Many things have happened this year, and with the official start of the fall season on September 3 and Halloween quickly approaching in a little over 2 weeks, here are some 2023 Halloween costume predictions.

First off, a very obvious choice: Barbie. It’s no surprise that Barbie would be one of the very first to appear in this article as it is officially the highest-grossing release of the year, generating $1.38 billion at the worldwide box office. On July 21, 2023, flocks of people could be seen surrounding theatres as it was the official release date of the movie. Since then, the color pink has made a comeback in many people’s wardrobes, and there’s no doubt it will be seen as a popular costume choice this year, as there are also many options. Here are a few:

• Cowboy Ken/Cowgirl Barbie

• President Barbie

• Rollerskating Barbie

• Stereotypical Barbie

• Mojo Dojo Casa House Ken

Following, you can’t forget about Oppenheimer. Being the second biggest movie release of the summer, along with Barbie, and even having the same release date, Oppenheimer is another obvious costume choice for this upcoming Halloween. If you weren’t seeing pink by the movie theatres this past summer, you were seeing black for Oppenheimer, an easy costume to dress up as most people have at least one piece of black clothing in their wardrobe. Or if you are willing to put in the effort, you can dress as a scientist or wear an old-timey suit.

Another possible costume idea inspired by a movie is Super Mario. The Super Mario Bros Movie was released earlier this year in April. It became a quick hit as Super Mario Bros was a popular game in many of our and our parents’ childhood, with it first being released in 1985. You could dress up at the classic plumber brothers or this costume would work great for groups and families.

Even though the movie hasn’t been released yet, Willy Wonka inspired costumes could be expected this Halloween as many are awaiting its release. With Timothee Chalamet playing Willa Wonka, many will definitely be flocking to the theatres to watch this next possible big hit. All you would really need is a top hat, white sunglasses (preferably the clout ones), and a red coat.

Switching to a popular comedy horror show, costumes inspired by Wednesday on Netflix. Star of the show, Wednesday Adams, played by Jenna Ortega, became a big hit as her emo look and dance also blew up on TikTok after its release in November of last year. Since the show wasn’t around yet last Halloween, we can probably expect to see some people dressed up as a character from the show this year. You can go the easy route by wearing a “pilgrim-esque” black dress, knee-high black socks, and two braids in your hair, or her iconic dance scene goth dress.

With many big artists going on tour this year, we can expect to see costumes inspired by:

Taylor Swift (Eras Tour)

• For those who did attend one of her concerts, you probably already have an outfit ready, as it was a huge phenomenon to dress up in one of Taylor’s old eras to attend the concert.

Olivia Rodrigo (GUTS Tour)

• You could dress up as a vampire, inspired by her latest album, something Y2K with a hint of grunge, or just like anything purple.

Lana Del Rey (Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd Promotional Tour)

Beyonce (Renaissance Tour)

• There are many options to choose from her tour outfits, as many fans have already started to recreate them to attend her concerts. You could also just go with simply wearing all silver.

Moving to old costumes that could possibly be revisited this year.

Top Gun Maverick was a huge release last summer and could make a reappearance this Halloween, as it’s an easy costume to dress up for. All you would need is a nice pair of aviators and either a jumpsuit or jeans, a white shirt, and a bomber jacket. 

In addition, there’s always the classic Disney princesses. There are many options, and with the release of the live-action The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey, in May at the beginning of the summer, this could be a popular choice for Halloween. You could dress up as Ariel herself, Flounder, Prince Eric, Scuttle, and many other characters.