The candy industry successfully lobbied to extend Daylight Saving Time to cover Halloween, gaining an extra hour of trick-or-treating daylight.

For decades, the candy industry campaigned to extend Daylight Saving Time (DST) specifically to include Halloween. During congressional hearings in 1985, industry lobbyists made their pitch memorable by placing candy pumpkins on senators' seats. They argued that an extra hour of daylight would make trick-or-treating safer for children while simultaneously increasing sales for retailers.Before 2007, Daylight Saving Time ended on the last Sunday in October, which often fell before Halloween. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed this, moving the end of DST to the first Sunday in November. This change took effect in 2007, ensuring Halloween would always fall within the extended daylight hours.The National Concessionaires Association led much of this legislative effort. Industry research showed that children are significantly more likely to go trick-or-treating while daylight remains, directly correlating with higher candy consumption. Experts estimated that this single extra hour of sunlight generated approximately $500 million in additional candy sales nationwide.While the official justification centered on energy conservation, the economic impact on the $35 billion confectionery industry was a major driving force. Halloween has since become the most profitable holiday for candy manufacturers, a status significantly enhanced by these timing adjustments. This episode remains a textbook example of corporate interests shaping federal policy.