"Beggar's Night/Trick-or-Treat has moved permanently to Halloween, Oct. 31." That one sentence on the City of Ankeny's 2025 event listing ended a metro habit many families had built their October around.
In 2026, the calendar does something new with that change. Halloween lands on a Saturday. Citywide trick-or-treat moved to Oct. 31, and Friday, Oct. 30, the old Beggars' Night slot, now has a different occupant. Ankeny's Halloween now runs Thursday through Saturday, and a different host runs each day.
| Day | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Oct. 29 | Heelerween Party | Ankeny Kirkendall Public Library, 1250 SW District Dr. | 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. |
| Friday, Oct. 30 | Trick or Treat in The District | The District at Prairie Trail | 4 to 7 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | Citywide trick-or-treat | Participating homes across Ankeny | 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Every evening through Oct. 31 | Fright Lights | Historic Uptown Ankeny | Lights come on at sunset |
How Oct. 30 came open
For years, Halloween in the Des Moines metro happened the night before Halloween. Iowa Public Radio reported that Beggars' Night traditionally fell on Oct. 30. In 2024, communities moved to Oct. 31 after severe weather forecasts that called for "high winds, rain, cold."
Ankeny's own listings show that move in two steps. The 2024 city calendar still called it "Beggar's Night," but it was set for Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, from 6 to 8 p.m. By 2025, the city had dropped any suggestion that the switch was temporary. It called the Oct. 31 date permanent and held trick-or-treat on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, during the same two hours.
Ankeny wasn't the only place weighing the question. In Des Moines, Iowa Public Radio reported that a city survey drew more than 4,300 residents, and Halloween got nearly twice as many first-choice votes as Beggars' Night. That vote was Des Moines', not Ankeny's. Still, it shows how far the metro had shifted by the time Ankeny made its date permanent.
In 2024 and 2025, the old date and the new one sat on weeknights. This year, Oct. 31 is a Saturday. That puts citywide trick-or-treat on a weekend for the first time since the change, and it leaves Friday night free for something else.
Thursday morning: the library starts first
The first of the three days starts at 9:30 a.m. this Thursday, Oct. 29, so if you're reading before lunch, there's still time. The Heelerween Party at Ankeny Kirkendall Public Library, 1250 SW District Dr., runs until 11:30 a.m. According to the city's library calendar, kids are invited to come in costume, meet a Blue Heeler, make a craft, and trick-or-treat through the library.
This one is for the youngest crowd and their weekday schedules. It runs in the morning, indoors, while older siblings are in class. If you have a toddler or preschooler who isn't ready for two hours of doorbells on Saturday night, a lap through the library may be their whole Halloween. For everyone else, it's a test run for the costume before the weekend.
Friday afternoon: The District takes the old Beggars' Night slot
Trick or Treat in The District runs Friday, Oct. 30, from 4 to 7 p.m. at The District at Prairie Trail. The District's event page calls it free and family-friendly, with candy, treats and special deals at participating businesses. The Iowa Clinic is the presenting sponsor.
As of its September posting, the page said the full list of participating businesses was still coming. Check it again before you head over Friday so you know which doors to plan around.
Friday and Saturday are different kinds of trick-or-treating. On Friday, the candy comes from storefronts in one walkable district, starting at 4 p.m. and wrapping up at 7. On Saturday, it comes from neighbors' front porches across the city, starting at 6 p.m. A family can do both without the hours overlapping, because the events are a day apart. The District's three-hour window also starts earlier in the afternoon than the citywide event, which helps if bedtime comes early at your house.
Some longtime Ankeny families still think of Oct. 30 as the big night. This year, the Friday they remember is when The District's event happens. The citywide doorbell night is on Saturday.
Saturday evening: the porch-light night
Citywide trick-or-treat is Saturday, Oct. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m., according to the City of Ankeny special events calendar. The hours match the past two years. The only thing new is the weekend date.
The city's guidance from 2025 is short and worth knowing before you stock up on candy.
- Participation is voluntary. No household is expected to hand out treats.
- Light your front door if you are handing out treats. That tells trick-or-treaters they're welcome.
- Drivers should watch for trick-or-treaters, avoid distractions, and take extra care pulling in or out of driveways.
- Families out walking should check routes in daylight, cross streets safely, walk rather than run, carry flashlights, choose visible or reflective costumes, keep young kids with an adult, and look over treats before anyone eats them.
The 2024 listing added two more requests: keep pets inside, and don't hand out homemade or unwrapped treats. These tips come from the 2024 and 2025 city pages. If the city posts updated instructions for 2026 on its Trick-or-Treat listing, those take priority.
The porch light matters more in Ankeny than it might seem. Because participation is voluntary, a dark front step is the only signal that a house is sitting out. If you plan to hand out candy, turning on the light at 6 p.m. tells families you're open.
Every evening until Saturday: Fright Lights in Uptown
One event runs underneath all three days. Uptown Ankeny's Fright Lights has been on since Oct. 1 and continues through Oct. 31. Displays across the historic district light up at sunset each evening, and the event is presented by Latitude 41. Travel Iowa's listing describes ghostly ghouls and eerie pumpkins spread through the district, and calls it good for family strolls, date nights, or an evening out with friends.
There's no fixed start time or ticket, so Fright Lights fits around everything else. You could take a slow walk after dark Thursday once the library party is over. Or stop by Friday after The District wraps up at 7 p.m. And on Saturday, Fright Lights is still on after citywide trick-or-treat ends at 8, for anyone not ready to head home. Saturday is also the last night, so that walk is the final chance to see the displays this year.
Fright Lights doesn't list a route, so start anywhere in historic Uptown and wander. That suits Uptown, where the brick storefronts and side streets are made for wandering anyway.
Planning the stretch from Thursday to Saturday
Taken together, the week looks like this for an Ankeny household:
- Thursday morning: Heelerween at the library for little kids, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
- Thursday through Saturday evenings: Fright Lights in Uptown, any time after sunset.
- Friday afternoon: The District at Prairie Trail, 4 to 7 p.m., once the participant list is posted.
- Saturday evening: porch lights on and trick-or-treating across the city, 6 to 8 p.m.
The city library runs Thursday morning, a business district runs Friday, and neighbors run Saturday, with Uptown's lights tying the week together. Before 2024, the metro's tradition put trick-or-treat on a single night, Oct. 30. In 2026, because of the permanent move and a Saturday Halloween, Ankeny gets most of a week.
We love seeing Ankeny come out for nights like these, and our team keeps track of the local calendar all year so our clients know what's happening around them. If you're thinking about a move in or around Ankeny, the Ingrid Williams Real Estate Team would be glad to help you find a street with plenty of porch lights. Start Your Next Move.
