The short answer: four moments in the Halloween season
"Halloween sales" means four different things, and they happen months apart. Here are the 2026 dates the retailers published themselves, as read by October 2026:
| Moment | When in 2026 | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Halloween stock arrives | Late June to late August | Michaels 26 June and 17 July; Home Depot online 16 July, stores from late August; Spirit Halloween stores from the end of August |
| 2. The first codes and sales | Through October | Spirit banner codes; Party City costumes up to 30% off, 13 to 19 October; Groupon Spooky Sale, 12 October to 1 November |
| 3. The cut-offs that end the season early | Mid to late October | Spirit store returns until 16 October, exchanges until 22 October; HalloweenCostumes.com Standard shipping orders by 22 October for delivery by 30 October |
| 4. After 31 October | Not published | None of the stores we checked had announced an after-Halloween sale date by mid-October |
When Halloween arrives at each retailer
- Michaels: its press room announced six Halloween decor collections on 24 June 2026. Two (Bound by Magic, and Mischief and Magic) were available from 26 June, and four more from 17 July, with more decor and DIY items rolling out through the season.
- The Home Depot: its 2026 Halloween collection went online and on its app on 16 July, and Halloween products reached store shelves from late August. It said the original 12 ft skeleton would be in stores at $299.
- Target: it announced its Halloween range on 12 August without a start date, saying that 60% of its decor would be under $10 and half of its costumes and accessories under $25.
- Spirit Halloween: its stores usually open from the end of August to the beginning of November, some as early as July, and its online store runs all year with a Sale section. Our Spirit Halloween sale guide has its full 2026 timeline.
Arriving is not the same as reduced: the new collections launch at full price.
When the first codes and sales show up
- Rotating codes: Spirit Halloween shows codes in its site banner, such as free shipping over $40, and some last a single day.
- Short sales: Party City ran up to 30% off Halloween costumes from 13 to 19 October 2026 on shipped online orders. See our Party City guide.
- Experiences: Groupon's Spooky Sale runs from 12 October to 1 November 2026, with code HALLOWEEN on eligible local deals.
- Clearance sections already open: in mid-October HalloweenCostumes.com listed 969 clearance items, Halloween Express 1,507 in its Last Chance Clearance, and Trick Or Treat Studios had Last Chance and Halloween Clearance sections. FUN.com also had Halloween items on clearance. Our HalloweenCostumes.com guide and Halloween Express guide explain what these sections contain.
The cut-offs that end the season early
Two kinds of dates matter more than any sale. Return windows close before Halloween at some stores: Spirit Halloween took store returns until 16 October 2026 and exchanges until 22 October, after which all sales were final, and Party City accepts Halloween items only up to 7 days before the holiday. Delivery cut-offs come next: for arrival by Friday 30 October, HalloweenCostumes.com asked for Standard orders by 22 October, Priority by 23 October, Express Saver by 27 October, Express by 28 October and Premium by 29 October. Our last-minute costume guide collects these dates.
After 31 October: what has and has not been published
Many websites say Halloween clearance starts on 1 November at 50% to 75% off, but we found no retailer stating that for 2026. By mid-October, HalloweenCostumes.com, FUN.com, Halloween Express, Party City, Target and Spirit Halloween had published no after-Halloween sale date, and we could not find one for Walmart. Spirit's stores close in early November. What you can count on is that the clearance sections listed above keep running. We will update this page once retailers publish their November plans.
How early people shop
In the National Retail Federation's 2026 Halloween survey, 49% of people planned to begin their Halloween shopping in September or earlier, the same as in 2025 and up from 34% in 2016. Among early shoppers, 23% said they start early to spread out their budget and 21% because prices and promotions were too good to pass up.
A checklist for Halloween 2027
- June and July: new decor launches, at full price (Michaels and Home Depot announced theirs in 2026 from late June and mid-July).
- August: Spirit Halloween stores open and the big chains fill their shelves; good for choice, not for price.
- Early October: sign up for the stores' emails, which bring first-order offers such as 15% off at HalloweenCostumes.com or 10% off at FUN.com, and watch the clearance sections.
- Mid-October: short sales such as Party City's week of costume discounts, and Spirit's return cut-off.
- The last ten days: order-by dates for delivery; after that, store pickup.
- 1 November onward: check the clearance sections for next year, but only buy what you will store and use.
All our Halloween guides are in the Halloween deals hub, and current codes are on our Halloween sale page.
How we checked
Dates come from the retailers' own pages and press rooms: Michaels' press room (24 June 2026), The Home Depot's corporate newsroom (15 July 2026), Target's corporate site (12 August 2026), Party City's coupons and deals page, Groupon's Halloween page, HalloweenCostumes.com's delivery dates page and the clearance sections of the stores named, read between 14 and 16 October 2026. Spirit Halloween's details come from its own site as copied on 14 October. The shopping figures are from the National Retail Federation's 2026 Halloween survey. This guide is written by the SavingArena Editorial Team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to what readers ask about this topic.
When do Halloween sales start?
Codes and short sales run through October, such as Party City's costume sale from 13 to 19 October 2026 and Groupon's Spooky Sale from 12 October to 1 November, while clearance sections at the online costume stores were already open in mid-October.
When do stores put out Halloween decorations?
In 2026 Michaels released its collections from 26 June and 17 July, Home Depot went online on 16 July and reached stores from late August, and Spirit Halloween stores usually open at the end of August.
When does Halloween clearance start?
Online costume stores such as HalloweenCostumes.com and Halloween Express already had large clearance sections in mid-October 2026. None of the retailers we checked had published a date for an after-Halloween sale.
Do Halloween costumes go on sale before Halloween?
Yes. Party City took up to 30% off Halloween costumes from 13 to 19 October 2026, and in mid-October about half of the first page of HalloweenCostumes.com's clearance started under $10.
Is it cheaper to buy Halloween stuff the day after Halloween?
It can be, but no retailer we checked had promised a 2026 after-Halloween discount by mid-October, so buy what you need this year now and use November clearance for next year.
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