State retailers expect $128.7 million in Halloween spending

Nevada consumers are projected to spend $128.7 million on scary decorations, elaborate costumes and sugary sweets to celebrate Halloween, according to estimates by the Retail Association of Nevada.

Nationally, an estimated $8 billion is expected to be spent, according to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation. Because of ongoing concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, overall participation saw a decline this year, with 58% of survey respondents indicating that they would be celebrating Halloween compared to 68% in 2019.

Consumers in the Silver State will spend an estimated $41.8 million to dress up in costume this Halloween. Among the most popular costumes for adults this year are a witch, vampire, a cat and Batman, according to the NRF survey. As for children’s costumes, dressing up as a princess is the most popular choice followed by Spiderman, other superheroes and a ghost.

A growing trend in recent years involves dressing up pets for the holiday. Top costumes for them include a pumpkin, a hot dog, a superhero and a cat.

Home decorations are projected to be the second-highest grossing category in Nevada with $41.4 million in spending statewide. The vast majority of adults (95 percent) plan to purchase candy. Candy sales are projected to be the third-highest revenue generator for Nevada retailers, with RAN estimating $38.5 million in sales. Greeting cards come in fourth with a projected $7.0 million in sales.

“Our retailers want to remind Nevadans that Halloween can still be celebrated safely this year,” said Bryan Wachter, Senior Vice President of RAN. “We anticipate that Nevadans will find creative ways to distribute treats while socially distancing and incorporating masks into costumes, a reminder that we can find a safe balance to enjoy the season.”

This year will see a much different form of celebration given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has required social distancing measures to be followed. The most popular Halloween activity this year remains handing out candy (62 percent), but this is down 7 percentage points from 2019. Instead, celebrants will be focused on at-home activities such as decorating (53 percent), carving a pumpkin (46 percent) and dressing their pets in costume (18 percent).

According to the NRF, the top source of Halloween costume inspiration is an online search (35 percent). Other sources of inspiration include costume shops (23 percent), friends and family (18 percent), Pinterest (18 percent) and Facebook (18 percent). The most popular shopping destinations for Halloween-related items are discount stores, where 38 percent of NRF survey respondents indicated they plan to shop, followed by specialty Halloween and costume stores (32 percent), online stores (29 percent), grocery stores and supermarkets (26 percent), department stores (22 percent) and craft or fabrics stores (13 percent).