It’s Halloween, and this Iowa city is finally letting kids trick-or-treat tonight — after more than 85 years

Children in Des Moines, Iowa, will go trick-or-treating on Halloween night for the first time in more than 85 years.

Children in Des Moines, Iowa, will go trick-or-treating on Halloween night for the first time in more than 85 years. Unlike the majority of the country, communities in the Des Moines metro area go trick-or-treating during Beggars’ Night, the day before Halloween, thanks to a policy-turned-tradition dating back to the 1930s. This year, severe weather forced the city to break with tradition and push the festivity to Halloween. Beggar’s Night could see severe thunderstorms while Halloween is forecast to see prime conditions with no rain and temperatures in the 40s and 50s. “To my knowledge, it has never been moved or canceled since it was established after Halloween in 1938,” Assistant City Manager Jen Schulte told the Associated Press. “However, the safety of our residents, families and children is always our top priority and led to the change in this year’s scheduled Beggars’ Night.” The Beggars’ Night celebration can be traced back to a particularly crime-stricken Halloween in 1938, according to the State Historical Society of Iowa. That night, Des Moines police answered 550 reports of vandalism – teenagers setting fires, breaking windows and sidelining street cars. In an effort to curtail the hooliganism, what became the city’s Parks and Recreation Department designated October 30th as Beggars’ Night, when children would be allowed to go door-to-door trick-or-treating under adult supervision. Halloween would be reserved for family-friendly activities and adult events.