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Last updated August 7, 2022

Little trick-or-treaters wandering from door to door?
Modern Halloween celebrations may be more for adults than for the kiddies...

Goblins, Ghosts ... and Grownups?
Halloween fun & adult Halloween party Ideas for kids of all ages...

Retail stores are pulling out the black and orange Halloween decorations as early as mid-August in some areas. Why have stores begun to put such a focus on this minor children's holiday?

Because Halloween is not just for kids anymore.

A recent National Retail Federation survey found that 82 percent of children plan to dress up to attend parties or to go trick-or-treating. That comes as no surprise.

That about 75 percent of adults also plan to participate in a Halloween activity may be news to you, but it does explain some of the fuss over the spooky celebration.

It hasn't always been an adult celebration. Over the last two decades, Halloween has become a more adult-oriented holiday, and the sales figures show it says James Lowry, a Ball State University retail marketing expert.

Grownups may have started dressing in costumes to keep their little ones safe, but the trend caught on and gets bigger every year. Buying Halloween costumes and decorations fuel sales that amounted to more than $6 billion according to several retail organizations, with the most spent by adult millennials.

Who's having more fun?

Adults have increased sales of costumes, candy, lawn decorations and other scary merchandise. Decorating stores with ghosts, goblins, witches and pumpkins as early as August is a blatant attempt to get the jump on the competition. It seems to be working.

Universal Studios in Hollywood and Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA both host adults-only horror haunting nights. The only time of year that generates more adult parties is New Year's Eve.

The Greenwich Village Halloween Parade in New York City also draws ghouls and goblins who dress as lawyers and stockbrokers in the daytime.

What is the attraction?

Says Lowry, "Halloween is a good time to dress up and be someone else for awhile."

More about adult Halloween parties around the Web:

	How to Throw An Adult Halloween Party		Halloween Costume Ideas for Couples