Halloween's mutation: From humble holiday to retail monstrosity

In 2024, consumers in the US are expected to spend US$11.6 billion (S$15 billion) celebrating Halloween, up from US$3.3 billion in 2005.

Perhaps it is time to eat some crow. Halloween, steeped in tradition, has transformed from a pagan feast to a celebration with lovingly homemade costumes and treats to one of the largest consumer spending holidays. Every October - or earlier - millions of people in the US are spending on costumes, decorating their homes and lawns with garish skeletons and spiders and doling out candy to little superheroes and witches. But how did this holiday with humble origins become an economic juggernaut with growing global appeal?

Halloween is a marketer's dream, said Dr Tom Arnold, a finance professor and retail expert at the University of Richmond. It falls on the same day every year, Halloween items are largely consumable (candy needs to be replenished every year and kids outgrow costumes) and pop culture trends can help predict which costumes will be the must-haves each season.

Dr Arnold said the 1970s brought mass-manufactured costumes and individually wrapped candy that made the holiday explode in popularity. It also shifted from a more religious holiday to a secular one.

Even when consumers are worried about their finances, they will still open their wallets for holidays such as Halloween and Christmas, Dr Arnold said, because "it creates a unique experience at a particular time of the year".

He added: "Even during the pandemic, consumers went to great strides to preserve these two holidays."

A HOLIDAY WITH CATHOLIC AND CELTIC ROOTS COMES TO AMERICA