Lessons from trick-or-treating in my twenties
Halloween is far from fading—explore Mississauga’s many spirit-filled neighbourhoods that make Halloween night truly unforgettable.
“Aren’t you too old to be trick or treating at 21?”
Yes, I am—and you should join me.
Maybe you have a younger sibling to take candy collecting. Or, you are a twenty-something-year-old University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) student who loves Halloween. Perhaps you stay home every year and wonder what Mississauga is like on October 31. It doesn’t matter—there’s plenty to discover about the local festivities.
There’s the welcoming Elora Drive down Rathburn Road, the notoriously massive Mississauga Road mansions, and the festive Palgrave Road tucked into a pocket on Kariya Drive. I have phased in and out of all three neighbourhoods and found that each has its own unique features.
You’ll find yourself stumbling upon houses decked out in Halloween spirit throughout the neighbourhoods. Sure, you could take a lap inside a Spirit Halloween, but these neighbourhoods are not only more festive but also free. I promise Halloween is just as fun as when you were a kid. I don’t think Halloween is fading from tradition, so let me show you how to make the most of it in Mississauga neighbourhoods.
Mastering the art of trick-or-treating
- The ideal time to start trick-or-treating is 6:00 p.m. I find that busy neighbourhoods run out of candy around 7:30 p.m.
- Bring an extra bag—not to carry the extra candy—but to encourage people to give you extra candy. Leave the other bag in the car or place an extra bag inside your growing haul. Showing up to doorways with the empty bag lures out a surplus of sympathetic sweets.
- A car goes a long way. Having someone to drive you will save you the trip of dashing down avenues to get to the next street.
- The classic rule—a good costume reels in profit. Even your favourite mask will do.
- Trick-or-treating is a marathon, and costumes slow you down. A bizarre mask is a proper substitute, but the best option is a painted face. A painted face allows for clear vision and easy breathing which certainly helps if you’re pacing through streets for an hour or more.
Exploring Elora Drive with the little ones
Décor rating: 4/10
Candy rating: 4/10
Elora Drive is a family-friendly neighbourhood filled with kids and parents. It is the neighbourhood that gets excited to give out toothbrushes and boxes of raisins. Sometimes, though, the house next door might give you a family-size pack of Twizzlers, like what happened to me back in 2016.
While some houses give out huge candy packs and some hygienic products, they are all equally enthusiastic about Halloween night. Although the Halloween décor is minimal, most houses signal they have candy with pumpkins, plastic bats, and doorways drowning in spiderwebs.
If you’re worried about cavities, crowds, or clowns, Elora Drive is a welcoming community where you can feel at ease, especially if you’re going door-to-door with your little ones. However, there’s more to discover than just Elora.
Maximizing profits on Mississauga Road
Décor rating: 7.5/10
Candy rating: 10/10
Mississauga Road was the neighbourhood that gave out full-sized candy bars, cones of caramel popcorn, boxes of jellies, and, sometimes, cans of soda—the absolute jackpot if you ask any kid. Candy haul records are broken here.
Looking back on 2021, on Halloween night, say around 8:00 p.m., a thorough walk through these streets left me dishevelled, dehydrated, and my shoulder almost dislocated—but it left me with more candy than I could carry. I remember having full-size Aero chocolate bars, chip bags, a box of jellies and countless other classic chocolates. My haul would cover my entire dining table and would last me until spring—a night I will always remember.
One downside is the dim streets. Maybe that’s your vibe, but I think the wide roads and the tall windows, especially when unlit, make the road a little too dreary.
Another memory from 2021 is watching The Nightmare Before Christmas on the giant windows of Mississauga Road houses. And how could I forget about this particular clown roaming another driveway, inviting passersby to be his friend (a yes would leave him quite perplexed) while spooky music played in the background? Other houses had whole neon gardens of ghouls and puppets jumping out at you from doorways.
Though you may spot some quiet houses in this neighbourhood, you’ll find no deficiency in creativity. If the heart is set on large heaps of candy, then travel to Mississauga Road.
Channelling your inner child on Palgrave Road
Décor rating: 10/10
Candy rating: 7.5/10
In 2022, I nicknamed Palgrave Road Halloweentown after the Disney Channel original movie. Tucked just behind Kariya Park, this is my favourite place on Hallow’s Eve.
Each year Palgrave transforms into a festival of makeshift magic wonderland where neon inflatables will guide you, 12-foot Jack Skellingtons will greet you, and levitating teapots in windows will spook you—and if you get lost, simply follow the palm tree tangled in golden fairy lights back the way you came.
The candy usually will run out long before 8:00 p.m. Unlike the other neighbourhoods, trick-or-treaters flood the sidewalks like extras in a Halloweentown sequel—motivated, chattering, and dressed to impress. This street is where teenagers dressed as Luffy and Zoro (if you know, you know) and adults as inflatable Nickelodeon cartoons parade down Palgrave Road.
On Palgrave Road, for the first time, candy was not the most exciting part of the night for me. I didn’t care about my 2,000-word essay due the next morning. I wanted to stay in this corner of Mississauga where ghoulish garages and skeleton-infested backyards stay open to trick-or-treaters, neighbours stand outside their homes eager to give, and palm trees glow.
Since 2022, I have continued to trick-or-treat down Palgrave Road. As the lights finally dimmed, backyards closed up, and families returned to their homes or slipped through side gates, I always hoped I would be able to return to this neighbourhood every year on Halloween night.
Is trick-or-treating fading?
If you ask most people, they might say trick-or-treating in your twenties is too old, but I would say it is freer than ever. It taught me that the right places do exist. Festivities may phase in and out of communities, but the spirit of neighbours is hard to rid of.
I do not believe Halloween is fading, rather, I think parental concerns and traditions are teaching us that we can outgrow this holiday. But fun is hard to outgrow, and neighbours love transforming an ordinary night into a spell. So, I am going to continue trick-or-treating in my twenties not only because it’s fun, but because I know someone out there has a candy bowl waiting for me.
