Halloween now costs families £209 as parents face mounting pressure

Halloween used to mean a carved pumpkin, a homemade costume and an evening of trick-or-treating. Now it has become a £209 family spending spree, with parents under pressure to create the perfect spooky experience.

From inflatable ghosts and elaborate garden displays to pumpkin-picking trips and themed parties, what was once a single evening of fun is increasingly turning into a week-long event.

And according to new research commissioned by Asda, the cost is beginning to frighten parents more than the ghosts and ghouls.

A survey of 2,000 adults found that 42% believe Halloween has become a week-long celebration, while 80% agree that the idea of a month-long "spooky season" is now firmly established.

Almost a third (32%) believe the cost of celebrating is getting out of control, and 56% say Halloween spending is an unwelcome blow to household finances so close to Christmas.

Parents feel pressure to keep up with neighbours

It is not just costumes and sweets driving up the cost. Families are increasingly turning their homes into miniature haunted houses, complete with skeletons, cobwebs, flashing lights and inflatable decorations.

Almost a third of parents (31%) admitted trying to outdo other households with their displays, while 40% said they had bought decorations specifically because they would look good in photographs.

Pumpkin picking has also become a major part of the Halloween calendar, with 46% saying they had taken their children to a pumpkin patch.

But the outings are not necessarily just about choosing a pumpkin. More than half (51%) said getting a good family photograph was part of the attraction, while 33% felt pressure to capture the perfect social media picture.

And the experience comes at a premium. One in four respondents said they had paid more for a pumpkin at a patch than they would expect to pay at a supermarket, before factoring in refreshments, parking and other extras.

The research found families typically spend £20 on decorations, £15 on pumpkins, £18 on themed food and drink and another £20 on pumpkin-picking trips and days out.

An Asda spokesman said: "Halloween has become a season rather than a night, and the costumes, decorations, treats and days out all add up."

The supermarket said it was bringing 1.25 million pumpkins into stores this autumn and reducing prices ahead of October 31.

The research was commissioned by Asda and conducted by Perspectus Global, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults in October 2026.