Portsmouth Reschedules 2021 Trick-or-Treat Hours: SUN OCT 31, 3-6 pm

Portsmouth City Manager Karen Conard and the City Emergency Management Team announce that, due to poor weather forecast for Oct 30,  Portsmouth children and families will be able to enjoy Halloween trick- or-treating on Sunday, October 31, 2021, from 3 to 6 pm. The addition of daylight hours was popular last year and is being repeated.

The City asks residents to keep the following recommendations in mind, for a safe and fun Halloween:

• Outdoor activities are much safer than indoor activities.
• Travel in small groups. Small children should be accompanied and supervised at all times.
• Carry a face mask, just in case (for example, when going to a door for candy vs. taking candy from a table or other container, away from others).
• Maintain distance between your “ghouls” and other groups.
• Residents who do not want to participate should leave their front houselights turned off, or put a sign on the driveway or sidewalk. Trick-or-treaters should respect that notice.
• It is still best for children and those providing candy to maintain physical distance or wear masks. You may wish to put treats in individual paper bags or spread out on trays (rather than a communal bowl) and placed on a table on the front walk, porch or driveway. Be creative!

Trick-or-treaters should use flashlights, walk on sidewalks where available, travel in familiar, well-lit areas, and only go to homes with outdoor lights on. Phones down, heads up. Be aware of your surroundings.

Motorists should exercise extra caution on trick-or-treat night. Although the hours allow for some safer trick-or-treating in daylight, watch for children crossing streets and at intersections.

• Enter and exit driveways slowly, watch for children.
• After dark, watch for trick-or-treaters in dark clothing.
• New or inexperienced drivers should avoid driving after dark on Halloween.

“Although we have made much progress in vaccination for eligible people, children under the age of 12 are not yet able to receive the vaccines and the Delta variant has impacted children more than the original,” noted City Health Officer Kim McNamara. “At the same time, local transmission rates of COVID-19 remain high.”