Oregon Legal Research Blog
In honor of Halloween today, here are some weird laws from around the world pertaining to the celebration of this spooky holiday.
Many locales have age restrictions on trick or treating, usually banning teenagers and adults. Some cities ban adults accompanying children trick or treating from wearing masks.
In the UK you could be fined and spend six months in prison for wearing a police officer costume.
Alabama bans people from dressing as religious figures such as nuns, priests, and rabbis.
Many places ban the wearing of masks or anything that obscures the face in public, especially for adults. Some cities require that you get a permit to wear one on Halloween. This probably does not include masks for preventing viruses from spreading.
In 2014, the town of Vendargues, France, banned dressing up as a clown for Halloween for anyone aged 13 and older.
Many towns ban trick or treating if Halloween falls on a Sunday. Usually, the festivities default to Saturday in these cases.
Silly String is prohibited in Hollywood, CA on Halloween. I didn’t even know Silly String was around anymore, let alone that Hollywood was having a problem with it!
Bonus! Buzzfeed had a post last year that showed copycat Halloween costumes with names designed to skirt copyright infringement issues. The Wednesday Addams knock-off “Evil Midweek Cutie” (#4) and Beetlejuice knock-off “Juice Demon” (#19) are my favorites.
Stay safe this Halloween and abide by the laws in your area – even if they are strange!