Millions of ghoulish Brits plan to dress up for Halloween 2024, with each splashing out £49 on costumes

11 million Brits are planning to dress up for Halloween this year and are investing in costumes, ghoulish make-up and decorations ahead of 31st October. 

According to an analysis of a survey involving 2,000 people from buy now pay later specialist Clearpay, there has been a boom in sales of adult Halloween costumes.

Figures comparing 2024 to 2023 sales reveal a 533% surge in adult zombie outfits, a 427% rise in adult devil costumes and a 88% growth in adult ghost getup. On average, adults budget £49 each for a costume - a total spend of £555 million across the nation.  The average spend on adult outfits is slightly more than the typical £46 budgeted for a children’s fancy dress outfit. 

Even family pets are getting into the spooky spirit as Clearpay sales data shows a 617% rise in pumpkin outfits for dogs and a 400% surge in dog spider costumes. 55% of pet owners who are celebrating Halloween will be dressing up their furry friend this year. 

Overall, Brits’ Halloween budgets are going up. 47% are spending more on the scarefest than last year. In fact for enthusiastic fans of 31st October, spending could rise to nearly £300 when factoring in costs such as decorations (£40), scary make-up (£37), sweets for trick-or-treaters (£36) and party items (£46).

31st October is no longer just for children. Of the adults celebrating Halloween,  three in ten are dressing up for adult only parties this year and 23% are attending a Halloween party at work. Finally, 21% said they will be dressing up specifically to create content for social media.

Rich Bayer, UK Country Manager at Clearpay, comments: “Halloween is becoming a key moment in the calendar, which means Brits are now putting bigger budgets towards  their celebrations. For those investing in new costumes, decorations, make-up or party items for this 31st October, it’s important to set and stick to a budget so that you can comfortably manage Halloween expenditure this year.”  

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Payments is a key focus area for the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, which is now open for entries.

The awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Key 2024 dates

Friday, 25th October: Award entry deadline 

Tuesday, 29th October: 2024 shortlist revealed

30th October-6th November: Judging days

Thursday, 21st November: Winners announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.