- It started when First Lady Mamie Eisenhower first decided to decorate the White House for the holiday in 1958.
- Since then, presidents and their first ladies have welcomed costumed children to the White House to trick-or-treat on Halloween amid festive decorations and entertainment.
- Here's how Halloween is celebrated at the White House.
- Visit Business Insider"s homepage for more stories .
33 photos that show how Halloween has been celebrated at the White House
Halloween at the White House has been a fun tradition honored by presidential administrations over the past 60 years.
Recommended articles
Ever since First Lady Mamie Eisenhower decked out the White House with faux skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, and bundles of dried corn in 1958, celebrating Halloween has been a beloved tradition of presidential administrations.
Local children and children of military families are often invited to trick-or-treat as performers provide entertainment amid the festively decorated grounds. Even White House staffers get into the spirit by donning costumes.
The Trumps are celebrating their third Halloween at the White House this year, so here's a look at how various administrations have marked the holiday over the past 60 years.
Caroline Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. showing off their Halloween costumes to their father President John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office on October 31, 1963.
Cecil W. Stoughton/White House Photographs/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
On October 19, 1977, Amy, the daughter of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and friends carved pumpkins during Amys 10th birthday party at the White House.
AP Photo
First Lady Barbara Bush greeted trick-or-treaters outside the South Portico of the White House on Halloween in 1989.
Mark Reinstein/MediaPunch/IPx/Associated Press
President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush joked around with TV personality Willard Scott during a Halloween party on the White House lawn in 1989.
Barry Thumma/Associated Press
President George W. Bush posed with local children who were trick-or-treating at the White House on Halloween in 2002.
Ron Edmonds/Associated Press
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama handed out candy to kids at the White House on October 31, 2009. The first family welcomed more than 2,600 children and parents from Washington, Maryland, and Virginia to the White House for a Halloween party.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press
Trick-or-treaters received packets of Presidential M&Ms, orange White House Halloween cookies, and dried fruit in 2009.
Charles Dharapak/Associated Press
As children waited in line to trick-or-treat at the White House in 2009, performers like this skeleton band kept them entertained.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Adults dressed as Dracula and Frankenstein doled out treats to costumed children in 2010.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press
Even though it was snowing, children from the Washington area and from military families delighted in trick-or-treating at the White House on Halloween 2011.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press
On Halloween 2013, President Obama and the First Lady greeted visitors to commence the annual Halloween celebration at the White House.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Halloween decorations designed to look like the first dogs added to the festivities. "Sunny" and "Bo," dressed as a sunflower and a pirate, posed at the White House.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press
The White House was decked out in orange pumpkins on October 31, 2014.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Trapeze artists danced alongside children as President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed everyone to the White House for Halloween in 2015.
Andrew Harnik/Associated Press
A bumble bee and some emojis took photos of President Obama at the White House in 2016.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Obama and the first lady gave out Halloween treats to children on October 31, 2016.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Costumed children of journalists and White House staffers were invited to the Oval Office in 2017 to meet President Trump.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Specially carved jack-o-lanterns of important American figures decorated the White House on Halloween 2017.
CARLOS BARRIA/Reuters
As part of the 2017 festivities, children were invited to trick or treat at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press
Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, wearing a bright orange blazer for the holiday, enjoyed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Ms. Frizzle costume in 2017.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump gave out sweets to trick-or-treating kids on the South Lawn in 2017.
CARLOS BARRIA/Reuters
Standing next to the President, the First Lady greeted a miniature firefighter with a treat from her basket on Halloween 2017.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
That same day, the White House looked fun and foreboding, thanks to elaborate decorations.
CARLOS BARRIA/Reuters
In 2018, Trump handed out candy bars featuring the presidential seal and his signature.
REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
The White House invited military families and local children to attend.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
In 2018, children and parents were allowed entry through tickets from the Department of Education and the White House Military Office, USA Today reported .
In 2018, the White House was decorated with dozens of pumpkins, hay stacks, and colorful trees. The buildings pillars were decorated to look like giant corn stalks.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Kids engaged in a bunch of spooky Halloween-themed activities on the White House South Lawn.
REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
The event also featured a moon carpet from NASA, a tractor from the Department of Agriculture, and emergency vehicles from the Department of Health and Human Services, USA Today reported .
Rain was in the forecast for the White House Halloween celebrations in 2018, but thankfully, it held off until after the event was over.
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
In 2019, the White House was decked out with pumpkins and spooky branches that lined the South Porticos pillars.
Tom Brenner/Reuters
The Trumps stood under a "Halloween" sign on an orange carpet as they offered treats to kids.
Tom Brenner/Reuters
As the Trumps handed out candy, spooky music played in the background, including "The Addams Family" theme song.
Tom Brenner/Reuters
The Air Force Strolling Strings played "Thriller" by Michael Jackson, the theme song from "The Addams Family" and other Halloween-themed tunes, according to the Associated Press .
Melania Trump was seen marveling at kids costumes as she handed out candy in 2019.
Tom Brenner/Reuters
This year, the Trumps again handed out a memorable Halloween token: candy bars featuring a presidential seal.
Tom Brenner/Reuters
See Also:
- Photos show the White House decked out in spooky trees and pumpkins as the Trumps celebrated Halloween a few days early
- Here's everyone who's running for president in 2020, and who has quit the race
- What happened when US presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton faced impeachment, and how it compares to today
SEE ALSO: 18 photos of US presidents playing golf over the last 100 years
DON'T MISS: The Trumps celebrated their first Halloween at the White House and the photos are fantastic