Once considered a children’s event, Halloween is rapidly evolving in Australia into an opportunity for adults to party too.
New research shows one in five Aussies are getting ghoulish this Halloween, with ever-growing popularity of the October 31 event reflected in boosted retail sales across the nation.
The Australian Retailers Association’s (ARA) said many popular retailers are seeing increased sales of up to 20% on Halloween merchandise, supermarkets are reporting a 25% increase in pumpkin sales and there is rising interest in attending Halloween parties and spookily-themed events.
An ARA-Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey has revealed 21% of Australians say they are planning to celebrate, and of those participating, each person will spend an average of $93. Meanwhile, 18% planned to attend or host a Halloween gathering.
Australians aged 35-49 are the most likely to celebrate Halloween (34%) followed closely by under 35s (25%).
ARA CEO Paul Zahra said: “Halloween originated as a Celtic Festival from the United Kingdom where people lit fires and wore costumes to ward off ghosts.
“Over time, it’s evolved into a day of trick or treating, festive gatherings and donning costumes. It’s now a global phenomenon and a significant retail event.”
According to insights from Bacardi, Halloween ranks as one of the top drinking holidays in the United States, just behind New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, and the Fourth of July.
This year, about 30% of US households are expected to host Halloween parties, with nearly all of them serving alcohol and Halloween-themed cocktails (Nielsen IQ). Whiskey and rum are set to be the stars of the season, with a specific focus on tequila and mezcal, which have both seen significant growth in popularity—up 28% and 16%, respectively, since Halloween 2021.
Murder Bar to opens its doors in Sydney
Sydney’s historic The Rocks district is hosting ‘Ghost in The Rocks’ from 31 October to 3 November 2024. The Halloween-themed street festival will be filled with ghostly encounters, pulse-raising entertainment and after-dark thrills.
There will also be a pop-up The Murder Bar , set against the eerie, ancient backdrop of Sydney’s most haunted district, merging the glamour of the 1930s with the ominous aura of a forgotten past.
The cocktail menu will include spooky cocktails such as the Phantom Fizz, the Blood Moon Sour and the signature Ghost’s Kiss, a smoky mezcal-based concoction.
To find the bar, look for a hidden door between doors 19 and 21 on Playfair Street, The Rocks.
Learn more about Ghost in The Rocks here.
19 Crimes hosts pop-up Halloween bar
19 Crimes launched a limited edition, glow-in-the-dark wine range and pop-up wine bar in the lead up to Halloween.
The Shady Lady in Fitzroy, Melbourne, was transformed into the Possessed Wine Bar on October 25 and 26. The bar featured, exactly as the name suggests, actual possessed items.
The Possessed Wine Bar celebrates the launch of the brand’s new limited edition line of wines, including a Shiraz and Hard Chard, with labels that glow-in-the-dark.
How to make a Corpse Reviver this Halloween