. One piece can be purchased on Halloween, so the most dedicated Animal Crossing fans could have as many as 31 pieces ready to go.

Candy in hand, all you’ve got to do is walk up to Villagers around your island and give them a treat when they ask for it. In return, they’ll either give you a premade Spooky item or offer a Spooky DIY recipe instead. Generally you’ll start the event by collecting items or the Scare Reaction, and then the DIY recipes will follow.

Just keep walking around over the course of the event with all the Candy you’ve accumulated, and you’ll basically have the full roster of Spooky items and recipes by the end. If you get a Lollipop, hold onto it. Those will be very important later.

Listed below are the Spooky items you should be watching for the most, as these can only be earned on Halloween. The full list of Spooky recipes can be found in our October update guide.

Spooky CarriageSpooky GarlandSpooky Table SetSpooky WandSpooky RugSpooky FloorSpooky Wall

The first three take the form of DIY recipes, while the last three are just items.

How to get more Candy

If you haven’t been very diligent in getting your daily Candy ration from the Nooks during October, odds are you’re going to run out of Candy very quickly. This can be fixed pretty easily, but it makes the Halloween event a bit more time consuming to reap the full reward.

Sometimes the Villagers outside will give you Candy shortly after the first time you run out. This source won’t last forever, though. Over the course of the event, two or three Villagers will be waiting inside their houses to give you Candy. Just look for the lights and go inside. They’ll give you one piece every 15 minutes or so. The Candy-focused Villagers rotate, so you won’t be collecting Candy from the same houses all night. The best way to get Candy is to scare Villagers by wearing Jack’s Costume (which includes Jack’s Head and Jack’s Robe). This trick will work on everyone on your island at least once.

What about Jack and Lollipops?

The centerpiece of the Animal Crossing Halloween event is Jack. You’ll find him and his big Pumpkin head strolling near your island’s town hall area. He’ll offer you rewards for Candy just like the other Villagers, but what he really wants are Lollipops. As explained above, you gather Lollipops from giving Candy to Villagers. They’re earned at random, however, so it may take time to get everything you need.

Making the most of Jack requires one piece of Candy and four Lollipops. Here’s how the rewards broke down in our game:

One piece of Candy: Jack’s Head and the Haunt Reaction. One Lollipop: Spooky Carriage. Two Lollipops: Spooky Carriage DIY recipe. Three Lollipops: Spooky Wand DIY. Four Lollipops: Jack’s Robe.

Remember that wearing Jack’s Head and Jack’s Robe together will scare your Villagers into giving you Candy. That’s all you need to know about the Halloween event in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Nintendo Switch.

What did you think of the Animal Crossing Halloween event? Did you get all the Spooky items? Tell us in the comments section!