The White House is breaking tradition. Ghosts and goblins headed to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C. Halloween night for trick-or-treating will be disappointed, as the White House has confirmed that it will not host a traditional Halloween celebration this year, as its residents, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, will be overseas.
Michael La Rosa, the first lady’s press secretary, confirmed on Twitter Wednesday that the typical trick-or-treating festivities that take place at The People’s House annually will not go on this year. La Rosa explained that the Bidens “will be traveling internationally during the last days of October and will not be hosting a specific event at the White House.” The First Family is instead encouraging trick or treating outdoors in their neighborhoods or other outdoor venues, La Rosa said.
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The cancellation of this year’s trick-or-treating event comes as the Bidens partake in international travel plans. They departed the White House on Thursday to head to Europe, with the president and first lady first stopping in Rome, where the president will attend the G20 Summit over the weekend and then meet Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday. After Rome, the pair will travel to Glasgow for COP26, a UN climate summit.
La Rosa confirmed in a statement to The Hill that the decision not to host a trick-or-treating event this year was due to these travel plans and not the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already released their guidelines for the holiday season, and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky earlier this month encouraged families to celebrate Halloween while still making sure they take some precautions. Giving trick-or-treating her seal of approval, Walensky said, “I would say put on those costumes, stay outside and enjoy your trick-or-treating,” adding that, “I wouldn’t gather in large settings outside and do screaming like you are seeing in those football games, if you are unvaccinated, those kids that are unvaccinated, but if you are spread out doing your trick-or-treating, that should be very safe for your children.”
While the White House will not be hosting trick-or-treaters, La Rosa did say that there will still be some Halloween celebrations, as “the north facade of the White House will be illuminated in orange in celebration of Halloween.” The White House has taken part in Halloween celebrations for decades now, with the first celebration dating back to 1958 when First Lady Mamie Eisenhower decorated the White House for Halloween for the first time. Hosting trick-or-treaters followed just a few years later and has continued almost every year since.
