Fright Night a Cherished Dress-Up Event for Children and Adults
Did you know that parents will spend approximately $1.3 billion this year to dress up their kids for Hallowe’en? Even more surprising, though, may be that adults will spend another half a billion dollars—that’s right, $1.8 billion—on costumes in 2024. Market research indicates that 7 of every 10 adults celebrate All Hallows’ Eve, typically by going to a party put on by a bar, night club, restaurant or other commercial establishment. The vast majority of those events offer some type of prize for best costume.
The Most Popular Costumes Over the Years
Costumes typically go hand in hand with popular culture. Here’s a look at some of the most popular costumes by decade:
- The 1950s—Tarzan, Davy Crockett and Marilyn Monroe
- The 1960s—Rocky and Bullwinkle, the Beatles and Barbie
- The 1970s—The Brady Bunch, Star Wars and Michael Myers (of the movie Halloween)
- The 1980s—Rocky Balboa, Indiana Jones and Freddy Krueger
- The 1990s—The Terminator, Power Rangers and Bart Simpson
- The 2000s—Harry Potter, Hannah Montana and SpongeBob SquarePants
- The 2010s—Iron Man, Wonder Woman and Anna (from Frozen)
The Costumes Kids Prefer This Year
A study by the National Retail Foundation found that more small children want to be Spiderman, a perennial favorite. An estimated 2.5 million kids will don the Spidey suit for the trick-or-treating foray. Virtually all of those costumes will be pre-made.
The other top costumes for children are classics. About 2 million are expected to make the rounds as ghosts, the favored homemade costume. Nearly as many will go door-to-door as either a princess or a witch.
What You Can Expect to See at Adult Hallowe’en Parties in 2024
One of the top costume choices for children is far and away the most popular for adults. The NRF projects that nearly six million adults will don a pointy hat, grab a broom and dress in black this year, hoping to cast spells as a witch or warlock. About half as many will come as vampires, with more than a million dressing as a cat, a pirate or as Bruce Wayne’s alter ego, Batman.
Pets Get In On the Fun, Too
Over the past decade, many people have included their pets (mostly dogs) when dressing up. The most popular costumes for animals this year include pumpkins, bats, spiders and hot dogs.
