The city of Vicksburg announced Tuesday that Halloween will be observed Thursday, Oct. 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

In its release, the city laid out a series of safety tips to make sure Halloween is safe for all:

• Children should always trick or treating accompanied by a responsible adult. If you have a group of children going, the parents should choose two or three of them to go along and keep an eye on things.
• Make sure to stick to any curfew times and to subdivisions and areas with a lot of homes so your kids can get in as much trick or treating as possible in a few hours.
• Plan a safe route so parents know where their older children will be at all times. Set a time for their return home. Make sure children are old enough and responsible enough to go out by themselves. Make sure they have a cell phone.
• Let children know not to cut through back alleys and fields if they are out alone. Make sure they know to stay in populated areas and not to go off the beaten track. Let them know to stay in well-lighted areas with lots of people around. Explain to them why it can be dangerous for children not to follow this advice. If they are going out alone, they are old enough to know what can happen to them in a bad situation and how to stop it from happening.
• Instruct children not to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by you. This way you can check for any problem candy and get the pick of the best stuff.
• Instruct children to never go into the home of a stranger or get into their car. Explain why this is not a good idea and what to do if someone approaches them and tries to talk to them.
• Make sure children carry a flashlight, glow stick or have reflective tape on their costume to make them more visible to cars.
• Let them know they should stay together as a group if going out to Trick or Treat without an adult.