Halloween is right around the corner, which means it's time to start thinking about your costume! With so many options to choose from, deciding what to dress up as for Halloween 2023 can be tricky. Here are some popular costume ideas to help inspire you this year.
When choosing a Halloween costume, it's fun to pick something tied to pop culture or recent events. Some hot costume ideas for Halloween 2023 could include:
Movie and TV Show Character Costumes
Dressing up as characters from popular movies and TV shows is always a classic choice. Some ideas for 2023 could include:
- Stranger Things - With the latest season having premiered this summer, characters like Eleven, Dustin, and Vecna will be common costumes.
- House of the Dragon - This new Game of Thrones prequel has made characters like Prince Daemon and Princess Rhaenyra popular costume picks.
- Top Gun: Maverick - The sequel film could inspire people to dress up as pilots like Tom Cruise's Maverick and Miles Teller's Rooster.
- Hocus Pocus 2 - The return of the Sanderson sisters makes them a prime costume choice.
- The Bear - This hit FX show could lead to people dressing up as Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto and the staff of The Original Beef of Chicagoland.
Pop Culture Moments and Trends
Costumes inspired by major pop culture moments are always crowd-pleasers. Some ideas for 2023 include:
- Taylor Swift - With her latest album Midnights dropping in October, expect to see a lot of people dressed up as various Taylor Swift eras.
- Barbiecore - The bright pink Y2K-inspired Barbie fashion trend will likely influence party looks.
- Elvis - The huge box office success of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic makes rocking an Elvis Presley costume a great throwback choice.
- Wednesday Addams - Tim Burton's upcoming Wednesday Netflix series with Jenna Ortega as the titular character will revive this costume.
Viral Memes and Moments
Viral internet sensations often inspire timely Halloween costumes too. Some possibilities include:
- Wordle - Dress up as the popular word game with a green word grid outfit.
- Chaos goblin - Pay homage to this widespread reaction meme with goblin ears and wild face paint.
- Corn kid - The enthusiastic boy who went viral for his love of corn on the cob makes for a fun, wholesome costume.
- The woman yelling at the cat meme - Recreate this odd couple pairing with a friend for an amusing couples costume idea.
DIY and Couples Costume Ideas
For those looking to get creative or do a costume with their significant other, DIY and couples looks are great options. Here are unique costume ideas to try:
DIY Costume Ideas
Channel your crafting skills to make these DIY costumes:
- A stick of butter - Wear all yellow and make a butter wrapper with paper and ribbon. Carry around a slice of bread as an accessory.
- The Spotify wrapped up - Create a cardboard music streaming interface covered in fabric painted like a Spotify yearly recap. Display your top artists and songs.
- A cheese board - Dress in wood-patterned fabric and attach felt cheese slices, grapes, crackers, and meats all over.
- A hacked Instagram grid - Make a large photo frame grid attached to a black shirt. Print out weird memes and photoshopped images to fill it out.
Couples Costume Ideas
Coordinate costumes with your significant other like:
- Mario and Princess Peach - A classic video game couple where one dresses as Mario and the other as Princess Peach in her pink dress.
- Daenerys and Jon Snow - The dragon queen and king in the north make an epic Game of Thrones pairing.
- Elvis and Priscilla Presley - Channel vintage rock n’ roll style as the iconic celebrity couple.
- Forrest Gump and Jenny - Dress as the sweethearts from the beloved Tom Hanks film.
Trendy Group Costume Ideas
For friend groups looking for coordinated Halloween costumes, these trendy themed ideas can make you stand out:
Squid Game Group Costumes
- Red light, green light - Half dress in green tracksuits as players and half wear red jumpsuits as guards.
- Dalgona challenge - Wear matching teal shirts and make dalgona shape cookies out of foam.
- Masked guards - In all black with gold face masks and shapes on the front.
- The VIPs - Wear black robes and extravagant masquerade masks.
Stranger Things Group Costumes
- The kids - Dress up as Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Will.
- Hellfire Club - Channel the Dungeons & Dragons party as Eddie, Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Erica.
- The adults - Go as Joyce, Hopper, Murray, Enzo, Argyle, and Mr. Clarke.
- The villains - Dress up as Vecna, the Mind Flayer, the Demogorgon, and Dr. Brenner.
Halloween Costume FAQs
What are some easy DIY costume ideas?
Some easy last-minute costumes include wearing all black and going as a ninja or cat, dressing in athletic wear and going as an athlete, wearing a Hawaiian shirt to be a tourist, or putting on a name tag and going as someone with your dream job.
What are trending women's costume ideas for 2023?
Popular costumes for women this year include Harley Quinn, Maddie from Euphoria, Black or Red Widow, Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada, Taylor Swift, and characters from Hocus Pocus 2 like Winifred Sanderson.
What are trending men's costume ideas for 2023?
Top men's costumes for 2023 include Elvis Presley, The Dude from The Big Lebowski, Maverick from Top Gun: Maverick, Tyler Durden from Fight Club, Miles Morales as Spiderman, and Eddie Munson from Stranger Things.
What makes a creative group costume?
Creative group costumes include ones with a central theme like musicians in a band, characters from a TV show, athletes on a team, or different colored crayons. Puns and wordplay also make funny group costumes like the Spice Girls going as Salt, Pepper, Paprika, etc.
What are good plus size costumes?
Great plus size costume ideas include Supergirl, Rosie the Riveter, The Goddess Venus, Medusa, Flo from Progressive Insurance, Mrs. Incredible from The Incredibles, and a Viking Warrior Princess. Opt for comfortable, stretchy fabrics.
Conclusion
With so many pop culture inspirations to draw from, Halloween 2023 offers lots of exciting costume possibilities. Whether you go solo as a movie or TV character, coordinate a timely DIY costume, or do a clever group look, choosing a creative outfit is part of the seasonal fun. Use these trendy costume theme ideas to help spark inspiration as you plan what you’ll dress up as this Halloween!
