Itâs now that long-awaited time of the year with spooky costumes and decorations, crazy parties, and a shared feeling of community through fun and celebration. What if I said there was a way you could feel even greater community on Halloween? Often overlooked due to being on the same day as the famous aforementioned holiday, World Cities Day is an important annual United Nations observance day that raises awareness of and promotes contributions to global urbanization.
what’s happening in 2025
According to the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) official World Cities Day page:
âOn 31 October 2025, the Global Observance of World Cities Day, will be linked to people-centred smart cities. It will showcase how data-driven decision making, technology, and AI can be used to improve urban life and recover from current shocks and crises. It will also focus on promoting smart city initiatives centered on people.â
“World Cities Day.” Urban October, UN-Habitat, Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
The UN-hosted event, which is actually two days opposed to the officially titled one, is held in a different city with a different theme each year. This year, it will be in Bogota, Colombia, at the Ăgora BogotĂĄ Convention Center from October 30 to 31.
During these two days, there will be various UN speakers at the hosted panels, side events, and Roundtable Discussions, each centered on a subtopic of âPeople-Centered Smart Cities.â Day 1 will feature topics such as Financing Affordable Housing and Urban Revitalization, while Day 2 will feature topics such as Transforming Urban Governance Through Digital Innovation. All these discussions contribute to the UNâs goal of pushing us into an era of more sustainable, people-centered urban development.Â
But Why Should I care to Celebrate?
Donât worry, nobodyâs telling you to give up all the fun and festivities of Halloween to attend World Cities Day, especially when you are likely also a college student who can’t exactly drop everything and impulsively book a flight to Colombia. Instead of sacrificing your enjoyment, think about the community created through Halloween, and what it would be like if that sense of community expanded into a beautiful, sustainably urban community. Everyone deserves to celebrate Halloweekend in a magical place like that. Basically, instead of sacrifice, think about how you can celebrate both holidays.
But HOW Should I Celebrate
The truth is that you do not need to attend a fancy UN-hosted event to celebrate. The real celebration is about acting sustainably in our urban city to benefit the people here, in accordance with this yearâs theme/topic. Sure, it can be difficult to think of how to utilize “data-driven decision making, technology, and AI” (UN-Habitat) on a holiday, but those are not the only people-centered smart initiatives you can take. Practicing sustainability is an easy and impactful method.
Even while attending a party, there are big and small actions you can perform to follow this agenda. If you are a guest, try throwing away all your trash faithfully, bringing your own reusable cups/plates/cutlery, carpooling before and after the event, and wrapping any gifts in eco-friendly materials. If you are a host, set up reusables, provide bulk drinks, promote the event digitally, use reusable decor, and set up separate waste management. These are just examples for if you are attending a party, but even if you are not, you can be sustainable in your own dorm or apartment by doing things like baking your own spooky snacks and basically DIY-ing everything.
Unlike what it seems like at first glance, World Cities Day is not irrelevant, not expensive, and not time-consuming. Anyone, anywhere, can celebrate without so much as a foot out the door or a card swiped. Help our cities and incorporate celebrating World Cities Day into your Halloween schedule this year!
SOURCE: “World Cities Day.” Urban October, UN-Habitat, Accessed 16 Oct. 2025. https://urbanoctober.unhabitat.org/wcd