Halloween 2026 falls on Saturday, October 31, and it is the front end of the tightest lighting stretch of the year. Diwali follows eight days later on November 8, and Thanksgiving is November 26.
Three occasions inside eight weeks means the real decision is not whether to light the house for Halloween. It is which of three systems you buy: fixed color seasonal from about $800 per install, a color changing RGBW C9 seasonal install from about $1,400 that covers Halloween through Christmas from a single install, or a permanent system from about $3,000 that never comes down.
The short version
Halloween 2026 is Saturday, October 31. A Saturday means longer trick or treating and heavier foot traffic on the block than a midweek Halloween.
Diwali is eight days later on November 8, and Christmas installs start days after that. One October install can serve all three.
Our RGBW C9 seasonal option starts around $1,400 for one install covering Halloween through Christmas: orange and purple on the 31st, warm white for Diwali on the 8th, red and green in December, then one takedown at the end of the season.
Book by the end of September. October is the busiest install month of the year in Chicagoland, and it fills first.
When Is Halloween 2026, and When Should the Lights Go Up?
Halloween 2026 is Saturday, October 31. A Saturday Halloween matters more than people expect: trick or treating runs longer, foot traffic on the block is heavier, and the house is on display to more neighbors than a Tuesday Halloween ever is.
| Date | Occasion | What it means for lighting |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, October 31 | Halloween | Lights must be up and tested by the 30th |
| Sunday, November 8 | Diwali, Lakshmi Puja | Eight days after Halloween |
| Thursday, November 26 | Thanksgiving | Christmas installs are finishing by now |
| Friday, December 25 | Christmas | Peak display season |
Book by the end of September for Halloween. Chicagoland lighting crews are scheduling October installs through August and September, and October fills first because it is the only month that serves Halloween, Diwali and the start of the Christmas season. Waiting until mid October means taking whatever date is left, if any.
Why Does the Eight Day Gap to Diwali Change the Math?
Halloween is October 31 and Diwali is November 8, so there are eight days between them, and Christmas installs begin days after that. That creates three real choices, and the middle one is the answer for most households.
For a permanent system there is no scheduling problem at all. Every occasion is a scene change in the app, on the same hardware, with no crew coming back.
Does Permanent Lighting Make Sense Just for Halloween?
Not on its own. Here is the arithmetic against each seasonal tier. A permanent roofline system runs about $3,000 for a typical Chicagoland home.
| What you would otherwise pay every year | Annual cost | Permanent pays for itself in |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed color seasonal, one install | About $800 | About 3.75 years |
| RGBW C9 seasonal, Halloween through Christmas | About $1,400 | About 2.1 years |
| Three separate seasonal installs | About $2,400 | About 15 months |
If you want color that changes per holiday, the honest comparison is the middle row. Nobody who cares about orange on Halloween and warm white for Diwali is buying the fixed color option, so the fixed color number flatters the seasonal side of the ledger. Against the color changing install you would actually buy, a permanent system pays for itself in a little over two years.
Halloween is still not the reason to go permanent. It is the occasion that makes the case obvious, because it is the one most people skip when paying per install, and the one that costs nothing extra once the hardware is on the house.
What Colors Work for Halloween Lighting?
Orange and purple are the pairing that reads as Halloween from the street. Orange alone reads as autumn or harvest. Purple alone reads as a party. Together they are unmistakable.
On both the permanent system and the RGBW C9 seasonal install these are scenes rather than bulbs, so you can run warm white through October, switch to orange and purple for Halloween week, and be back to warm white for Diwali on November 8 without anyone on a ladder.
One roofline, any color, changed from the app rather than from a ladder.
Which Option Is Right for Your House?
| Fixed color seasonal | RGBW C9 seasonal | Permanent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical price | About $800 and up per install | About $1,400 and up for Halloween through Christmas | About $3,000, once |
| Recolors per holiday | No, one scheme for the season | Yes | Yes |
| Orange and purple for Halloween | Yes, if that is your scheme | Yes | Yes |
| Warm white for Diwali, eight days later | Not without a second install | Yes, same install | Yes |
| Red and green for Christmas | Not without a second install | Yes, same install | Yes |
| Warranty | Full season, animal damage included | Full season, animal damage included | Ten years on components |
| In season service | Included | Included | Included |
| Takedown | Included at season end | Included at season end | Never, it stays |
| Cost next year | About $800 again | About $1,400 again | Nothing |
All three figures are typical starting points for an average Chicagoland home, not quotes. Roofline complexity, length, height and access move them.
What Is Included in a Seasonal Install?
Ask any competing Halloween quote whether takedown and in season service are included. That is usually where a cheaper number is hiding.
What Hardware Do You Use?
Commercial grade LED only. No consumer retail strings, no big box seasonal product. Commercial grade LED holds its color through a Chicago October, and it is what makes a ten year component warranty possible on the permanent systems. It is also energy efficient enough that running a roofline nightly through Halloween, Diwali and Christmas is a rounding error on a ComEd bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lighting for Diwali as well? See our guide to Diwali light installation in Chicagoland, including the 2026 dates and the Lakshmi Puja timing. We install across Chicagoland, including Palatine, Barrington and Arlington Heights.
