First Lady’s 'Hallo-READ!' Theme Ushers in Halloween at the White House
The Bidens welcome thousands of trick or treaters for the last time.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden greeted trick or treaters on the South Lawn Wednesday, the last Halloween event they will host at the White House.
They welcomed about 8,000 guests that included local public school students and military-connected children. Dr. Biden, an educator for more than three decades, created the theme “Hallo-READ!” The first lady was dressed in a full-size panda costume handing out copies of the book 10 Spooky Pumpkins. She had helped announce the return of pandas to the National Zoo earlier this month and, according to the White House, wore the costume as a “welcoming gesture.” The president wore a suit and gave boxes of White House Hershey’s Kisses chocolates to trick or treaters.
The South Portico was decorated with a large orange moon and a sign reading “Hallo-READ at the White House.” Flanking the door were giant pumpkins. Autumnal foliage, stacks of books, and multi-dimensional displays of ghoulish literary characters and tales were also part of the theme that was designed to encourage families and children to grab a flashlight, pick out their favorite Halloween book, and relish in the spooktacular thrill of reading together, according to the White House.
Earlier, the first lady came onto the South Lawn beneath a sunny sky to read 10 Spooky Pumpkins, by Gris Grimly, to trick or treaters. Among the audience were children in costumes—a bright green alien, a chicken, Harry Potter, Winnie the Pooh. The Beast, the nickname for the presidential state car, was parked near the fountain and available for photo ops.
Dr. Biden finished reading and told the audience, “Thank you for coming. Happy Halloween everybody. I hope you're having a great day.”
Costumed characters strolled the South Lawn for the Halloween festivities, including Clifford the Big Red Dog, Greg Heffley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, as well as Disney friends Doc McStuffins, Vampirina, and Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers.
A spooky story time corner was also part of the Halloween festivities this year, featuring author Brad Meltzer and illustrator Chris Eliopoulos, author Jeff Kinney, Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and other special guests.
Trick-or-treaters could stop for treats from representatives of the Department of Education, Department of Transportation, Department of State, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Treasury, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Urban Development, FEMA, NASA, National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, United States Secret Service, White House staff, and the White House Military Office. Children participated in spooky story time with special guests reading their favorite books of the season.
The Bidens held their first Halloween celebration at the White House in 2022, the year prior, the president was in Europe.
Halloween was first celebrated at the White House in 1958 during the Dwight Eisenhower administration when First Lady Mamie Eisenhower decorated it with skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, and dried corn stalks in the State Dining Room, according to the White House Historical Association. Mamie Eisenhower also hosted the wives of White House staff for a luncheon.
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy began the tradition of hosting trick-or-treaters. And, First Lady Pat Nixon in 1971 hosted an early Halloween party for 150 children from the C. Melvin Sharp Health School and Hospital for Sick Children. In 1977, Amy Carter, daughter of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, held a Halloween-themed birthday party where she and 14 friends carved pumpkins and watched the original Frankenstein.