On Halloween, Saturday, October 31, 2026, the streets of Montreal will be overrun by princes and princesses, monsters, K-pop Demon Hunters, superheroes—and, with a little luck, a few French high school rioters wearing diving goggles and carrying a DIY poster with a pun referencing the storming of the Bastille.
Even though it’s exceptionally satisfying to feign terror in the face of a tiny ghost or a vampire barely any bigger, trick-or-treating on Halloween is always more enjoyable without a real scare. And there’s nothing more frightening for a parent than a severe allergic reaction. That’s when it turns into a real horror movie.
That’s why there’s #TURQUOISEPUMPKIN. During this year’s trick-or-treating in Montreal, parents and kids can navigate by the moonlight and the giant spiderwebs covering every other house and spot the turquoise-painted pumpkins for allergen-free treats.
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#TURQUOISEPUMPKIN
This marks the 10th year of this initiative by Allergies Québec to ensure that children with allergies can enjoy a safe Halloween trick-or-treating experience—one that’s just as magical as that of their friends who can eat anything.
An allergic reaction can be severe in children, and it happens very, very quickly after contact with the allergen. In Canada, the “priority” allergens are: sesame, peanuts, soy, sulfites, wheat, milk, mustard, eggs, and seafood.
Some of these allergens are very common in the most delicious Halloween candies—mini chocolate bars, jelly beans, and mini pumpkins wrapped in shiny foil—and we’d prefer that our little allergy-prone monsters stay as far away from them as possible.
That’s why a turquoise pumpkin—even a paper one on the door—will let the parents of little monsters with allergies know that, in addition to the usual candy, the house is also handing out non-food “treats.”
It could be erasers shaped like witches or vampires, stickers, drawing pencil sets, yo-yos, bouncy balls… A little bit of everything, so that kids with allergies can fill their plastic pumpkins too.
Homes participating in #MACITROUILLETURQUOISE can sign up on the interactive map here
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