‘Halloweenmas’: how the spooky one-nighter turned into a month-long spectacular

Welcome to Halloweenmas, weeks of themed fun and gifts – from costume parties to decorating trees – without the stress, rules or cost of Christmas

The tree is up, the wreath is hanging on the front door and you’ve just opened your advent calendar. All told, it’s beginning to feel a lot like … Halloween.

“What was traditionally a single-night celebration has turned into a month-long event mirroring many of Christmas’s traditions, but without the same level of expectation,” said Charlotte Broadbent, the UK general manager for the online wholesale platform Faire.

According to the budget retailer Wilko, Halloween trees are one of the biggest decorating trends of 2026. It said sales of artificial trees were 200% higher in September than a year ago.

The lack of rules is clear from social media, where the looks span student party – black tinsel tree shaped like a witch’s hat – to child-friendly cuteness. The arts and crafts retailer Hobbycraft’s website offers “five ways to decorate a twig tree” that include DIY spiderwebs made out of lolly sticks and felt pumpkins.

Emily Viberg, a senior retail analyst at the research group Mintel, said Halloween was “no longer just about costumes and sweets, it’s about a full season of engagement, gifting and themed activities”.

“Consumers are increasingly buying into the atmosphere and social moments Halloween creates,” Viberg said. “Younger adults are at the heart of this shift, transforming Halloween from a one-night celebration into a broader season of self-expression and experience-led spending.”

While some people might complain it is all over the top, Broadbent said: “What we’re seeing is people investing into Halloween as a reason to share quality time together ahead of Christmas, with lots of fun and creativity at its heart and without the need to spend big.”