How to Plan Halloween Saturday on Oak Island Around the Candy Crawl Clock

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year. On Oak Island, a family that waits until dusk to start trick-or-treating will find the two coffee shops on the Candy Crawl map closed hours earlier. Every participating business hands out treats only during its own regular hours, and those hours start as early as 7 a.m. while two late openers don't begin until 3 and 5 p.m. No single hour covers the whole map, so the best version of October 31 is two short outings with a break in the middle.

The Town of Oak Island lists the Candy Crawl as free and open to all ages, running 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, 2026. The Town's full map of participating businesses went up October 16, and it lists each stop's hours next to its address. Those hours do the planning for you.

The Map, Sorted by When Each Door Closes

Sorting the stops by closing time shows how the day really works. Here are the shops, restaurants and the Town's own Trunk-or-Treat stop, earliest to close first, with hours from the Town's map:

The key gap is between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Ruby's and Island Jo close at 2. Tipsy Tuna doesn't open until 5, and Beachlife Sweets doesn't start until 3. A family that sets out at 3 p.m. can reach nine of the businesses above but will miss both coffee shops and the Tipsy Tuna stop. A family that goes out only in the morning misses the two late openers and Trunk-or-Treat. Covering the whole list means going out twice.

Dairy Queen is the one stop with a different treat. The map notes that the location at 5701 E Oak Island Dr is handing out small ice cream treats to Candy Crawl participants instead of candy. That makes it a good last stop rather than a first.

Pass One: The Pier End, Before 2 p.m.

The morning stops sit near the east end of the map, around the Oak Island Pier. Ruby's Coffeehouse & Eatery and Koko Cabana share an address, 705 Ocean Dr, which is also the pier's address on the Town's events calendar. The Beach House Motel and Suites is just down the road at 500 Ocean Dr.

Timing matters for that shared address. Ruby's opens at 7 a.m. but Koko Cabana not until 11. Get to 705 Ocean Dr between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and both are open at once. Here's a morning loop that works with the clock:

1. The Beach House Motel and Suites, 500 Ocean Dr, any time after 9 a.m.
2. Ruby's Coffeehouse & Eatery and Koko Cabana, 705 Ocean Dr, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to get both.
3. Island Jo Coffee -n- Cafe, 7916 E Oak Island Dr, before its 2 p.m. close.
4. Dunes Mercantile Gifts & Guitars, 8600 E Oak Island Dr, Suite 5, and Thai Noodle House, 8610 E Oak Island Dr, next door to each other and both open by 11 a.m.

Start around 11 and all six morning stops fit before the coffee shops close. If you skip this window, Thai Noodle House and Koko Cabana are still open in the evening, but Ruby's and Island Jo are gone for the day.

The Afternoon Lull, and the 5 O'Clock Choice

Between 2 and 5 p.m., the middle of the map is the place to be. Double the Threads Boutique at 6012, Beachlife Sweets at 5809, Dairy Queen at 5701, Oak Island Pub at 5422 and Kai Joe's at 4722 sit close together along East Oak Island Drive. All five are open from 3 p.m. on. This is the easiest part of the day, and the only one where you don't have to plan around a closing time.

At 5 p.m. you have to choose. Tipsy Tuna, at 8520 E Oak Island Dr, Suite 5, opens then, near the east-end cluster you visited in the morning. At the same hour, the Oak Island Recreation Department's Trunk-or-Treat begins at the Oak Island Recreation Center, 3003 E Oak Island Dr, the westernmost stop on the map. Trunk-or-Treat ends at 7. Tipsy Tuna stays open until 8.

Those closing times decide the order. Go west to Trunk-or-Treat first, then head back east to Tipsy Tuna with time to spare. Trying Tipsy Tuna first means racing the 7 p.m. end at the Rec Center from the other end of the map.

What happens at the Recreation Center lot

Trunk-or-Treat is the Town's own event. Local vendors hand out treats from decorated vehicles, and the Recreation Department awards first, second and third place for Best Decorated Car. Anyone who wants to decorate a car and hand out candy can sign up through the Town's Parks and Recreation registration page. The map's description says the department is trying to "fill up the parking lot."

That lot will be busy at a time when the building itself is shut. Starting October 17, the Recreation Center's Saturday hours changed to 7 a.m. to noon, according to the Town's newsletter, The CURRENT. So anyone hoping to use the Rec Center that morning has until noon. By the time Trunk-or-Treat starts, the building has been closed for five hours.

Before Saturday: The Pier Gets Its Own Halloween Today

The pier end of the island has a head start this week. The Town's Haunted Fishing Derby is today, Thursday, October 29, at Oak Island Pier, 705 Ocean Dr. It's free, open to ages 1 to 15, and requires preregistration. Anglers bring their own pole and bait.

The pier fully reopened earlier this year. The Town's project tracker shows piling work finished May 7, 2026, and the pier and its beach access reopened that day.

After Halloween, the Calendar Moves to One Park

The Candy Crawl is the one event of the season that covers most of the island. Once it's over, the Town's calendar settles mostly on Middleton Park Complex, 4610 E Dolphin Drive, with set start and end times.

Saturday, November 14, noon to 4 p.m. The first Doggy Daze of Fall, a pet adoption and family festival with a doggie splashpad, games and prizes, craft vendors and food trucks. It also picks up a band the weather took away. Rain canceled the October 10 Live & Local: Market + Music show, and the Town moved featured band The British Invaders to play Doggy Daze instead.

Friday, December 4, 5 to 7 p.m. The Annual Christmas Tree Lighting at Middleton Park, with train rides, live entertainment, craft stations, letters to Santa and a visit from Santa.

Saturday, December 5, 2 p.m. The Christmas By The Sea Parade runs along East Oak Island Drive from Town Hall at SE 46th Street to McGlamery Street, rain or shine.

The parade has deadlines of its own. Entry applications are due Wednesday, November 18. The Town's 2026 application charges a $20 flat fee for every entry, accepts businesses, nonprofits, families, golf carts, walking groups, horses and more, and doesn't allow a live Santa or Mrs. Claus on entries. Judging starts at 12:30 p.m. Entrants get their lineup location and number by email the week of November 30. Some of the businesses on this week's Candy Crawl map could easily turn up again in that lineup on East Oak Island Drive.

Participating businesses and hours come from the Town's map and can change before Saturday. Check OakIslandNC.gov/CANDY the morning of the 31st before you pick a starting point.

From the pier lot at 11 a.m. to the Trunk-or-Treat lot at 5, we love seeing the island turn out for days like this. If you're spending more of these Saturdays here, or thinking about a place closer to the pier end, Better Beach Sales knows these blocks by address and by hour. Schedule a Consultation — Experience Oak Island.