Halloween: Not a witch costume in sight so is the celebration now too commercialised to be a treat?

Halloween has always people divided and Britain definitely has a ‘love hate relationship’ with the annual event. The younger generations cannot wait for Halloween and often get involved in pumpkin carving competitions, parties or scary movie sessions. For example, a survey carried out on behalf of Finder shows that 87% of Gen Z are planning on spending an average of £46 on celebrations in 2023 from various decorations to costumes. By way of contrast, only 12.5% of the Silent Generation are planning on purchasing Halloween decorations.

Some people argue that the reason for the unpopularity of Halloween amongst some Brits is down to its proximity to Bonfire Night. In fact, it is actually beginning to overshadow Bonfire Night, with supermarkets struggling to sell products related to the Guy Fawkes' celebration. Halloween is quite the opposite. It is predicted that the UK will spend around £1.07 billion in 2023 on the scariest day of the year, according to Finder.

Due to the controversial nature of the celebration, a whole host of new rules have arisen such as never knocking on a door when trick or treating unless a pumpkin is displayed outside, to prevent children from relentlessly banging away if they get no answer. This is particularly an issue with older people, in particular those with dementia, who often consider it frightening and don’t want to be disturbed.

Even the supermarkets seem divided over the celebration, with many displaying mince pies at the same time as pumpkins, perhaps to please people at all different points on the love/hate Halloween spectrum.

And, have you been to a Halloween themed party lately? If you have, you’ll know about the unnecessarily complex dress code. This year, I know people who are planning on dressing up as Barbie, Mario and Luigi and even Toy Story characters, but haven’t heard anyone dressing up as the classic witch or skeleton.

It’s as though it has lost its identity as a spooky celebration and has become an opportunity to dress up as your favourite TV character instead.

I’d say that Halloween is definitely a fun celebration but it seems to have taken a different course in the past few years and has lost its traditional image. It’s also highly controversial: Should it exist when it simply celebrates darkness and evil? Is it intrusive to knock on strangers’ doors? Does it cause anxiety in older generations? All I know, is that I can’t wait for Christmas.