Chris Christie Cancels Halloween

Trick-or-treating canceled in many places, retail will take hit
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 31, 2012 7:21 AM CDT
Updated Oct 31, 2012 11:12 AM CDT

Now that the worst of Hurricane Sandy is over, we can focus on some important questions like … what happens to Halloween? Don’t worry, Chris Christie is on it: He has now officially postponed Halloween until Monday, citing safety reasons, NJ 101.5 reports. “I can’t imagine that it’s going to be safe for kids to go around for Halloween tomorrow,” the New Jersey governor said yesterday, reports the Star-Ledger. He had earlier tweeted, “If conditions are not safe on Wednesday for Trick or Treating, I will sign an Executive Order rescheduling #Halloween.” That, of course, led to some amused reactions. (“Uh I don’t think it works that way,” reads one reply.)

But the storm’s impact on the holiday is undeniable:

  • Christie's not alone: At least eight Jersey cities and towns have postponed trick-or-treating to Saturday, the Star-Ledger reports.
  • Good Morning America and Today both canceled the traditional Halloween specials they had planned for this morning, the Huffington Post reports.
  • Halloween sales, which had been expected to hit $8 billion, will surely see an impact, USA Today reports. "Small businesses relying on last-minute shoppers will get hit," says a National Retail Federation rep. One such small business reports that the storm will cost it as much as $50,000, a good chunk of its profits for the year.
  • Some Halloween events are still happening tonight, like New York’s Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, but the crowds are expected to be much smaller than those of a normal year. Other festivities have been delayed to this weekend or even next, the Huffington Post reports.
(More Hurricane Sandy stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X