Halloween: The Do’s and Don’ts in Denmark

After living many years in Denmark, I have a pretty good idea of the Dos and Don’ts in Denmark when it comes to Halloween. After all, I am an American who has experience Halloween at its best and now live in rural Denmark, where Halloween is seen as “an American holiday” to my neighbors. Let me help you see just what to do and not to do in Denmark at Halloween.

Halloween in the USA: a Comparison

Every October, I have to say, I get very excited about Halloween. I love all things fall, and  Halloween is just one more thing that adds to that love.

I decorate the house, inside and out, and we usually have a couple different costumes for the different activities we are involved in. We go to the apple orchard, the pumpkin patch, local trunk-or-treats, and a local, open-air museum that has a replica of a small village from the early 1900s, decorated with spooky decor and offers a unique trick-or-treat option.

Also, there is trick-or-treat on Halloween night! Halloween in the US is magical!! Need I say more? 

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My American, Childhood Memories of Halloween

My experiences as a child were wonderful. We had Halloween parties at church or out at my aunt’s farm, and Main Street was the best street to go trick-or-treating. We would get tons of candy that took us over a month to eat, and one house even gave out freshly-made, glazed donuts.

Halloween as an Adult in the USA

The neighborhood in the USA, where I lived with my husband and children, was even better. We had a house that made popcorn and played Halloween cartoons in the garage. Another house was professionally decorated to look spooky, and one other house gave out hotdogs and juice boxes to the kids.

We would get around 200 trick-or-treaters on a year with good weather, and the streets were filled with the laughter of children, the colors of costumes and the excitement of the urgency of the evening. There was usually only two hours to fill your bag with candy, so the race was on.

There are just so many great things about Halloween. It is so much fun!!

At least, it was in the USA.

At First Glance, Halloween wasn’t the Same! 

It isn’t Denmark’s fault that Halloween sucks here. It is an American holiday. We blow it out of proportion, because we can, because it is big business, because it is fun!

It is just one more thing in a long list of things that I miss about the USA, and one more thing that my children will never remember. It is rather sad to think about it, but I have to hope that Denmark catches on!

The funny thing about this is that I originally wrote this post in 2016 when we were spending our first Halloween in Denmark, but after three years of living in Denmark, I am pleased to say that Denmark IS catching on to Halloween!

It is more visible in the stores, schools, and amusement parks. Places and opportunities that offer a spooky experience are popping up every year, and I couldn’t be more excited to try them all!

Adaptation of the Danish “Halloween” Culture

Don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean that Denmark is becoming more American and losing their Danish-ness. 🙂 They are just as Danish here as they have ever been, especially out here in Jutland, but they are starting to see just how much FUN Halloween can be.

In my opinion, experiencing aspects of different cultures can be a lot of fun. Who doesn’t want to have fun??

This doesn’t mean that I don’t like cultural aspects about Denmark. In fact, I love celebrating Christmas here. Actually, the ENTIRE month of December is quite a fun time, especially you have children. (You’ll have to read my post on Christmas in Denmark to learn more.)

I know that not all areas of Denmark are the same. Not all areas of the US are the same, so my experiences about Danish Halloween are not the same experiences that others have in different parts of Denmark. Keep that in mind. Here is how the Danes are starting to celebrate Halloween!

1) Halloween Parties at School

Halloween Parties in Danish Schools: 2016 / Then

My son’s class had a Halloween Party, but no one told the parents ahead of time. This meant that it wasn’t a major part of the day, but it was just the way that they would end the day.

I only noticed that something was different when I saw two little girls from his kindergarten class who were dressed up, but no others.

My son wasn’t dressed up.

A few short weeks before this, I was told by others, that they just NEVER do anything for Halloween in Denmark, so I shouldn’t expect things to be like they were/are in the US.

With a little bit of sadness, I sent my son to school without a costume. I loved when Halloween was on a school day, because that meant it was one more opportunity to celebrate. It appeared that Denmark wouldn’t give my children that same experience.

Needless to say, I felt bad that my son didn’t have on a costume when I saw these two little girls. I wanted him to have as many great, holiday memories as possible. For the most part; however, it was just another Monday.

A Different Reality for Childhood Memories of Halloween…in Denmark

From what my son told me, they didn’t do much to celebrate. It was nothing like the school parties I remember from my days in Ohio as a child. The memory of dressing as a hobo one year, because there was a local, celebrity who was a lovable hobo, and it sounded like a good idea at the time! 🙂

I also have the memory of dressing in a Strawberry Shortcake costume and having my grandma walk me to school the Halloween that I was in kindergarten, since my class was only in the afternoons.  From what I remembered of Halloween at school, the party seemed to last most of the day with games and candy.

Not in Denmark.

How We added a bit of Halloween that First Year in Denmark

The parent organization for his class did have a family potluck that we went to with a Halloween theme. It was a very nice event with about half of the kids dressing up. Again, it didn’t seem to bother the kids who didn’t have costumes on, but I think it confused my son a little bit.

The decorations and overall atmosphere was very nice, and I know that the kids had a good time running around and chasing each other. After all, what else do kids do!?! 😉

Halloween Parties in Danish Schools: 2019 / Now

SFO Halloween Parties are starting to Become a Reality

Overall Thoughts about Halloween Parties in our Rural School in Denmark

2) Trick-or-Treat

Trick-or-Treat in Denmark: 2016 / Then

I have heard from other people who live in different parts of Denmark, that they have had some trick-or-treaters at their houses. After living in Denmark for three Halloweens, I can tell you that the total number of children knocking on my door to get candy has been one. That is right. One!

The girl who came to our house is one who lives down the street and knows us, so it wasn’t completely unexpected.

Our First Fiasco at Trick-or-Treating in our Small, Danish Town

This encouraged us to go out and give trick-or-treating a try, but when my boys noticed that no one from our street knew that they were coming and had no idea what they should do with these hopeful little boys standing on their doorsteps, I started to get a very uncomfortable feeling. This only escalated when I saw my boys leaving the doorsteps with money. 

I have never received money while trick-or-treating, and I know that my neighbors were just clueless as what to do. They didn’t want the kids to leave empty-handed.

I FELT HORRIBLE!

The thing about having a trick-or-treat night is not something that most Danes know anything about aside from what they have seen in Hollywood movies. I guess that it makes sense that we didn’t have children coming to our house, since that is just NOT what they do in Denmark.

Not all Areas of Denmark Shun Trick-or-Treat

However, from the comments I have gotten on my YouTube channel, specifically from the video I did about American Fall Traditions that You Will Find in Denmark, I have learned that not all parts of Denmark are the same when it comes to trick-or-treat.

Check out my video on 8 American Fall Traditions You Will Find in Denmark and 8 You Won’t by clicking here.

One of my Danish viewers mentioned that in all of his young life, he has experienced Halloween and trick-or-treating. He lives on the island of Zealand (Sjælland in Danish), where there must be many communities that have adapted this holiday as one of their own. 

It is quite fascinating to hear how different Denmark is from city to city and region to region.

Jutland’s (or “Jylland” to the Danish folk) Late Start with Halloween

As for Jutland (Jylland in Danish) where I live, the idea of celebrating Halloween is still very new, and many in the bigger towns with more American expats are having a smoother transition compared to my itty-bitty town.

This can be a good thing if you don’t want to spend your money on candy. Sugar has a special tax in Denmark, which means that it is much more expensive here than in a very Halloween-inspired country like the US.

We also didn’t need to worry about who would stay home to hand out candy and who would go around with the kids.

A Very Sad and Quiet First Halloween in Denmark

I didn’t feel relieved, though. It was just sad. No excitement. No kids roaming the neighborhood. Nothing.

It was dark and quiet and cold. We knew it would be like this. I told my kids, who had been asking me about it all month, that it wouldn’t be anything special. My sweet babes dressed in costumes all throughout the month of October and came knocking on the kitchen door from the living room, saying trick-or-treat as they played after school and on weekends. They were excited about it too, and they never got to go trick-or-treating for real during our first year in Denmark. 

We went about our daily routine, and we didn’t talk about it. It didn’t seem that they were sad, but I felt sad for them. Every day that they are here is one day that they will forget about their lives in the US. Yeah, I was probably the saddest one in the house. Maybe that is because, I knew what they were missing.

Trick-or-Treat in Denmark: 2019 / Now

As a way of being more proactive this year, I decided to arrange something for trick-or-treat in my neighborhood. I made flyers on my computer that said that we would be ready to hand out candy to any of the children or grandchildren from our street. We are only a street of 20 houses, so it was easy to deliver all of the papers by hand to my neighbors. We gave them a time when the children could come around and get candy, and we even said that their would be a little “snaps” in it for the interested adults.

How I Helped My Neighbors Understand Halloween in Denmark!

I thought to add the part about giving out alcohol to adults as a way to get them on-board. Many of the people on our street are retired, and they don’t have much need or interest in trick-or-treat. If there was something in it for them, I was hoping to get them more eager to reciprocate by giving out candy to the (my) kids of the street. 

There was a small form to fill out, and it said that they could bring the form back to our mailbox or even text/call me with their answer.

The Results are in! Did Halloween Happen in Denmark?

I was happily surprised to get seven houses that said that they would hand out candy and one would also give out alcohol. There were a few mishaps with the planning, but I am more the wiser for next year!

A total of 6 children will get to trick-or-treat on our street this year, and my neighbors will be expecting them with candy. I am hoping that everyone on my street can breathe a bit easier this year!! I know I will. 

I’m also excited to see how this can grow in years to come. Stay tuned for that! 🙂

Learn all about how to have an American Halloween in Denmark HERE!!

3) Halloween Events in Denmark

Halloween Events: 2016 / Then

During our first year in Denmark, we didn’t expect to see any events that were Halloween-related. It was to our surprise that we had noticed that our local library was putting on a Halloween event the Friday before Halloween. 

We were so excited!!

The boys dressed up in costume, and we headed out to see what we could find. 

I have to admit, that this was the best thing that we did for Halloween that first year. The library had set up a kid-friendly haunted house, which had the kids find letters in order to spell a secret message to be let out of the haunted house. That was a really great idea, and the decorations were scary, but calm enough for little guys like mine. The line to get inside this area within the library was very long, but I have to say it was well worth the wait.

They also had a haunted space at another part of the building for the older kids. We didn’t bother going in to this, since I thought the haunted house was scary enough for them.

The adjoining café had some food, and an art room had a few crafts, face painting and a place where you could get your picture taken and have it turned into a button.

Outside, there was a group that did tricks with fire, carriage rides and the local FDF scout band playing some spooky songs. Overall, it was a fantastic event. My kids had a really good time!

A major drawback of this event, however, is that it is only an every-other-year event. We will really need to search for something different to do next year. (Side note: This every-other-year schedule was not set in stone, so we ended up missing out on this event one year. Live and learn!)

Halloween Events: 2019 / Now

Over the years, we have noticed quite a few more events for Halloween popping up in different parts of Denmark. Legoland, Tivoli and Djurs Sommerland, amusement parks, decorate their parks for Halloween, and they may even have a haunted house. 

Odense Zoo has a Zombie section of the zoo. The Mønsted Kalkgruber now has a zombie going around in their mines. Some castles even have “haunted” events. That would be cool to check out!!

I think you get my idea. There are lots of new opportunities for celebrating Halloween in Denmark every year. To me, this is very exciting. 

One way that we celebrated Halloween a bit early this year was by going to the Brick-or-Treat event at Legoland in Billund, Denmark. Not only was the amusement park decorated with cool Halloween decorations, but there was an extra event where my boys were able to walk around with bags to different Halloween huts to get different prizes. One prize was a small lego set, another a bag of candy, etc. They didn’t dress up in costumes, but they could have. I was just glad that they had an extra opportunity to do something “Halloween-ish”. 🙂 They also had fun!

My final thoughts on Halloween events in Denmark are that they are becoming more common and that there are more varieties in types of events. This is a fantastic thing!! 

Halloween, after all, is about having fun, so the more times you can celebrate it and the more variety in ways you celebrate it should just add to this fun!! Right??

4) Halloween Costumes in Denmark

Halloween Costumes in Denmark: 2016 and 2019 / Then and Now (Not much has changed!)

At the library event, my kids, of course, went in costume. That would be the norm in the US. At any Halloween event, costumes are almost a requirement. It is not to say that you wouldn’t be allowed access to the fun places without a costume, but you would stick out like a sore thumb for being the ONE person NOT in a costume. It is also really fun to dress up!!

Costumes aren’t a big thing for Halloween in Denmark

At the library event; however, there were only a handful of children dressed up in costume. I felt sad for them. I wanted to dress them all in costumes and let them feel the fun of Halloween.

The simple fact of the matter was that they didn’t realize that they were missing out on anything. It wasn’t a part of their culture, so they just didn’t know how awesome the entire experience could have been. I needed to focus on that, but it was hard.

Another fact is that costumes for children are very expensive in Denmark. They can cost anywhere from 40 USD, which is insane. You might be able to find some costume accessories for a cheaper price close to or after Halloween, but rarely costumes. The main places to get costumes was and is at toy stores, which means that toy stores could pretty much charge whatever they wanted, because they know that if people really want costumes, they will have to pay their prices. 

Finding the Halloween Discounts in Denmark

Of course, there are cheaper places to get toys. One of them is Bilka, which, in my mind, is like the Danish version of Walmart. You can find lots of things there, and they are pretty cheap. 

The big difference between finding costumes in Denmark compared to the US is that costumes will be everywhere. There are even Halloween stores in the US that have not only children’s costumes, but also adults’ costumes. There aren’t many options for finding adult-sized costumes for Halloween, but I think that the holiday needs to get popular with children first before it can branch out with Danish adults. 

My fingers are crossed for this to happen in my lifetime!! I’d love to be able to find some cool costumes. As of now, the only place I know of in Denmark would be Billig Billy, which seems to have costumes year-round, but the selection isn’t very large. 

Stocking up on Halloween Stuff when in the USA

We are doing just fine in the costume department at my house. My kids have at least 25 (in 2016)/ 15 (in 2019) costumes, which isn’t a brag. Many of them are hand-me-downs or were either bought in the USA after Halloween for a major discount or were bought at a garage sale. Many of them were free or around 5 to 10 USD, which is roughly 34 to 68 DKR at this time.

I once told my students how cheap you could find costumes in the US. The idea seemed to excite them. It should. It excites me! 🙂

Needing to Adjust My “Halloween” Mindset

I just felt bad seeing so many little kids, who we knew, without costumes, but the truth of it all is that they were probably not nearly as upset about it as I was. I need to chill out, but the thought of going to a Halloween function without the proper attire is just downright sad. It is a buzz-killer to say the least, and in my mind, the event shouldn’t even have the word “Halloween” in its title.

Save yourself some trouble and just call it a “fall fest”. Don’t pull on my heart strings!

Overall, you can find costumes much easier for children in Denmark, but it will cost you. Plan ahead, so you don’t have to spend a fortune, and if you are an adult, you may want to plan your costume with a lot of time in advance. Finding the perfect costume for you might not be that easy.

5) Pumpkins and gourds in Denmark

Carving Pumpkins in Denmark: 2016 / Then

When we first moved to Denmark, we didn’t see pumpkins in every grocery store in our town. However, we were still able to find some. This made me a very happy mom, because I was still able to continue the tradition of carving pumpkins with my little guys in Denmark. We especially love to cook the seeds for a nice, fall snack.

Because of the Danes’ love of decorating with natural objects, gourds are pretty easy to find. You can get small to large gourds at the grocery store, and I often see them used to decorate a flower pot, a dining table or a even on the front stoop of a house.

One thing that is a bit odd for me is that I have heard some people eat gourds. If you are one of these people, can you leave me a comment and tell me more about this? This idea just blows my mind!

Carving Pumpkins in Denmark: 2019 / Now

As the years have gone by, we still love carving pumpkins as a family. The boys are always so proud to put their pumpkins on the stoop in front of the house for the entire neighborhood to see. My only hope every year is that the pumpkins don’t rot before Halloween night. 

Now, you can find pumpkins in almost all major grocery stores in plenty of time for Halloween, and we even have a farm nearby that sells them for reasonable prices. You can even find white ones. We bought ours at the local farm this year because it was fun to be in the place where it was grown. I know that in the US, we would be able to go out into the field to pick our own, but I haven’t seen that type of opportunity in Denmark as of yet.

6) Halloween TV

Halloween TV in Denmark: 2016 / Then

What do you like to watch on Halloween? Nightmare on Elm’s Street? Halloween? Not me. I would rather see a classic like, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” but alas, there are no Halloween specials in Denmark.

Halloween Shows are out there, but…

Someone out there might say that they saw the Paw Patrol Halloween show on TV, and they would be right. I did too…many times. I have little boys!!

These means that Halloween shows are out there, but it is only because they are American shows that happen to be aired in Denmark. These shows will also just be aired when they normally are scheduled on TV, which is unlike the US where the special, Halloween shows would normally be aired during the peek viewing hours in the evenings leading up to Halloween.

Halloween TV in Denmark: 2019 / Now

Now that the boys are a bit bigger, our choice of Halloween shows has changed. Danish TV still hasn’t produced this special time at night for specific Halloween shows, which isn’t hard to believe. Luckily for us, we have Netflix and Viaplay. These two streaming services allow us to watch American Halloween shows and movies that may be a tad bit scarier than the typical episode of Paw Patrol.

It is nice that we have these types of options for Halloween TV available to us when living in a country that doesn’t really produce their own Halloween-inspired shows and movies. I don’t expect Denmark to make major changes in this in the future, since it seems that the future is going more towards watching shows online than on an actual TV channel.

Overall Thoughts on Halloween in Denmark

As you can see, Denmark is changing with how they see Halloween. It is hard to forget that the holiday is coming when you walk into most grocery stores, household stores, toy stores, and other places like Bilka and Flying Tiger. They normally have things to buy to decorate your house, and many are even starting to offer lots of different types of candies in individually-wrapped bags to pass out for trick-or-treat. 

As we continue to live in Denmark, I am excited to see how things may change in the future. 

If you know of some great Halloween places in Denmark, please share them in the comments below! I would love to check them out!!

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