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There is no single standard name for the night before Halloween. In many parts of the United States, October 30 is called Mischief Night; Detroit is especially associated with Devil’s Night, while Cabbage Night is used in Cincinnati and parts of New England. Other communities use names such as Goosey Night, Gate Night, or Beggar’s Night—and some people simply call it October 30.
What is October 30 called?
The name depends on where you are, and sometimes where you grew up. Mischief Night is associated with New Jersey and parts of the Northeast. Devil’s Night is best known in Detroit and southeastern Michigan. Cabbage Night is reported in Cincinnati and parts of New England and the Northeast. These names overlap geographically; none is a nationwide standard.
The customs vary, too. The night may mean pranks in one place, a scheduled trick-or-treating event in another, or no distinct observance at all. Asking someone where they grew up is often the simplest way to understand which name they use.
Regional names and what they mean
| Name | Where it is reported | Local meaning or context |
|---|---|---|
| Mischief Night | New Jersey and parts of the coastal Northeast, including neighboring areas | Usually October 30, associated with pranks. The phrase also has older British uses tied to other dates. |
| Devil’s Night | Especially Detroit and southeastern Michigan; also reported elsewhere | October 30 in Detroit. The city’s history includes both pranks and a serious arson crisis. |
| Cabbage Night | Cincinnati and parts of New England and the Northeast | A regional name with different local traditions and explanations. A Trenton newspaper used the term in 1861. |
| Goosey Night | Northern New Jersey and New York City | A regional label; the origin of the name is uncertain. |
| Corn Night | Historical usage in Ohio | A newspaper account from 1882 connects the label to throwing corn during Halloween-season pranks. |
| Beggar’s Night | Parts of Iowa | Can refer to children trick-or-treating on October 30, rather than a prank night. |
Historical and regional accounts also record names including Gate Night, Hell Night, Chalk Night, Doorbell Night, and Ticktack Night. These labels are geographically scattered and should not be taken as equally widespread.
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The regional names and examples are documented by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, David Wilton’s review of the terms, and TIME’s account of Mischief Night.
Why there is no single origin story
It helps to separate the history of the phrase Mischief Night from the history of October 30 customs in the United States. The phrase has British antecedents connected with other calendar dates, including the eve of May Day and, in some places, November 4, the eve of Guy Fawkes Day. David Wilton cites an 1830 Sheffield newspaper referring to “May een, or mischief night”; TIME reports an Oxford use of the phrase in 1790, also in an earlier British context. Those records do not establish one direct origin for every American name.
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American newspaper references show a patchwork of labels rather than a uniform tradition. Wilton cites an 1861 Trenton newspaper calling the eve of Halloween “Cabbage night,” an 1882 Ohio account of “corn night,” and a 1924 Pennsylvania account in which nearby communities used Mischief Night and Devil’s Night. TIME reports Halloween-related Mischief Night references in U.S. newspapers in the 1930s and 1940s.
Some historical accounts suggest that Depression-era hardship or tensions during World War II may have contributed to the growth of pranks. These are proposed explanations, not established causes of a single national custom.
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Detroit’s Devil’s Night—and the end of Angel’s Night
Detroit’s association with Devil’s Night has a particularly serious history. The Detroit Historical Society describes local pranks from the 1940s through the 1970s as largely nuisances, followed by a more dangerous period in the early 1980s when fires were set in abandoned properties. In its 2021 account, the Society reports that the Detroit Fire Department recorded more than 800 fires in 1984, the highest number recorded in that account.
Detroit imposed a curfew in 1986. In 1995, the city began enlisting neighborhood volunteers in a response known as Angel’s Night, which helped residents monitor their neighborhoods and alert authorities. The city officially ended the program in 2017, replacing it with an October 30 community celebration called “Halloween in the D.” These are historical details; Angel’s Night is not an ongoing city program according to the Society’s account.
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Source: Detroit Historical Society, “Haunted History: Devil’s Night”.
What to call it if you are not sure
If you are speaking generally, “the night before Halloween” or “October 30” is clear. If you want the local name, use the one people in that community use. Mischief Night, Devil’s Night, and Cabbage Night all have documented regional uses, but none is correct everywhere—and the name alone does not tell you whether the local custom involves pranks, trick-or-treating, or no special activity.
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