Halloween on Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2023

Halloween is fast approaching and one of our favourite Switch games is also embracing the holiday - and we've got all the details. Read on for the good stuff.

What will the Halloween event look like?

Halloween is also going to be a big event on Animal Crossing: New Horizons this year. For both Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the Halloween spooktakular event will take place from 5 PM until midnight local time on 31st October and all villagers will gather wearing customes in the Halloween-decorated plaza. In addition to that, you will be able to enjoy Halloween-themed music to make the ambiance even spookier!

Halloween-related activities include:

• Meet Jack, Czar of Halloween: he will be waiting on October 31st near the Resident Services plaza. We recommend giving him treats to get various items in return: if you give him candies, he will give you Jack's robe, Jack's face, the Haunt reaction, and Set of five different pumpkins (although it is not recommended to give him over three pieces of Candy), whereas if you give him lollipops, you will get the Spooky carriage (+ DIY recipe) and the Spooky wand. 
• Give candy to villagers: for this activity, you will randomly get a Spooky Set (there are five different), a Spooky Set DIY Crafting Recipes (there are two), or a Lollipop. Doing this on Halloween Night will get you a Spooky garland (+ DIY recipe), a Spooky table setting (+ DIY recipe), Spooky flooring, Spooky rug, Spooky wall, and, of course, Lollipops. During the event, you will also be able to get the Scare reaction in exchange for Candy! Note that you can earn a lot of Candy by talking to villagers indoors in your costume.

Will the Day of the Dead be celebrated?

Starting October 25th and up until November 3rd, the Mexican holiday of the Day of the Dead will be celebrated with a new item called Marigold Decoration will be available from the Seasonal tab of Nook Shopping's Special Goods section. 

What is the Halloween theme like?

For the whole month of October, Nook’s Cranny will look a little different and you will see lots of autumnal and Halloween-inspired objects on offer. Carved pumpkins, scary seats, and pumpkin-headed scarecrows are just some of the new seasonal decor that you will find. You should definitely check in daily to be sure not to miss any of the special-themed offerings.

You can also buy pumpkin seeds in order to grow your own pumpkins. Pumpkins will take four days to grow and you’ll have a super production if you water them every day. You can then use your pumpkins for DIY Halloween-themed recipes or as decorations.

What Halloween costumes and body paints to expect?

Of course, probably one of the most fun parts of Halloween is getting dressed up in a spooky costume and Animal Crossing is no different. There is a huge offering available starting with new skin tones and eye colors which you can switch between by interacting with any mirror. To access all of these options, users will have to use their Nooks Miles to buy the Body-Paint Costume Tips and Exploring New Eye Colors options at the kiosk in Resident's Services.

Of course, a selection of new costumes is available to purchase including Mage's Dress at Able Sister's shop. The collection ranges from cute to scary and also changes daily so make sure to check in regularly in order to get the best choices. You can also copy Jack 'the Czar' and add his costume to your collection. As mentioned above, you simply need to give him lollipops. It's worth noting that some special costume items such as wings, backpacks, etc can only be purchased at Kicks store. So be sure to visit the shoe and bag salesman when you see him in the plaza.

What Halloween items will there be?

Get ready for tons of items! Here's the complete list of where and what you can find:

• Nook's Cranny (throughout October): Spooky Arch, Spooky Candy Set, Spooky Chair, Spooky Lantern, Spooky Lantern Set, Spooky Scarecrow, Spooky, Standing Lamp, Spooky Table, Spooky Tower, Spooky Treats Basket, Spooky Tree, Spooky Trick Lamp.
• New reactions (October 31st): you can get the Haunt Reaction (from Jack) and the Scare Reaction (from a villager). 
• Other DIY recipes: Spooky fence - you can get it from villagers. 

What Halloween characters will be there?

Jack is the Czar of Halloween and he certainly looks the part kitted out in his purple robe and giant pumpkin head. You’ll receive a mail from him about the Halloween update and he’ll be looking to trade creepy furniture in exchange for candy with you. Be warned though, if you don’t give him candy he’ll pull a prank on you!

How to get Halloween Candy?

In the glass cabinet in Nook’s Cranny, you can buy one piece of special Halloween candy daily during the whole month of October. You can of course eat it, but we also recommend saving a little stash for the Halloween event for gifting to other islanders or trading with Jack. Don’t forget to maximize your buying potential, by traveling to other islands to buy candy there too. Also, don't forget to purchase and enjoy some Pumpkin Starts from Nook's Cranny.