Powell trick-or-treat is Saturday, October 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. Dublin, Columbus and Westerville hold theirs two nights earlier, on Thursday, October 29, also from 6 to 8 p.m. So this year Powell runs on the same Halloween calendar as the Delaware County towns to its north, and not on the one used by the suburbs to its south.

That puts Powell's Halloween on a longer timeline than most of the region gets. It starts with downtown trick-or-treating this Saturday, October 24, and ends with neighborhood trick-or-treating the following Saturday, with a free trunk-or-treat at Adventure Park on the Sunday in between. If you live here, that's three separate chances to wear one costume, spread over eight days.

Where the Thursday date comes from

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, MORPC, publishes a recommended trick-or-treat date for central Ohio, and its 2026 recommendation is Thursday, October 29.

The rule behind it is simple. When October 31 falls on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, trick-or-treat happens on Halloween itself. When it falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, trick-or-treat moves to the Thursday before. MORPC says its local government members have backed one unified regional date for years. The same page also says each community makes its own final call. Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, so the regional default moved to Thursday, and Powell chose to keep the actual holiday.

MORPC also says the recommended date doesn't change for bad weather. The Powell city page lists only the October 31 time slot.

Who picked which night

Powell has company on Saturday. NBC4's running list of 2026 dates, last updated October 13, puts Galena, Genoa Township, Ostrander, Powell and Sunbury all on Saturday, October 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. The same list puts Grandview Heights and Worthington, two Franklin County communities, on October 31 as well.

The Delaware, Genoa Township and Columbus dates above come from 10TV's 2026 roundup. Dublin, Westerville and Concord Township each posted their dates on their own sites.

The split mostly follows the county line, though not exactly. Powell, Delaware, Genoa Township and the smaller Delaware County towns all kept the 31st. Dublin, Columbus and Westerville took the regional Thursday. Worthington is the clear exception in the other direction, a Franklin County city that kept Halloween night.

In practice this matters most where families cross those lines. If grandparents live in Dublin, a cousin's street is in Westerville, or a carpool group spans the Columbus city limits, those households have their trick-or-treat night on the 29th, and Powell's is on the 31st. Nothing on either city's calendar stops a family from going out on both nights.

Powell's own Halloween starts this Saturday

Powell's Halloween calendar has four dated entries across two weekends, and only the last one is the official trick-or-treat night. In order:

1. Saturday, October 24, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Powelloween downtown business trick-or-treat. Downtown Powell businesses hand out candy to anyone in costume, and Visit Powell says kids, teens and adults are all welcome. No registration is required, the candy is "while supplies last," and the listing suggests bringing your own bag.
2. Saturday, October 24, 1:15 to 1:45 p.m.: Halloween storytime at Escape Into Fiction. The bookstore's kid-friendly storytime is scheduled right after the downtown candy route ends.
3. Sunday, October 25, 4 to 6 p.m.: Candy by the Carload at Adventure Park, 260 Adventure Park Drive. This is the City's free trunk-or-treat with Powell community organizations, and no registration is needed. Columbus DanceArts Academy will perform its Halloween hip hop show throughout the event, with chances for kids to learn some moves and dance along.
4. Saturday, October 31, 6 to 8 p.m.: Powell trick-or-treat.

Visit Powell bills October 24 and 25 together as Powelloween weekend. It also notes that downtown restaurants may serve Halloween-themed drinks and beer that weekend, and that Finn and Roe is holding its anniversary sale on October 23 and 24. Someone who comes downtown for the 11 a.m. candy route on Saturday can easily stay for storytime, the sale and lunch.

Put next to the regional calendar, Powell's run of dates fills both ends of the week. The two Powelloween events come five and four days before Dublin's and Columbus's Thursday, and the official night comes two days after it. A Powell family with ties across the county line can show up at Halloween events on October 24, 25, 29 and 31 without ever overlapping.

The township line matters on the 31st

The October 31 date applies to the City of Powell. Unincorporated areas around Powell are governed by their townships, and the townships set their own dates.

Concord Township in Delaware County chose Thursday, October 29, from 6 to 8 p.m., the regional date. Genoa Township, also in Delaware County, chose Saturday, October 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. So two townships in the same county ended up on different nights.

Liberty Township doesn't appear on NBC4's Delaware County list as of its October 13 update. If your home is in Liberty Township and not inside Powell's city limits, the township's own website will have its date. If you're handing out candy, the jurisdiction your home sits in decides which night the knocks come.

After the candy, downtown keeps a calendar

The October dates are the first stretch of a fall calendar that keeps coming back to downtown Powell and Village Green.

• Tuesday, November 10, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: The City's Veterans Day Ceremony at the Greater Powell Veterans Memorial downtown.
• Friday, November 20, 4 to 7 p.m.: Pink Friday Sip and Shop in downtown Powell, as listed by Visit Powell.
• Saturday, December 5, 4 to 7 p.m.: Holidays in Powell at Village Green Park, with the tree lighting at 6 p.m. The City lists an iceless skating rink, a bonfire with s'mores, Santa photos, performances and roaming entertainment.

Downtown parking will look a little different over the next few seasons. In September, City Council approved a four-year lease that will add about 50 public parking spaces at 59 East Olentangy Street. The lease starts after the owner finishes upgrades, including taking down the structure at 55 East Olentangy Street, and the City will pay half the cost of the lot improvements. The City's announcement also describes the Scioto Street Extension, which will run Scioto Street east from Liberty Street to Grace Drive. That project includes a public lot reachable from both Olentangy Street and the extended Scioto Street, and it's expected to add about 130 more public spaces when it's finished. Both projects are approved or planned. Neither lot is a confirmed option for Powelloween this Saturday.

If you're planning around Halloween in Powell this year, I'd love to hear which night your street ends up celebrating. And if you're wondering how the rest of the year works on your side of the city line, from parking downtown to which township you're in, reach out to Sarah Moore. Let's Connect.