Halloween has come around again, bringing with it more clubbing, crazy costumes and a whole host of activities. Across the UK, Halloween festivities have reached unprecedented levels of popularity, with research showing that a fifth of UK consumers now count Halloween as their favourite annual holiday. Students are no exception to this trend, with the celebration providing the perfect opportunity to party.
Various interviews with students show that dressing up is the main appeal for most at Halloween. Mathilde Langseth Hughes, a third year Philosophy student, expressed that “it’s fun to dress up a bit ridiculous and have an excuse to be a bit ridiculous”. Second year English Literature student Audrey Yeung described how “it’s the one time of year you are allowed to be a theatre kid”. They emphasised that at Halloween you can express yourself fully without any judgement and be as creative as you want with your style. Audrey also underlined that “You don’t really repeat a costume because the whole point is that you’re trying something new”, a sentiment that was shared by most of the interviewees.
The fact that university students rarely repeat a costume and will often have a few nights to dress up on around Halloween, calls into question the cost of costume buying on the environment. In the UK, 90% of people who celebrate Halloween in the UK opt for pre-made costumes, resulting in over 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste. These costumes are produced at a mass scale with low-quality manufacturing and are often non-recyclable. The extent of the consumption of costumes can be seen in Edinburgh as queues stretch out of the Bargain Store for the few days before Halloween.
Nevertheless, many of the interviewees stated that they do tend to use clothing they already have, borrow from their friends, or only buy small add-ons. Second year Medicine student Dhairya Bhardwaj says “I’d rather not spend the money on clothing I’m probably only ever going to wear once, it’s a bit of waste”, while second year History and Economics student Varshika Mecheri adds that “People make do with what they have”. For both economic and environmental reasons, University of Edinburgh students seem to be wary of buying unnecessary costume items. Buying costumes at charity shops for cheaper prices has become a more popular option, as well as DIYing outfits, partially influenced by TikTok as people share their own tips for upcycling clothing.
Parties and clubbing were named as the other main appeal, as Anya says “it is an excuse to socialise with a lot of people, have a big party”. This fact has been picked up on by clubs across the city as they promote one-night only events with high prices and limited tickets. The final release of tickets at Liquid Rooms, for example, reaches £40. While most other clubs do not reach this exorbitant price, Why Not’s tickets still reach £22.25. Considering a normal night out in Edinburgh can often be completely free, many are reconsidering whether clubbing on Halloween is worth it. “This year there are more flat parties so hopefully there’ll be no club events” says Emma LeBreton, a second year Sociology student. In the first year while living in student accommodation, clubbing is more necessary at Halloween to extend the night, however in the following years flat parties seem to be a more attractive option to save money.
Another interesting point raised by students was that often Halloween can be a bit of a disappointment. There is so much expectation leading up to the event, when in reality it is just a themed night out. Anya claims that “Halloween has more hype than actual fun in practice”, while second year Politics and Spanish student Melody Craddock adds that “just because it’s Halloween it doesn’t necessarily create a really fun, exciting atmosphere, it very much depends on the activities that you do.”
However, for many, Halloween is not just associated with the one night of celebration, as second year History student Bella Theodorou claims: “I love the other fun activities that you get to do around Halloween.” Pumpkin carving, decorating flats, watching spooky movies and baking Halloween-themed treats serve to turn Halloween into a month long event, which has been coined “spooky season”. Halloween activities seamlessly fit in with the more wholesome activities that some university students tend to steer towards during the colder months, showing that the event doesn’t have to only be associated with clubbing and binge-drinking. Varshika highlights that it is “just an opportunity to get everyone together”, whether that is to go on a crazy night out or do a cozy indoor activity, Halloween can be a time of year for all students if we reframe it.
“halloween” by hanna_horwarth is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.