Halloween will begin early this year with “Haunted Hallway” on Tuesday, Oct. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the North Bergen High School, 7417 Kennedy Blvd. Immerse yourself in spooky scenes and creepy classrooms. The cost is $5 per person for ages 5 and up only. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
The North Bergen Recreation Halloween Parade for boys and girls ages infant through 9 years old is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29. The event, sponsored by Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Commissioner Hugo Cabrera, will take place from 6 to 8 p.m.at the Recreation Center, 6300 Meadowview Ave.
Halloween spending this year is expected to total $7.4 billion – up from $6.9 billion last year – with $2.8 billion on costumes and $2 billion on decorations.
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The Kennedy Branch of the library is hosting its second annual Halloween Celebration the same day, Oct. 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2123 Kennedy Blvd. There will be a haunted house, goodie bags and more.
Most popular costumes
Of course, the holiday isn’t just for kids.
Nationally, spending this year is expected to total $7.4 billion – up from $6.9 billion last year – with $2.8 billion of that on costumes. And fully half that amount will be spent on adult costumes.
According to a survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF), the average person will spend $77.52 on Halloween this year, up from $75.03 in 2013.
More than two-thirds (67.4 percent) of celebrants are expected to buy Halloween costumes this year, the most in the NRF survey’s 11-year history.
The most popular kids costume in 2014 shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Elsa from Frozen sold in massive numbers to young fans. Roughly 2.6 million kids plan to dress up as characters from the film this year.
Second in popularity were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The best-selling costume for women is another film favorite. Maleficent, the title character of this year’s highest-grossing original movie, tops the sales list on Amazon.
Following her is another strong, menacing icon, Catwoman. Rounding out the top three is Wonder Woman, star of yet another upcoming film.
Costumes for men are a bit less focused. Amazon’s top seller is a Bavarian men’s costume for Oktoberfest, followed by a banana. (Yes, a banana.) Superman doesn’t appear until number three.
But it doesn’t stop there. Fans of Star Wars can dress like Boba Fett or a stormtrooper for a modest $1,050 each. A sequined white Elvis costume of the type worn in Aloha from Hawaii, complete with red scarf and rhinestone-studded belt, will set you back a cool $1,365.
Pet costumes are also increasing popular, with Americans expected to spend $350 million on outfits for Fido and Whiskers this year.
Haunting houses
Trick or treating remains a perennial pleasure for kids in many communities, albeit under much stricter adult supervision than in bygone days. According to the survey, 71.1 percent of Americans plan to hand out candy this year, with a projected price tag of $2.2 billion.
In addition, nearly half of us (46.7 percent) will decorate our homes and/or yards in some fashion, at a cost of $2 billion.
In North Bergen, that can mean small seasonal items like pumpkins and corn husks on the front stoop, or it can mean going all out to embrace the holiday, with some residents doing a complete makeover on their home exterior.
Witches, ghosts, and monsters have landed throughout town – along with smiling scarecrows and Caspar-like friendly ghosts, in a nod to a kinder, gentler Halloween. Check out the accompanying photos to see how your neighbors are celebrating.
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.