No way to avoid it.

Think I will just arrange to be gone at that time.

With the door closed and a meeting notice on the door so they know not to disturb you?

Assuming of course you can work away from your desk.

I would bring in candy to be distributed (see, you're participating) but hand the bag(s) of candy to someone else, like the receptionist or other person who will definitely interact with the little beggers. I would then put a sign up on desk/cubicle or wherever I'm working saying - Sorry, no interruptions.
If I walk around the office and see the little beggers, I'd smile at them and maybe ask what kind of a monster he/she is.
In other words, avoid making a scene about the whole thing and pretend to be pleasantly amused but too busy to participate directly.

I think the noise would annoy me too. If it were me, I'd be trying to be out of the office that day for sure.

I admit to being a "scrooge" about Halloween, but it's more due to the stress it places on me due to my own addiction to sugar and need to avoid it. Imagine alcohol were being given out instead, now imagine that "holiday" for an alcoholic.

I think Halloween is the stupidest, most counter-productive "holiday" on the calendar. But oh well, there's enough other stupidity in the world that we can't do anything about either, so Halloween really doesn't even blip the meter. Except for the sugar aspect.

We live in cubicle-land here. There are no doors, no way to signal "keep out."

I think it's highly inappropriate.

It is nice to see a business do some community outreach. The kidlets get to see a working business (and, perhaps, their mom or dad), and the employees get to experience cute costumes and beautiful smiles. Total win and morale boosting, imo.

I would love to see a parade of costumed children over having to deal with a negative, cynical co-worker anyday. I know which one would zap my productivity.

My employer has a halloween costume thing that happens down in the cafeteria so those of us who would rather not participate aren't bothered.

Bringing kids up to where their grubby little hands can tug and pull on important things is not okay.

It doesn't make one negative or cynical to realize that most kids behave absolutely horribly because parents today don't actually discipline their kids.

That's before you get into the fact that some of us are sensitive to loud disruptions like a parade of kids whether it's because we are introverted or somewhere on the autism spectrum. I do my best to avoid kids because I find screaming brats to be infuriating. I don't work at a daycare for example.

Problem solved, um, Scrooge, um, Grinch, um....who tried to stop Halloween? Jack Chick? Maybe?

can't handle it, grab a book and head for the restroom until it's all clear.

your co-workers and their kids.
Going through life as the 'get off my lawn grouch' in the neighborhood or office is not enjoyable.
Or is it for you?
Geez, it's just work, not life.
Don't be so office/work focused.
Sure the kids are going to disrupt your productivity and workflow but the company said it's okay
so by choosing to focus on work you're going against company policy of lightening up for half an hour for a Halloween parade and TOT
Eat a Milky Way and have some fun.

they might like it. I vote for taking off.

In the alternative you might try to relax and accept that it won't be a productive day. Maybe they'll bring them all around in one group and it will only be one interruption instead of multiple interruptions at random times?

I lived for many years in an area of NYC where believe it or not, Halloween was a non-event as far as trick or treating. No one came around. I assume the kids just went where other kids lived. My apt. building was all studios and no kids. ANYWAY, after many years I moved to a development with lots of kids. Still Halloween was not on my radar since it was quiet in the past. So there I am sitting at home the first Halloween since I moved in and - DING DONG! I thought, OH.NO. Since then I've felt torn. I don't want to be a Scrooge; I was a kid once too and I went trick or treating in a costume. A good part of the fun is getting reactions to your costume. HOWEVER, I'm not so young now and I can't be a "slave" to that door bell, so I understand your not wanting to be interrupted.

One time as a compromise I put candy out in little bags in a paper bowl on top of a plant stand with a sign saying "take one." I could hear the kids in the hallway giggling, etc. and refilled the bowl periodically when it was quiet again . That worked till the plant stand was stolen in ye olde Halloween prank. (I got it back.) Pranks aren't likely in your scenario, though.

Since then, someone here in some kind of children's committee had a great idea - they distributed a form to all residents, asking these questions:

Do you want the Trick or Treaters at your door____ or do you not ___?

Do you want to donate $____ (to purchase treats to hand out)?

Do you want to donate candy_______ or other treat ____________?

Do you want to volunteer to give out candy at the table in the Lobby? (several shifts are listed, from noon till 5pm)

This gives people like me an "out". This way I can donate something, not be a Scrooge and not be bothered by the door bell for 8 hours. Maybe something similar could be tried in your office?

Yeah, there are times and places for things. Trick-or-treating might be one of those things. This would never even be considered in my workplace; it would be considered endangering public safety. So, not happening, sorry. Not everyone can drop everything and socialize.

I'd say deal with it this year and ask the office manager/whoever is in charge of this kind of thing if there is a possibility that next year there might be a part of the office considered off limits for you to work in (scary hazard tape for effect!) or if the people who are able to play along can put up construction-paper pumpkins up at their cubes.

You are going to be unproductive anyway.You will dread when they get there, be annoyed that they are there and anxious for them to leave. It won't be a good day for the kids or you. Plus if you stay home, you can avoid all of the people outside celebrating Halloween. Personally, I like halloween, costumes, candy and children. I also work in a quiet office that doesn't have celebrations of things like birthdays, Christmas and Halloween in the office. It would be fun for me to have a break like that at work but it is not for everyone.

outside of a smallish town, with a large surrounding rural area. The kids outside of town can't "trick-or-treat;" It's a long way between each house, there are no sidewalks or paved roads or streetlights, and often houses are a long way from the dirt road their driveway leads to.

To prevent an overload on the town residents, all the businesses on Main Street invite trick-or-treaters for a few hours on Halloween, starting when it is still light and closing soon after dark. It's a community event; many of the families who live in town come out and do their trick-or-treating on Main Street instead of their own neighborhoods. It's light, and people greet each other and enjoy all the costumes (although some years, the costumes are buried under winter gear, when it's really cold.) They collect some candy; not loads, as everyone wants to make sure there's enough to last. There's music playing, and business owners and employees join in, donning their own costumes.

If somebody wants to shop or do business, they do, but most of the people are just there to have fun.

It's all voluntary on the part of the businesses, of course. I think that any that aren't thrilled about it do it anyway, because these are the people they want supporting their business; and then they enjoy it.

Why put yourself through the discomfort when you don't need to do so?