In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Halloween takes place on October 31. Prepare by saving candy, growing pumpkins and choosing a costume; on Halloween night, exchange candy with Jack and your villagers to collect seasonal rewards. Detailed event guides place the festivities from 5 p.m. until midnight on your island’s clock.
What to do before Halloween
Buy candy during October
Nook’s Cranny sells one piece of candy per day during October, according to Nintendo’s Halloween preparation guide. Nintendo Life’s event guide lists the price as 120 Bells per piece; treat that as guide-reported game detail, not a live store check. Buy candy on as many October days as you can, and keep some for Jack while reserving some for villagers.
Grow pumpkins
Pumpkin starts take three days to grow. Watering them on more days increases the crop, so plant early enough to water over several days if you want a larger harvest. Leif carries starts year-round. Pumpkins are useful for crafting seasonal items, but they are not a substitute for candy when you want Jack’s rewards.
Choose a costume
Wear a costume assembled from clothes you already own or items available from the Able Sisters and visiting Kicks. Nintendo also notes that you can give costume pieces to residents if you hope they will wear them on Halloween.
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- Build your community from scratch on a deserted island brimming with possibility; Create your personal getaway and customize your character, home, decorations, and even the landscape itself
- Collect materials to construct everything from furniture to tools. Then, use what you create to give your island a personal touch
- Watch as the time of day and seasons match real life—even your hemisphere. Each day holds potential for surprises and discoveries
- Get to know the island residents, garden, fish, decorate, hunt for fossils, and more.
- Show off your paradise – play on the same system with a total of 4 people, or play together online or over local wireless for fun with up to 8 players
When Jack appears and what to do on October 31
Nintendo’s October 25, 2021 announcement says, “On the evening of Halloween, be sure to take a stroll on your island and chat with some of your costumed residents. You may also meet Jack, the czar of Halloween!” Detailed guides place the event between 5 p.m. and midnight, with Jack near Resident Services.
- Find Jack and talk to him. Exchange candy for his two costume pieces: Jack’s Face and Jack’s Robe. Guides disagree about which comes first, so plan on the first two candy exchanges giving you both rather than relying on a particular order.
- Visit your villagers. Give candy to costumed residents to receive seasonal Spooky items, DIY recipes or, sometimes, a lollipop.
- Take lollipops back to Jack. He trades them for special rewards, starting with the Spooky Carriage, followed by the carriage DIY recipe and the Spooky Wand recipe.
How to get more candy if you run short
During the event, villagers at home can provide candy through exchanges, making them a fallback if your October supply is gone. Specialist guides also describe additional one-time candy opportunities, but the available descriptions do not establish an official repeat interval or a guaranteed rate. Keep exchanging with villagers rather than counting on a fixed number of extra pieces.
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- Share Your Paradise - Show off your island utopia to family and friends - or pack your bags and visit theirs.
- Get Building - Experience a robust new crafting system - collect materials to construct everything from furniture to tools!
- Create Your Perfect Getaway - Craft everything from tools to creature comforts as you create and customize your island community.
- Explore Your Island - Collect bugs, decorate your paradise throughout the day, or enjoy sunset on the beach while fishing in the ocean.
- Play Together - Up to eight players can reside on an island; four residents of the same island can play together simultaneously on a single system.
Which rewards should you prioritize?
| Your goal | What to do | What you can get |
|---|---|---|
| Complete Jack’s look | Give Jack candy twice | Jack’s Face and Jack’s Robe; guides differ on the order |
| Get the Halloween-night special rewards | Give Jack lollipops | First: Spooky Carriage; second: Spooky Carriage DIY recipe; third: Spooky Wand DIY recipe |
| Collect more of the seasonal Spooky set | Exchange candy with villagers | Spooky furniture or DIY recipes, and sometimes lollipops |
If the carriage and its recipes are your priority, set aside candy for villagers as well as Jack: villager exchanges are a route to lollipops. Some pumpkin-themed items can also be obtained through other October methods, so not every Spooky-set collectible is exclusive to Halloween night.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to unlock Haunt and Scare
The event’s two reactions come from candy exchanges: Haunt is unlocked through an exchange with Jack, while Scare comes from exchanges with villagers. Keep talking and trading with both rather than focusing only on item rewards.
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- Take in-game photos of your designs and add them to your portfolio. Show them to other characters and you may get more requests to create vacation homes. Share the photos with other players using the in-game Showroom in the Happy Home Network app and they can tour your personally-designed resort islands or go tour theirs for some relaxation and inspiration.
- Purchase the Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise DLC from Nintendo eShop, or download and play it as part of an active Nintendo Switch Online plus Expansion Pack membership at no extra cost.
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