The National Retail Federation, or NRF, expects this Halloween spending to return to pre-pandemic numbers, with customers spending more on adult costumes than those for children.
"I'm seeing a lot of people who are my age throwing parties or even going out to restaurants or bars during the night to celebrate," said Nikki Cristobal, customer at a Halloween store. The practice of wearing Halloween costumes has roots in paganism and Christianity in the early part of the 20th century to ward off evil spirits. Some historians trace adults getting into the dress-up act to San Francisco's LGBTQ neighborhood, Castro, in the 1970s when gay people entered a children's costume contest for fun. Cross dressing was illegal then, and it was one night a year where someone could dress-up without breaking the law.