Friday, 31 October 2025

Halloween Report 2025

Dan Conlin's 29th Annual Halloween Stats

We had a near-record 195 trick-or-treaters on Duncan Street in Halifax on Oct. 31, 2025, our second highest in 29 years of counting costumes, second only to 215 back in 1996!  This was despite a day of heavy rain that ended just hours before the trick-or-treaters began to call.
 
Past Totals - 2024: 165; 2023: 139; 2022: 145; 2021:127; 2020: 151; 2019: 143; 2018: 138; 2017: 114; 2016: 81;2015: 101; 2014: 97; 2013: 80; 2012: 50! 2011: 80; 2010: 88; 2009: 99; 2008: 103; 2007: 125; 2006: 168; 2005: 187:  2004: 184; 2003: 187; 2002: 193; 2001: 152; 2000: 171; 1999-175; 1998-160; 1996-215   
Average: 139 
  
The most popular costumes, by far, were ninjas, a mix of homemade, customized and store-bought costumes. We are puzzled where this trend comes from as there haven't been any big shows or games starring ninjas that we know about. Second place went to kids with no apparent costume, the highest we have ever recorded; most of whom shrugged bashfully. I suspect these were kids who decided to go at the last minute with minimal costumes when the rain let up.  Ghouls masks of various kinds were the third most popular costumes. Last year witches ruled, but there were far fewer this time and they were more specialized.
  
There were lots of interesting costume combos and some fine homemade costumes. Best costumes were:
1) Audrey, the monster plant from Little Shop of Horrors, beautifully made homemade costume with multiple heads and scary teeth.
2) Rapunzel, which included her tower, a large and imaginative homemade costume.
3) Vincent Van Gogh, a carefully made costume with her friend dressed as a beautiful Van Gogh style sunflower.
4) A cute lobster costume worn by a very young child who rode in a wagon depicting a lobster boat, complete with its DFO number. 
5) A beautifully made Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz with ruby slippers and her own real Toto dog.
  
Some trends to note:
1) Quite a few Toronto Blue Jay players and one baseball reporter, one of the few times that a major news story influenced Halloween costumes in our neighbourhood.
2) Lots of Anime, Manga and video game characters familiar to kids, but not to adults.  
3) Some, but not-too-many super heroes, mostly Spidermen of various sorts and a delightful superhero mashup by one boy who went as Superman, Batman and a ninja, all combined into one costume!
4) Some impressive ensemble pieces: Van Gogh; the Strawberry Shortcake girls and especially a dramatic duo of a pizza delivery guy player accompanied by a friend who played an armed robber who threatened to stab her!  
5) A majority of parents doing chaperone duties had costumes, and some very very impressive.
First: 5:42 pm Last: 8:58 pm Peak: 7pm
 
Alien:  2
Amazon Delivery Package 1
Angel (Dark Angel) 1
Astronaut 3
Audrey (Homemade, Little Shop of Horrors) 1
Bear: 1
Bird:  1
Blind Referee (playing the part!) 1
Bluejay (baseball player) 4
Bumblebee (Transformers, homemade) 1
Bunny 1
Burrito 1
Butterfly 1
Cat 4
Cheerleader 3
Chrom (video game character) 1
Construction Worker  1
Clown, Classic 3
Clown, scary  2
Cookie Monster 1
Deer 1
Devil 1
Dinosaurs:  3
DJ, with mixing board! 1
Dog  1
Doll, scary from Nightmare before Christmas 1
Dorothy from Wizard of Oz - with Toto! 1
Dragon 1
Druid healer, nice homemade outfit 1
Eagle, young, very cute 1
Elmo 1
Fairy 2
Fire Fighter:  1
Fortnite Character 1
Garfield 1
Ghoul mask 5
Ghost 4
Ghostbuster 2
Grim Reaper 2
Hazel Mae (baseball sportscaster) 1
Harry Potter 2
Hell Diver (video game character): 1
Hockey Player  1
How to Train Your Dragon characters 2
Hotwheels driver 1
Ice Cream 1
Ice Cream Truck 1
Incredible Hulk 1
Indiana Jones 2
Iron Man 1
Jason (horror character)  1
Joker (Batman series) 1
Judo athlete, doing impressive kicks! 1
K-Pop Demon Hunters - Rumi 2
K-Pop Demon Hunters - Demon 1
Knight 1
Lion (one with a "Save the Lions" wildlife conservation sign!) 2
LMFAO (parody rapper) 1
Lumber jack 1
Lobster in lobster boat wagon 1
Lorax, Dr. Suess (homemade) 1
Mad Scientist (very into role) 1
Max (Where the Wild Things Are, 2 year old!) 1
Minecraft character 3
Mime 1
Mouse 3
Nightmare Before Christmas character Sally 1
Nightsky, depicted on a witch's hat 1
Ninja 12
No discernible costume:  10
Old Man 1
Pennywise (Horror clown) 1
Phantom of the Opera, sort of 1
Pig 1
Pirates! 3
Pizza Delivery Guy & Armed Robber duo 1
Plague Doctor 1
Pumpkin 4
Pumpkin Patch 1
Princess (classic) 5
Princess Bubblegum 1
Mermaid Princess 1
Raccoon (captured with neck chain) 1
Rapper 1
Rapunzel in tower, homemade 1
Scream Mask 2
Shaggy (Scooby Doo character) 1
Shark 1
Skeleton 3
Sloth 1
Souichi Tsujii (Japanese Manga character) 1
Spider 1
Spiderman, included a lighted homemade version 4
Sponge Bob Square Pants 1
Star 1
Star Wars Sith Character 1
Stormtrooper (Star Wars) 2
Strawberry Shortcake Girls (ensemble) 4
Superman/Batman/Ninja combined! 1
Supermario Brothers 2
TikTok sports guys 2
Tomie (Japanese Manga & film character) 1
Unicorn 1
Vincent Van Gogh and a Sunflower - homemade duo 2
Window 1
Weather/wind mask 1
Wednesday Adams & her friend Thursday 2
Witch, classic 1
Witch, Glinda 2
Witch, Elphaba 1
Yor Forger (Anime character) 1
Yogurt tub 1
Zombie 3
Total trick or treaters: 195
 

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