Halloween is almost here and Canadians are still celebrating the spooky season despite COVID-19

By Megan Ebreo

Halloween is drawing near, and people are starting to think more about loads of candy, spooky decorations, and elaborate costumes they intend to buy. Despite the current pandemic situation, Halloween pop-ups and seasonal stores are still operating in full effect as Canadians look to find the perfect costumes for small, socially distanced gatherings. 

The rising popularity of Halloween and related festivities are reflected in the number of Canadians that now participate in annual celebrations with the Financial Post reporting that Canadians have “become so wild about Halloween” that we now “spend more per capita on costumes, candy and décor” than our U.S. counterparts.

(spirithalloween/Instagram)

Consumerism has altered the way people participate in Halloween. Driven by two major retailers, Spirit Halloween and Party City, consumer culture has created a rising interest in Halloween festivities among the adult demographic. The current social media era has fueled Halloween consumerism by providing exposure for costume-oriented Halloween activities; a celebration once considered as a night of trick-or-treating for children is now a popular adult festivity, reports the Financial Post.

SanJoy Kundu is the owner of Theatrics Plus, an all-season costume store located on Yonge St., and says that “social media does help a lot,” when identifying trends as more consumers look to social media for inspiration when planning their Halloween costumes.

(Theatricplus/Instagram)

Costume hunting is also influenced by popular films and shows. When asked about Theatrics Plus’s most popular items, Kundu revealed that “it always depends on the movie license that has come out of that year”.

Kundu further explained that last year his biggest sales were costumes inspired by Money Heist, a Spanish heist crime drama that follows a gang of thieves,

“People were watching the Netflix show and then they were asking if we sold the Money Heist jumpsuit and mask. Next thing you know, it was a frenzy for that particular costume,” although the owner tries his best to anticipate costume demand by watching trends, Kundu said that he is never certain what the next popular trend will be and when it will occur.

The ongoing search for costumes is also affected by cosplay, the act of dressing up as a character from a film, comic book, or video game. Kundu has noticed a rising trend over the last couple of years of cosplay popularity. 

A lot of people are finding it a hobby to make their own costumes and they’re liking it,” the rise in cosplay and DIY costume creation is largely influenced by popular conventions such as Comicon, Fan Expo Canada, and Anime North. 

The concept of DIY costume creation has also led consumers to thrift their outfits in an effort to reduce spending, which sometimes can result in around $100 – $200 spent. This is a popular alternative to fast-fashion and is reflected in a 2018 study that revealed that 72 per cent of Canadians said that they intended to thrift or use pre-owned items for their costumes.

Access to social media has also encouraged consumers to trade, sell, and buy costumes. Costume seekers are using online sharing marketplaces to find the perfect materials and accessories to create their Halloween looks. Marketplaces such as eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Depop are all popular resources for reliable and popular stock. 

As the ongoing search for the perfect costume continues and in a year full of fresh films and thrilling television, which character will you choose to dress up as? Even though this Halloween might look a little different, enjoy the big day, and embrace all of what the spooky season has to offer!