Australians will spend a record amount on Halloween parties this year, with the fright night fortuitously falling on a Friday.

According to research from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) in partnership with Roy Morgan, more than one-in-five Australians aged over 18 – around 4.8 million people – are gearing up to don creepy costumes, decorate their haunted houses, stock up on lollies or throw a monster bash.

“Halloween continues to grow in Australia and has become a multi-generational, community celebration,”said ARA Chief Industry Affairs Officer Fleur Brown.

“From witches and wizards to superheroes and even costumed pets, Australians are getting into the spirit. Spending on costumes, decorations, treats and parties is tipped to climb 11% to about $500 million compared with last year.”

Average spending per person is also set to rise to $103, up 11% on 2024. Victoria and Tasmania will lead the spooky splurge ($112 per person), followed closely by NSW ($107) and South Australia ($102), with Queensland and Western Australia projected to spend slightly less than $100 per person.

Other key findings from the ARA and Roy Morgan Research:

• Top activities include costumes (43%), trick-or-treating (46%), stocking up on sweets (47%), and home decorating (38%).
• Spending across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland is forecast to hit a record $390 million – up $40 million on 2024.
• Men (2.2 million) and women (2.6 million) are celebrating in similar numbers to last year.
• Older Australians are joining the fun in bigger numbers, with participation among 50-to-64-year-olds rising to 21% (up 8%) and over-65s also at 21% (up 12%). That’s 1 million more ghouls and ghosts from these age groups taking part.

“These figures show that Halloween is no longer just child’s play,” Brown said.

“It’s become an event for Australians of all ages. With strong discretionary spending on Halloween, retailers have every reason to hope the season ahead will be a treat, not a trick.”

Halloween cocktail crawl for Sydney

Ghost Festival in The Rocks has launched Trick or Drink, created to give Sydneysiders and visitors a new way to celebrate Halloween with friends.

The event is part cocktail crawl, part interactive game night and entirely immersive.

Over the course of the night, groups of up to eight will travel through four haunted bar stations, each offering a signature Halloween cocktail. But there’s a catch, before sipping, participants must complete a challenge… or face a trick first.

The themed stops include:

• Zombie Apocalypse – Syringe shots & survival rolls
• Abandoned Asylum – Spin the restraint & tell no lies
• Slaughter Bar – No-hands ration slushies
• The Ouija Bar – Draw your fate, from romantic to absurd

Each bar offers immersive sets, custom cocktail and live performers. 

The House of Horrors Party also returns to The Rocks after a sold-out debut in 2024, where more than 1000 revellers danced deep into the night across three levels of a haunted house.