Lifestyle Holiday Halloween See All of the White House Halloweens Through the Years Look back at photos from Halloweens at the White House over the decades By Kate Hogan Kate Hogan Kate Hogan is Director of Digital Specials and Features at PEOPLE, as well as the editor of Stories to Make You Smile. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2008. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 31, 2024 10:21AM EDT Comments First Lady Barbara Bush (center) grinning with costumed performers, a group of clowns and a lone werewolf on the South Grounds of the White House during a Halloween celebration in 1989. Photo: White House Historical Association The White House has been America’s trick-or-treat destination for decades. Each year, kids all around the neighborhood stop by for a chance to meet the president and first lady, collecting candy and fun surprises along the way. For Halloween 2023, 46th President of the United States Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden hosted some 8,000 guests at the Executive Mansion, passing out confections and books for the spooky festivities. To see all the ways All Hallows’ Eve has been celebrated at the White House, let’s look back at some memorable images from Halloween in Washington, D.C. — from former President John F. Kennedy’s administration to the Bidens' celebrations. 01 of 21 President John F. Kennedy Caroline Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. visit President John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office on Halloween in their costumes in 1963. White House Historical Association Spooky! Photographer Cecil Stoughton captured President Kennedy's kids, Caroline Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr., visiting the Oval Office on Halloween 1963. 02 of 21 First Daughter Tricia Nixon Tricia Nixon smiles as a costumed child gazes into a fun house mirror at the White House Halloween carnival for local children in the Washington, D.C., area in 1969. White House Historical Association President Richard Nixon's daughter, Tricia Nixon, greeted kids arriving to the White House Halloween carnival in 1969. 03 of 21 The Nixon White House Costumed members of the U.S. Marine Band entertain guests at a Halloween party in the East Room of the White House in 1969 during the Nixon administration. White House Historical Association Costumed members of the United States Marine Band entertained guests during a Halloween party in the East Room of the White House in 1969. 04 of 21 First Lady Betty Ford First Lady Betty Ford and Social Secretary Nancy Howe prepare for Halloween by dressing a skeleton borrowed from the White House infirmary in President Gerald R. Ford's private study in 1974. White House Historical Association First Lady Betty Ford prepared to scare President Gerald Ford by placing a skeleton in his private study in 1974. 05 of 21 President Jimmy Carter President Jimmy Carter (right); First Lady Rosalynn Carter (left); their daughter, Amy; and their grandson Jason pose in front of a large pumpkin on the North Portico during a White House Halloween party in 1978. White House Historical Association President Jimmy Carter, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, their daughter, Amy Carter, and their grandson Jason donned their finest costumes for a 1978 White House Halloween party. 06 of 21 President Ronald Reagan President Ronald Reagan admires a pumpkin carved with 'Stay the Course,' a slogan from the 1982 midterm elections, while First Lady Nancy Reagan stands beside him outside the South Portico of the White House. White House Historical Association President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan presented their pumpkin, carved with the slogan "Stay the Course," around the 1982 midterm elections. 07 of 21 First Lady Barbara Bush First Lady Barbara Bush grinning with costumed performers, a group of clowns and a lone werewolf on the South Grounds of the White House during a Halloween celebration in 1989. White House Historical Association President George H.W. Bush's wife, Barbara Bush, had a ball with some performers during the 1989 White House Halloween celebrations. 08 of 21 President Bill Clinton & First Lady Hillary Clinton President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton dressed as former President James Madison and former First Lady Dolley Madison, respectively, for a Halloween party in the East Room of the White House in 1995. White House Historical Association President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton dressed up as former President James Madison and former First Lady Dolley Madison, respectively, for a Halloween party in the East Room of the White House. 09 of 21 Barney Bush President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush's Scottish terrier, Barney, poses with pumpkins on the South Lawn of the White House in 2007. White House Historical Association Even White House pets have participated in the Halloween activities: In 2007, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush’s Scottish terrier, Barney, presented some pumpkins in an official Halloween portrait. 10 of 21 The Obama White House The South Portico of the White House, festively decorated with inflatable pumpkins and tree facades with autumn leaves, for a Halloween celebration hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on Oct. 31, 2014. White House Historical Association As parents to daughters Sasha Obama and Malia Obama, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama always went all out on Halloween, evidenced by these 2014 decorations. 11 of 21 First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama smile as they encounter a young trick-or-treater dressed as a pope in a miniature popemobile on Oct. 30, 2015. White House Historical Association Who could forget Baby Pope?! The little guy came rolling up to the Obamas in 2015. 12 of 21 President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hand out candy to trick-or-treaters at the White House on Oct. 28, 2019, at the South Portico. Alex Wong/Getty The Trumps handed out candy to trick-or-treaters at the South Portico during Halloween 2019. 13 of 21 First Lady Melania Trump First Lady Melania Trump poses with a young guest during a Halloween celebration at the White House on Oct. 25, 2020. White House Historical Association Despite the challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted young trick-or-treaters with an outside-only event in 2020. 14 of 21 President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden greet trick-or-treaters during a Halloween event on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 31, 2022. Drew Angerer/Getty The White House welcomed trick-or-treaters in 2022 with the Bidens giving candy to children of first responders. 15 of 21 The Biden White House President Joe Biden greets guests from the Blue Room balcony during a Halloween event on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 31, 2022. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty In 2022, the Bidens gave the White House Halloween decorations a "President and First Lady's Neighborhood" theme, with the first lady wishing her Instagram followers, "From our neighborhood to yours, Happy Halloween!" 16 of 21 President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden walk out of the White House to host a Halloween event on the South Lawn on Oct. 30, 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty The Bidens welcomed trick-or-treaters to the South Lawn in 2023. Local students, military families, and neighbors joined in the Halloween fun at this festive White House event. 17 of 21 First Lady Jill Biden President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive to greet trick-or-treaters on the South Lawn of the White House for Halloween on Oct. 30, 2023. Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty For Halloween 2023, the first lady dressed as the couple's pet cat, Willow, wearing a gray dress, cat ears, a nose with whiskers and a tail. 18 of 21 First Lady Jill Biden First Lady Jill Biden, dressed as Willow the cat, reads to children during a Halloween celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 30, 2023. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty The first lady, dressed as Willow the first cat, brought Halloween to the South Lawn in 2023. Here, she read to children during the White House celebration, and her costume and storytelling made for an entertaining Halloween-themed afternoon. 19 of 21 President Joe Biden President Joe Biden arrives to greet trick-or-treaters on the South Lawn of the White House for Halloween on Oct. 30, 2023. Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Meanwhile, President Biden bent down to the children's level to hand out candy. The kids who visited the White House in 2023 were local public school students and military-connected children. 20 of 21 The Biden White House President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive to greet trick-or-treaters on the South Lawn of the White House for Halloween on Oct. 30, 2023. Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Halloween 2023 decorations included scenes from classic books like Alice in Wonderland, as well as more personal touches, such as an oversized illustration of the Bidens’ first dog, Commander, and the first cat, Willow. 21 of 21 The Bidens President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in a giant panda costume, host the annual Halloween celebration at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana The Bidens kicked off the Halloween festivities at the White House in 2024 with a memorable entrance, thanks to the first lady's full-body panda suit. President Biden was also captured interacting with kids. Close