Halloween brings out Lethbridge’s shambling hordes of last-minute costume shoppers

Canuck October 31, 2023

LETHBRIDGE –

Tuesday saw a steady flow of customers at Spirit Halloween in Lethbridge, as last-minute shoppers flocked to the popular costume store to find something to wear.

“We opened at eight this morning and we had several people lined up already,” said Sarah Burton, Spirit Halloween sales associate.

“Everybody is getting those last-minutes, or the kid woke up this morning and decided, ‘I don’t want to be that this year,’ or, ‘Hey, I went to go put (it) on and realized I’m out of this or needed to grab this and forgot.'”

Burton says the top costumes this year have been Barbie and Wednesday Addams, along with Michael Myers from Halloween and Ghostface from Scream.

But with the hours dwindling down before the big night, some were still searching for a costume.

Patricia Jonzon, University of Lethbridge costume shop and props assistant in the fine arts department, says there are a number of easy-to-put-together ideas online.

“A fun idea is a Pantone costume. So just wear something all the same colour, maybe all green or maybe all blue, and put a label on yourself that says you’re a Pantone colour,” Jonzon said.

“Or, you might go into the kitchen, maybe you have some of those yellow rubber gloves. Wear a white dress shirt (with them) and you’re a mad scientist.”

Jonzon says most ideas online are low-cost and use items found in most households.

“If you have a piece of cardboard in the recycling and some paint, you could make yourself a Lego block in probably half an hour,” she said.

“You can definitely recycle, utilize things you have on hand.”

With many dressing up for the one-day festivities, Burton says the cost of costumes and decorations has only slightly increased compared to previous years.

“The other thing we’ve noticed is that people may come in, because we’ve been open since August, they’ll come in and buy this part of their costume and then they’ll come in a few weeks later and buy this part of the costume. So they’re kind of piecing it together over the couple of months rather than coming in all at once and grabbing everything they need,” Burton said.

When it comes to arts and crafts, Jonzon says don’t be afraid to pick up a hot-glue gun or a pair of scissors to make those last-minute changes.

“It doesn’t have to be perfect. It never has to be perfect,” Jonzon said.

“I think sometimes, just an accessory, a gnome hat, a red hat made out of construction paper, is enough to say ‘I’m a gnome.'”

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