All About “Mischief Night”

As we all begin to gear up for the all-mighty Halloween (or Hallo-weekend as we like to call it here), there’s one often forgotten holiday that is still worth talking about, and that is Mischief Night. Oh yes, the day dedicated to pranks and catering to your bad side; it’s like having an April Fools Day in October. Depending on where you’re from, you may have never heard of this deeply satisfying holiday, as Mischief Night is mostly celebrated in the Northeast region of the US. No worries, Valley has the entire run-down of the history of Mischief Night so you can be ready to participate this year and prank all your friends.

Mischief Night doesn’t have the same name in all the states where it is practiced. The name “Mischief Night” is used in many parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and Philadelphia. However, in upstate New York, Northern New Jersey, it is referred to as “Goosey Night.” Places in Canada, Michigan and Western PA call it “Devil’s Night” to add to the creepy factor.

Commonly celebrated on October 30^th, the holiday is meant to appeal to your mischievous side. You might recognize some popular antics such as toilet-papering a house, playing “Ding-Dong-Ditch”, and egging a house. These tricks are all supposed to be in good fun, but it can’t be fun having to wipe egg off your house.

Fun Fact: Because Mischief Night gets so bad in Detroit, Michigan, locals take it upon themselves to patrol the streets and change the name of the holiday to “Angel’s Night.”

Does Mischief Night sound like something you and your friends will take part in this year? It’s the perfect excuse for all the practical jokers out there to pull some classic pranks. For more college-centered variations of these pranks, you could toilet-paper someone’s apartment door, or play “Ding-Dong-Ditch” in someone’s dorm. But please, stay away from the egging, because no one wants to deal with that cleanup.