Halloween petition has more than 60,000 supporters to move holiday to weekend

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Monday, July 29, 2019
Push to change date of Halloween picks up steam
Tens of thousands of people want to change when American children celebrate Halloween.

Tens of thousands of people are signing up to show their support for changing when kids in the U.S. celebrate Halloween.

The annual festival currently takes place October 31, bringing children of all ages out of their houses and into the streets as the sun goes down.

But that tradition can be dangerous, and that's why more than 68,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org to celebrate Halloween on the last Saturday of October.

The petition was first posted more than a year ago, but it has picked up steam in recent days as it nears its goal of 75,000 signatures.

The Saturday Halloween Movement is petitioning President Donald Trump to move Halloween to a Saturday for safety and convenience reasons.

The petition, which was created by The Halloween & Costume Association, is addressed to President Donald Trump. It's unclear how the federal government would go about officially moving the celebration, as Halloween is not a federal holiday.

While supporters of the petition argue that the move would be convenient and less stressful to parents than celebrating on a weeknight, they have also cited safety as a major factor.

According to the non-profit industry group that started the petition, 3,800 children suffer Halloween-related injuries every year. Supporters say changing the holiday to a weekend will allow trick-or-treaters to get their ghoulish kicks in while the sun is still shining. Plus, traffic should be less of a concern since the festivities will not interfere with work or school schedules.

October 31 falls on a Thursday this year.