Des Moines metro cities postpone Beggars' Night to Halloween due to weather

• For nearly a century, Des Moines children have done Halloween differently than the rest of the country: trick-or-treating on Oct. 30 by telling jokes at each house.

State of play: This is the first time in recent memory that Beggars' Night has been moved, Des Moines Assistant City Manager Jen Schulte tells Axios, and many communities soon followed suit, including Altoona, Urbandale and Waukee.

• West Des Moines also announced a change Tuesday afternoon — after insisting that morning they would stick to Oct. 30.

The big picture: Some local communities have stepped away from the quirky Des Moines tradition in recent years after pushback about how it differs from the rest of the country — and the fact that it often lands on school nights

• Grimes trick-or-treats on Halloween night, while Bondurant's City Council moved it to the last Saturday of October following a citizen petition.

Friction point: This year's new Beggars' Night schedule will now conflict with other existing Halloween traditions.

• Halloween on the Hill, a popular event at Sherman Hill, draws thousands of people the day after they normally trick or treat. The event will still continue on Thursday.
• "Unlike declaring a new Beggars' Night, it is not possible to simply switch nights on 48 hours notice for an event like this," Ryan Howell, the event's organizer, tells Axios.

What's next: Des Moines plans to conduct a survey after Halloween asking residents if they would prefer to move Beggars' Night away from a school night, according to a recent newsletter from Mayor Connie Boesen.