Halloween Report 2022

 

26th Annual Report: Halloween at Duncan Street, Halifax, 2022

Halloween. It is an enduring annual ritual - and one that we are exploring at Pier 21 in an exhibit that opens this Saturday November 5 called "Kids Celebrate" that is all about the power of annual celebrations that draw from many traditions to bring people people together: Kids Celebrate

For Halloween at West End Halifax, we had a near perfect night. Good numbers and the triumph of some classics with witches being the most popular costume and ghosts and skeletons coming close to zombies. Aside from a Harry Potter comeback, the big franchise characters did not make a strong showing. 

TOTAL: 145

Past Totals- 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

Anime Character        2

Athlete, misc.  1

Ballerina, Goth           1

Banana            1

Baseball player           1

Batman           1

Bear    1

Bee      2

Bunny 4

Bunny, Playboy          2

Butterfly         1

Buzz Lightyear           1

Cat      3

Cave man        1 

Cheap Thrills character          1

Clown, Classic            2

Clown, Dead   1

Daphne (Scooby-Doo)  1

Dead Mouse (DJ)        1

Devil   1

Dinosaur:        2

Doll, broken    1

Dragon                        1

Elsa (Frozen character)  3

Fast Food        1

Fire Fighter:    1

Flynn Rider (from Tangled): 1

Football Player:          1

Ghosts             4

Ghoul  1

Gladiator         1

Grim Reaper   1

 Harry Potter    1

Hermione        1

Hogworts Students     2

Headless Man 1

Hippo  1

Hockey Player 1

Hulk Hogan (wrestler)            1

Ironman          2

Kermit the Frog          1

Knight 3

Knight, Black (Monty Python) 1

Knight, Mexican         1

Lobster (baby) 1

Lumberjack     1

Marty McFly (Back to the Future) 1

Medieval, misc.          1

Mickey Mouse            1

Minecraft (game)        1

Mouse 2

No discernible costume:         2

 Peasant            1

Pirates:            3

Police Officer:            1

Power Rangers            2

Pumpkin/Jack o' Lanterns       3

Princess (classic)        6

Princess (Bloody)       2

Princess, Goth 1

Red Bull Gives You Wings    1

Robot, lovely homemade costume     1

Salt Shaker      1

Serial Killer with chain saw   1

Serial killer's victim   1

Scissors Killer 1

Shark   1

Skunk  2

Skeleton          6

Steampunk      2

Superman        1

Super Mario    2

 Tractor (charming homemade costume)        1

 Unicorn           3

 Vampires:       5

Video Game character, misc. 1

Velma (Scooby-Doo)  1

Volcano, covered in lava!       1

 Wolf, Big Bad 1

Witches:          12

Zombies:         6

Zombie with baby       1

• First Caller:  6:01 p.m.
• Peak: 7:05 pm
• Last Caller:  9:55 p.m. 

Numbers dropped abruptly at 7:30, then small surge at 7:50 of young teens and immigrant trick-or-treaters.
Clear dry night with nice half moon, mild chill in air

Best Costumes:

1. Decapitated Man holding his head, great repartee with sword wielding gladiator friend.
2. Volcano with red lava streams.
3. Red Bull Gives You Wings, devil with angel wings, gave out handmade red bull wing cards.
4. A very shy but beautiful butterfly.
5. A boisterous Velma and Daphne form Scooby Doo.
6. An impressive homemade knight costume with shield and helmet.

Trends:

1. Witches were the most popular (12)
2. Zombies, with variations, second most popular (7)
3. Strong return of classics: Skeletons, ghosts, vampires, pumpkin/jack-o-lanterns.
4. Big Harry Potter comeback
5. Very few superheroes, not a single Spiderman!
6. Fewer franchise characters, Elsa from Frozen being an exception.
7. Unusually strong showing of medieval characters, lot of knights!
8. Lot of bunnies.
9. Many parents in costume: 50 including the “Super” family, parents as Supermario costumes escorting their boy as Superman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween Report 2021

Total this year was 127, down from last year's 151 trick-or-treaters, probably due to bad weather combined with parental Covid concerns. Still an impressive showing on a wet night with some heavy downpours. (We hoisted a tarp to offer some shelter to those braving the gusty wind!)

 First Caller: 5:44 p.m. Peaked: 6:45 in the pouring rain Last Caller: 8:22 pm 

 Best Overall Costumes:

1) Cleaning Lady with mop for hair.

 2) Cute homemade unicorn.

 3) Fallen Angel with very impressive make-up.

 4) Large paper mâché Jack o’ Lantern.

 5) Home made cyclops: impressive large head with eye.

 6) Wednesday Addams – great outfit with impressive make-up.

 7) Russian gangster with creepy tattoos.

 Other costume trends:

1) Classic skeletons were top costume. 

2) Drop in the number of witches. 

3) A lot of animals, especially big cats. 

4) Bats, but no Batmen. 

6) Fewer big movie franchise characters and some big staples from past years vanished: for example, no Harry Potter or Star Wars characters.

7) More video game characters.

8) A lot of Anime (Japanese animated characters).

9) Record number of parents in costume with some cool pairing with kids's costumes (the dragon family and a mother and daughter witch combo.) Pirates costumes also popular with parents.

10) No dogs in costume, unlike past years (possibly because of rain)

Past Totals- 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 

And here's the costume breakdown:

Alien (erupting from chest) 1 

Anime Misc. 4 

Angel 1 

Banana 1 

Bats 2 

Bunny 1 

Black Panther (super hero) 2 

Bride 1 

Buzz Lightyear 1 

Cat 3 

Cheetah 1 

Chicken 1 

Cleaning Lady (great homemade costume, mop for hair!) 1 

Clown, Classic 1 

Clown, Dead 1 

Clown, Sheriff 1 

Cowboy 2 

Cyclops 1 

Deadpool 2 

Demon Slayer 1

Devil, classic 2

Devil, Black 1

Dinosaur: 3 

Disabled man on life support with crutches 1 

Doctor (surgeon) 1 

Dogs 2 

Dorothy from Wizard of Oz 1 

Dragon (with Dad dragon & Mom as Daenerys Targaryen) 1 

Elf 1 

Elsa (Frozen character) 1 

Fairies 2 

Fallen Angel (impressive make-up) 1 

Fire Fighter: 2 

Football Player: 1 

Ghostbusters Marshmallow Man 1 

Ghosts 1 

Grim Reapers 3 

Harley Quinn 2 

Jason Hockey mask: 2 

Joker (Batman character) 1 

Killer with chainsaw 1 

Leopard 1 

Let's Eat 1 

Link (Zelda Elf character) 1 

Lumberjack 1 

Mad Scientist 1 

Miner (homemade with hardhat, vest, tools) 1 

Milo (character in Atlantis: The Lost Empire 1 

My Mom (homemade) "She's scary!" 1 

No discernible costume: 4 

Olympic Athlete 1 

Pirates: 2 

Peppa Pig 1 

Pokémon characters, various 3 

Police Officer: 1 

Power Range (Red) 1 

Pumpkin/Jack o' Lanterns 3 

Purge Characters 3 

Princess (classic) 1 

Princess (Bloody) 1 

Rainbow 1 

Red Man 1 

Russian Gangster (impressive tattoos) 1 

Sally Face (video game character) 1 

Skunk 1 

Skeletons 6 

Sleepy Baby 1 

Sleepy Dude 1 

Sloth 1 

Snake Eyes (GI Joe character) 1 

Spiderman: 3 

Tiger 1 

Tigger 1 

Train Your Dragon Character 1 

Unicorn 3 

Vampires: 4 

Where's Waldo 1 

Werewolf 1 

Wednesday Addams 1 

Witches: 2 

Wonder Woman 2 

Zombies: 2 

Zombie Soldier (impressive gear and makeup) 1

 

Parents, also in costume: 35 

Home-made costumes: 34 

Much thanks to my wife and partner in surveys Patricia Acheson, neigbours Anna Wedlock and Craig Stamp for their costume identification as well as Kiltie and Jessa the dogs who behaved patiently.