With Halloween 2024 coming up, I spent the week asking University of Maine Students what they think is in and what’s out for Halloween this year. I sat down with Michael Sabol, a fourth-year student who says Halloween is his favorite time of the year at UMaine.
Sabol did a semester abroad last year at the University of Victoria. He said that he did not do as much for Halloween in Canada, as it was not as big of a deal for students there as it is here in Maine. Sabol also said that he celebrates Halloween more now than he did before he went to college.
With Halloween being a big deal at UMaine, let’s look at what students are saying about what is in versus what is out for costumes this year. Let’s be realistic first. Shopping for Halloween costumes is rather limited in Orono due to its lack of retail clothing spaces. With a Spirit Halloween store 11 minutes away from campus, students need to plan ahead on what they’re dressing up as for Halloween.
The big trouble that Sabol had finding a costume this year was that the time to go shopping is right around midterms, and with the added stress of an upcoming election, Halloween has taken a back seat in his planning. However, he’s still got some ins and outs on Halloween costume trends.
“The shirts just say what they are on them like someone will dress up as a trash can, and it will just say Adam Sandler’s comedy career,” said Sabol.
Sabol says that he often finds celebrity costumes confusing and that they do not easily convey who they are trying to replicate, and often don’t succeed. But, he says it will definitely be in with the rise of distinct outfits and styles from famous pop stars like Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter.
However, he does wish for more people to go as classic monsters, but the effort put into the costume has to be there. Sabol made his very own costume, Wirt from “Over the Garden Wall”, as he really values the crafting aspect of costumes.
“I think horror monsters are out right now. No one is doing that anymore, I’ll contradict myself here, but I think being a celebrity is in this year,” Sabol says.
A good costume that effort was poured into is great, but if it is a lazy costume like just a T-shirt, I’d say just don’t dress up at all. Sabol agreed with this, saying that it is better not to dress up at all rather than just phoning it in. A lazy costume is no fun, and the people who have clever and well-crafted costumes are what make the holiday enjoyable.