Is traveling by bus during the Halloween night a good idea?

Question

I do not celebrate Halloween and I do not like the feasts associated with it. I will be traveling in Uruguay next week. From my experience, the South American people like parties and so on, and it is very probable they will do something about Halloween — which for me, as solo traveler in AirBnbs would not be very pleasant (I would just like to sleep that night).

I am thinking to take a night bus to Buenos Aires (which would be my next destination), and I am wondering if there would be anything related to Halloween (e.g. people with Halloween masks selling food in the bus terminals and scaring people).

Would riding a night bus in the Halloween night, in South America, be a good idea?

I am still oscillating between staying that night in a hotel room, which has noise reducing system or taking the bus ride.

Answer 1

Generally, when travelling on days of major celebrations, it is hard to estimate the level of celebrations that may take place in transit hubs such as bus stations or airports. Halloween, while it is celebrated in much of Uruguay and Argentina similarly to the United States, is still not considered a major holiday, which reduces the possibility of any forms of major disruptions due to Halloween. Of course, this also depends on whether there are individuals present in your bus or in the bus stations you will be celebrating the "Halloween" Spirit.

I have travelled previously on Halloween and Christmas in the United States and United Kingdom by air, on various New Year's Eves/Days in a bunch of different countries also by air, and on Diwali in India by air and train and have not noticed any celebrations that are officially sanctioned, other than decorations (and carol singing on Christmas). Only on one occasion was I accosted by a drunk tourist in an airport lounge in Georgia on Orthodox New Year (14 January) and, even then, I was asked whether I wanted to try a local alcoholic beverage.

In most cases, since the number of people actually travelling on the day of the major holiday is less (as most people decide to travel in the period immediately before or after the holiday), I have noticed that airports and train stations are surprisingly quiet and processes such as security and immigration move faster.

In short, it is extremely hard to predict the extent of travel disruptions during holidays, especially those that are minor holidays in a region. The chances of these disruptions can greatly vary based on whether the individuals immediately around you are celebrating the holiday or not.

Answer 2

While some people in Argentina, mostly upper middle class, are starting to celebrate Halloween, it isn't celebrated massively by any means. It's not mentioned at school, and you will not see people dressed up. If you put your kids in costume and start knocking doors at random for trick-or-treating, no one will know what you are doing, you will get no candy, and some people will be rude to you.

There might be the odd Halloween-themed party, but I would say that it is mostly a normal day, you shouldn't expect unusual noise (you will get crazy noise for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve) or disruptions.