Halloween in the U.S. has a pretty familiar script: costumes, candy, and a lot of pumpkins. But if your family, friend group, or multigenerational crew happens to be traveling this time of year, it's worth knowing that plenty of other countries have their own take on the season. I’ll be experiencing Día de los Muertos in San Antonio, Texas and I can’t wait to see what it’s all about!

Here's a look at how different places around the world mark the end of October, in case you find yourselves somewhere unexpected this Halloween.

Mexico: Día de los Muertos

Technically celebrated November 1-2, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festivities often begin as Halloween wraps up. The holiday celebrates and remembers loved ones who have passed, with elaborately decorated altars (ofrendas), marigold-covered gravesites, and parades featuring painted skull face makeup (calaveras).

• Where to experience it: Oaxaca and Mexico City are famous for elaborate public celebrations, parades, and altar displays that welcome visitors.
• Good to know: This is a meaningful, family-centered tradition rather than a costume party, which offers a great teaching moment for kids about how other cultures approach remembrance.

Ireland: The Birthplace of Halloween

Many Halloween traditions actually trace back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated in Ireland long before the holiday took its modern form. Bonfires, costumes meant to ward off spirits, and games like apple bobbing all have roots here.

• Where to experience it: Dublin hosts a large Halloween festival, and smaller towns often hold traditional bonfire nights.
• Good to know: Some rural areas still bake a traditional barmbrack (fruit bread) with small charms baked inside, said to predict the finder's fortune for the coming year.

Scotland: Guising

​Scotland has its own centuries-old version of trick-or-treating called "guising," where children dress in costume and go door to door. Instead of asking for candy, they're expected to perform a song, poem, joke, or trick to earn their treat.

• Where to experience it: Edinburgh and smaller Scottish towns both keep the tradition alive.
• Good to know: This is a fun one to prep kids for in advance — have them pick a joke or short poem to perform if you're visiting during the holiday.

Germany: A Quieter Season

Halloween itself is a newer, more Americanized addition to German culture, but many regions observe the more solemn Allerheiligen (All Saints' Day) on November 1, when families visit and decorate the graves of relatives. Some areas also observe an old tradition of hiding knives on Halloween night, believed to protect returning spirits from harm.

• Where to experience it: Larger cities like Berlin have adopted costume parties and trick-or-treating in recent years, while more rural regions lean toward the quieter, traditional observances.
• Good to know: If traveling with kids expecting American-style trick-or-treating, stick to bigger cities, where the practice has become more common in recent years.

Japan: Costume Culture Without the Trick-or-Treating

Halloween in Japan has become a massive cultural event, but it centers almost entirely on costumes and street parties rather than trick-or-treating door to door, which isn't a common practice there.

• Where to experience it: Tokyo's Shibuya district turns into an enormous, densely packed costume gathering each October 31. It’s more suited to older teens and adults than young kids.
• Good to know: For families with younger children, Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan run extensive Halloween-themed parades and decorations that are a better fit than the street scene.

England: Bonfire Night Bridges the Season

Halloween is celebrated in England, but it's followed closely by Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night) on November 5, marked by fireworks and bonfires across the country, meaning a late-October trip can turn into a two-holiday stretch.

• Where to experience it: Lewes, in East Sussex, is famous for one of the largest and most elaborate Bonfire Night celebrations in the country.
• Good to know: If your trip spans both dates, you get Halloween festivities followed by spectacular fireworks just days later.

Halloween looks different almost everywhere you go, and if your travels happen to land you abroad this October, it's worth leaning into local traditions. Whether it's a solemn ofrenda in Oaxaca, a bonfire in the Irish countryside, or a joke-telling doorstep tradition in Scotland, it's one more way that travel makes the holiday a little more interesting.

Cheers,

Kirsten