Halloween Deals 2026: The Week-by-Week Calendar

Said plainly: we earn a commission on some links here. Half this guide tells you to buy nothing for another six weeks, which is a strange way to run an affiliate site, but there it is.

Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday. Check a calendar if you like, but that single fact should change how you shop this year, and almost nobody has said so yet.

Saturday Halloweens are rare. The last one was 2020, which nobody counts, and before that 2015. So this is the first proper Saturday Halloween in eleven years, which means parties, adult costumes and party supplies will move faster than usual.

Everything else, though, you should absolutely wait on. Here's the calendar.

The Discount Calendar

Those figures come from what major retailers actually did last year, tracked by The Krazy Coupon Lady across Target, Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot and Big Lots. Percentages shift store to store and nothing is guaranteed to repeat. The shape of the curve, though, repeats every single year.

Right Now Through Mid-September: Buy Almost Nothing

Displays are already up. Target puts full Halloween sets out in late August, and Home Depot has most stores decorated by early September.

Full price, all of it. There is no reason to buy a $40 inflatable in August that will be $20 in six weeks and $8 in nine.

The one exception is anything you know sells out. Big animatronics and the viral seasonal pieces disappear well before any discount arrives, so if there's a specific item you want in your yard this year, that's the one thing worth paying full price for.

Mid-September to Mid-October: The First Real Sales

This is when the pre-Halloween promotions start and they run roughly a month.

1. Costume and candy promotions in the 20% to 30% range
2. Buy-one-get-one offers on costumes and sweets
3. Loyalty programme stacking, like Target Circle on top of a sale price

Amazon's fall event usually lands in early October too. Last year it ran October 7 and 8, and Amazon hasn't announced 2026 dates yet, so treat that as a likely window rather than a fixed one.

If you need costumes, this is your zone. More on why in a moment.

The Last Two Weeks: Props Get Cheap

Lowe's has historically cut inflatables and pneumatic props to 50% about two weeks out, climbing toward 75% as the day approaches. Home Depot starts online clearance three or four days before Halloween at around half price.

Target's week-of markdowns begin near 30%.

So if you want a big yard display this year and you're willing to gamble on what's left, the fortnight before Halloween is the sweet spot between price and selection.

November 1 to 15: The Best Time to Buy Halloween Decorations

Here's the honest answer to the question. The best time to buy Halloween decorations is the first two weeks of November, for the following October.

Walmart typically goes to 50% on November 1 and 70% three or four days later. Target moves 50%, then 70%, with some stock reaching 90%. Home Depot hits up to 75% in stores during that first week. Big Lots has run to 90% by mid-November, with plenty under two dollars.

Put a number on it. Americans spent an average of $114.45 each on Halloween last year, according to the National Retail Federation. The same basket bought at 70% off costs $34.34, and at 90% off it costs $11.44.

The catch is obvious and worth stating. You need somewhere to store a box of skeletons for eleven months, and you're shopping picked-over shelves. Anyone with attic space and patience is buying next Halloween for the price of this year's candy.

What Not to Wait For This Year

The Saturday effect concentrates on costumes and party goods. Adult sizes in the popular characters go first, and a weekend Halloween means more adult parties competing for the same rails.

So the answer to when do Halloween costumes go on sale is technically November, and that's useless if you need one on the thirty-first. Buy costumes during the September and October promotions and take the 20% or 30% rather than holding out for a discount you can't use.

Candy is its own thing. Buy it too early and it's eaten by the fifteenth, which every parent already knows.

Three Habits That Beat Any Sale

1. Prices ending in .97 or .98 usually flag clearance stock at several chains, including Spirit Halloween.
2. Stack loyalty discounts on clearance. A store card that takes another 5% off a 70% markdown is real money.
3. Check return windows. Target's own seasonal brands have run a 365-day return policy, which quietly removes the risk from November stockpiling.

None of these are clever. They're just the things people forget while standing in a picked-over aisle on the second of November.

Quick Answers

When is Halloween 2026?

Saturday, October 31. The first Saturday Halloween since 2020 and, realistically, the first normal one since 2015.

What is the single best day for Halloween clearance 2026?

Around November 3 to 5, when most chains step from 50% to 70%. Selection is still reasonable and the price has properly dropped.

Should I buy decorations before Halloween at all?

Only items you expect to sell out, such as large animatronics. For everything else the best time to buy Halloween decorations is after the thirty-first, at a fraction of the price.

How much do people actually spend?

An average of $114.45 per person last year, on a record $13.1 billion total, with decorations alone at $4.2 billion.

Is Amazon's October sale worth waiting for?

For tech and household items, often. For Halloween-specific decor, store clearance beats it comfortably.

When do stores start marking down candy?

Late October, then hard on November 1. Buying candy in September mostly means buying it twice.

Discount percentages reflect what retailers did in 2025 and are shared as a guide, not a promise. Spending figures are from the National Retail Federation's 2025 consumer survey. Check current pricing before buying.