Halloween II in the Pandemic

By Lori Perkins

So here we are, on the threshold of America’s second favorite holiday (after Christmas, but almost as profitable for retailers – except last year).

It’s our second Halloween under the cloud of COVID19. While adults are fully vaccinated, children are not, so I am not seeing a lot of advertising energy going to parties for kids, which used to be a big part of the holiday’s momentum. While our stores are offering Halloween décor from Home Depot’s bone throne to Target’s Dia de los Muertos ceramics, they were all surprisingly 50 to 75% off before the actual holiday, and will likely be 90% off tomorrow.

New York City is bringing back its signature and popular Village Halloween parade (which was cancelled last year) with the theme of “let’s party,” but I expect things to be much less well-attended and more understated this year.

In addition to the return of the Village Parade, New York is hosting some adult outdoor parties, such as The Museum of the City of New York’s masquerade ball.

Last year, most cities had kids’ Halloween parties outdoors but very little door-to-door trick or treating. I am still seeing that this year as well, so be prepared to buy truck loads of discounted Halloween candy, if that’s your thing.

But don’t worry too much – Christmas decorations have been up since the first of October (which has been a really weird cross pollination) and we will move into our next season of urgent shopping surrounded by our greatest fears.