Why is Halloween starting so much earlier each year? A business professor explains

Halloween is a fun and scary time for kids and adults alike, but why does the holiday seem to start so much earlier every year? Decades ago, when I was young, Halloween was a much smaller affair and people didn’t start preparing until mid-October. Today, in my neighborhood near where I grew up in Massachusetts, Halloween decorations start popping up in the middle of summer.

What has changed is not just when we celebrate, but also how: Halloween has gone from a simple folk tradition to a massive commercial event. As a business school professor who has studied the holiday economy for years, I’m amazed at how much the Halloween industry has grown. And understanding why it’s such a big deal may help explain why it’s developing earlier and earlier.

Halloween stuff

The roots of Halloween lie in a Celtic holiday honoring the dead, later adapted by the Catholic Church as a time to remember saints. Today, it is largely a secular celebration, giving people from all walks of life the opportunity to dress up, indulge in fantasies, and face their fears in safety.

This broad appeal has fueled explosive growth. The National Retail Federation has surveyed Americans about their Halloween plans every September since 2005. At the time, just over half of Americans said they planned to celebrate. In 2025, almost three-quarters of them said they would do so, a considerable jump in 20 years.

And people are considering shelling out more money than ever before. Total spending on Halloween is expected to hit a record $13 billion this year, according to the federation, a fourfold increase over the past two decades. Accounting for inflation and population growth, I found that the average American will spend $38 on Halloween this year, up from just $18 per person in 2005. That’s a lot of candy corn.

Candy imports show a similar trend. September has long been the key month for the candy trade, with imports about a fifth higher than during the rest of the year. In September 2005, the United States imported approximately $250 million worth of sweet products. By September 2024, this figure had tripled to around $750 million.

This is part of a larger Halloween trend that is becoming much more professionalized. For example, when I was a child, it was not uncommon for households to hand out brownies, candied apples, and other homemade treats at trick-or-treaters. But due to safety concerns and food allergies, Americans have been warned for decades to stick to mass-produced, individually packaged candy.

The same change happened with the costumes. Years ago, many people made their own; today, store-bought costumes dominate, even for pets.

Why Halloween Keeps Coming Earlier

While there is no definitive research establishing why Halloween seems to start earlier each year, increased spending is one of the biggest factors.

Halloween items are seasonal, which means no one wants to buy giant plastic skeletons on November 1st. As total expenses increase, retailers order more inventory and the cost of storing ever-larger quantities of unsold items until the following year becomes a more important factor.

Once a season’s retail footprint becomes large enough, retailers begin ordering and displaying merchandise well before it is actually needed. For example, winter coats start appearing in stores in early fall and usually disappear when the snow starts to fall. It’s the same with Halloween: Retailers distribute their merchandise early to ensure they don’t get stuck with unsold items once the season is over.

They also often price strategically: They charge full price when items first hit shelves, attracting eager early buyers, then lower prices as the holidays approach. This frees up shelves and warehouses, making way for the next shopping season.

Over the past two decades, Halloween has become an increasingly important commercial holiday. The increase in people enjoying the holiday and increased spending have made Halloween a giant treat for businesses. The big trick for retailers is to prevent this holiday from starting before the 4th of July.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.