Halloween to cast a record-breaking spell over Aussie shoppers

Australians of all ages will embrace the spooky spirit this year with record spending on Halloween festivities, according to fresh research from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) in partnership with Roy Morgan.

With fright night falling on a Friday this year, more than one-in-five Australians aged 18+ – around 4.8 million people – are gearing up to don creepy costumes, decorate their haunted houses, stock up on lollies or throw a monster bash.

“Halloween continues to grow in Australia and has become a multi-generational, community celebration,” said ARA Chief Industry Affairs Officer Fleur Brown. “From witches and wizards to superheroes and even costumed pets, Australians are getting into the spirit. Spending on costumes, decorations, treats and parties is tipped to climb 11% to about $500 million compared with last year.”

Average spending per person is also set to rise to $103, up 11% on 2024. Victoria and Tasmania will lead the spooky splurge ($112 per person), followed closely by NSW ($107) and South Australia ($102), with Queensland and Western Australia projected to spend slightly less than $100 per person.

Other key findings from the ARA and Roy Morgan Research:

• Top activities include costumes (43%), trick-or-treating (46%), stocking up on sweets (47%), and home decorating (38%).
• Spending across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland is forecast to hit a record $390 million – up $40 million on 2024.
• Men (2.2 million) and women (2.6 million) are celebrating in similar numbers to last year.
• Older Australians are joining the fun in bigger numbers, with participation among 50-to-64-year-olds rising to 21% (up 8%) and over-65s also at 21% (up 12%). That’s 1 million more ghouls and ghosts from these age groups taking part.

“These figures show that Halloween is no longer just child’s play,” Ms. Brown said. “It’s become an event for Australians of all ages. With strong discretionary spending on Halloween, retailers have every reason to hope the season ahead will be a treat, not a trick.”

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This ARA-Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with an Australian-wide cross-section of 4,319 Australians aged 18+ on Tuesday September 16 – Monday September 22, 2025.

About the Australian Retailers Association (ARA)

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the oldest, largest and most diverse national retail body, representing a $450 billion sector that employs 1.3 million Australians and is the largest private sector employer in the country. As Australia’s peak retail body, representing more than 120,000 retail shop fronts and online stores, the ARA informs, advocates, educates, protects and unifies our independent, national and international retail community. To learn more about ARA’s exclusive member benefits and more, visit retail.org.au

About Roy Morgan

Roy Morgan is Australia’s largest independent Australian research company, with offices in each state, as well as in the U.S. and U.K. A full-service research organisation, Roy Morgan has over 80 years’ experience collecting objective, independent information on consumers. To learn more visit www.roymorgan.com.