The Big Business of Halloween 2023

Happy Halloween and Business is Booming!

Halloween is next Tuesday, October 31st and with all the negative news in the world today we thought it a perfect time for a lighthearted look at the upcoming holiday.

The National Retail Federation’s annual Halloween consumer survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics revealed that total Halloween spending in 2023 is expected to reach a record $12.2 billion, exceeding the previous year’s record of $10.6 billion.

Are you cashing in on the holiday? Halloween is now the second-largest commercial holiday, second only to Christmas.? In the United States alone, over 180 million Americans are expected to partake in festivities. Thus, it is safe to say that October 31st is not just for kids anymore.

Across the globe,?Halloween is most commonly celebrated in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. However, it has gained popularity in many other countries in recent years, including Australia, Ireland, and parts of Western Europe. The extent and style of Halloween celebrations can vary widely from one country to another.

For adults looking to escape the routine of everyday life, Halloween offers an opportunity to use their imaginations, become anything they want or simply poke fun at their favorite political target. So, if you are attending or throwing a party, giving candy to children, carving a pumpkin, visiting haunted houses, congratulations because you are doing much more than escaping, you are pushing the business of Halloween to the main financial pages. ??

How Did It start? A Pagan Holiday?

It is widely believed that the ancient origins of Halloween dates back to the pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain, which was celebrated on the night of October 31. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland believed that the dead returned to earth on Samhain with the end of summer. The superstitious belief?of the day was that to avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark in the hopes of being mistaken as fellow spirits. ??The Christian influence over the spooky holiday came as a celebration of the day before of All Saints’ Day, which is November 1st of every year and also known as All Hallows' Eve and thus the contraction of the name to Halloween. ?Pope Gregory IV replace the traditional?pagan festival when the newer saintly holiday was melded with the well-established Celtic ceremonial rites.?

In North America, trick-or-treating has been a Halloween tradition since the late 1920s and the commercialization of the holiday naturally followed.? It is thought that this custom was an outgrowth of the British and Irish tradition of going house-to-house collecting food for the poor while wearing costumes at Halloween dating back to the 16th century. ?

Popular Customs for 2023?

· Barbie?: Due to the release of the mid-summer motion picture "Barbie," starring Margot Robbie as the titular character and Ryan Gosling as "Ken," there are bound to be many pink-clad trick-or-treaters traveling through neighborhoods this fall. Barbie always has had an impressive wardrobe, so fans of the film can dress up in any of her signature looks.

· Ariel: Disney has reinvented many of its popular animated classics into live-action retellings, and "The Little Mermaid" took its turn this year. Life is more fun under the sea, so costumes for Ariel the mermaid and her underwater friends and foes figure to be popular.

· Creed: Rocky's boxing spin-off series "Creed" gave fans its latest installment with "Creed III" in 2023. The boxing champ dons all-white or all-red color schemes in this movie, and fans may want to emulate that in their costumes.

· Geralt of Rivia: "The Witcher" fandom is widespread, and viewers were treated to another season of the Netflix series this summer. This is the final season with Henry Cavill in the titular role (Liam Hemsworth is reportedly set to take over), so fans may be inspired to dress the part for Halloween this year.

· Jigsaw: "Saw X" will be released on October 27, and the Jigsaw Killer might be a choice for those looking to instill fear around the neighborhood.

· Wednesday Addams: Fans took to the inspiring new Addams Family spinoff that explores life through Wednesday's eyes. With her signature black frocks and pigtails, it doesn't take much to look like this macabre teen.

· Nepo Baby: The phrase "Nepo Baby" grew wings this year with the spotlight placed on many celebrity kids whose rise to fame may have been pushed along by their successful parents. All it takes is a pair of jeans and plain white T-shirt with "Nepo Baby" on the front to pull off this look.

· Ted Lasso: The main character from the Apple TV series potentially has made his last appearance on the pitch, as the most recent season, which premiered in March, is rumored to be the show's last. Nevertheless, Lasso's goofy, down-to-earth-isms and unique look will live on through those who wear his signature mustache, jacket and visor.

Halloween costumes run the gamut of classics and pop culture references. This year people are bound to see some common threads in neighborhoods across the country.