The most common question we get is not “what should I dress up as”. It is “will people stare at me?”. The answer is yes — but not in the way you are afraid of.
First, the head stuff
At a Halloween festival, the person in costume is not the exception. They are the rule. The awkward thing is not wearing a costume — it is being the only one who did not. And the crowd here knows what it is looking at: someone will recognise your character, tell you what you got right, and will probably show you what they used on their own.
Pick a character with your head, not your heart
Your first costume is not the moment to prove something. Three criteria, in this order:
- Features you already have. If you have long hair, pick a character with long hair. Every wig you avoid is €30 and two hours you get back.
- Silhouette, not detail. The characters people recognise from a distance are the ones with a clean outline and two or three colours. If someone has to come closer to work it out, the costume does not work in a crowd.
- Can you sit down in it? You will be on your feet for four hours and at some point you will want to eat.
What it actually costs
A first costume that works does not need to go past €40–60, if you build it in the right order. The recipe is always the same:
- A base from your own wardrobe. A plain T-shirt, trousers, shoes you already wear.
- One signature piece. The cloak, the hat, the jacket — the one thing that makes the character recognisable. This is where your money goes.
- Make-up. It changes more than any fabric, and it costs less than all of it.
And since we have brought it up: the festival runs free make-up lessons with the festival’s make-up artist, Christina Exintadeka, on specific characters — Chucky on Friday, Jack Skellington on Saturday, Pennywise on Sunday. There is no booking; come half an hour before the time listed in the programme.
The three first-time mistakes
- A mask that closes off your face. It looks perfect in the photo and becomes unbearable by the second hour. Go for make-up, or a mask that comes off easily.
- Something you hold in your hands. A scythe, a wand, a suitcase — you will carry it all day, put it down somewhere and forget it. If you want it, make sure it clips to a belt or your back.
- Shoes you have never worn before. There is no character worth a blister at 20:00.
The contest
The best costume contest runs on all three days, and there is no sign-up and no stage: you take a photo at the festival photobooth and post it on Instagram, tagging the festival. The first three win prizes from our sponsors.
Two things worth knowing. The first: the most expensive costume does not win. A photo is judged on the performance — how you stand, how you look, whether you stay in character. A cheap costume with the right bearing beats an expensive one that is merely worn.
The second: the photobooth gets busy in the evenings. For a photo without a queue and in good light, go early in the afternoon.
If you are not ready this year
Come without a costume. Nobody will say a word, you will see what everyone else is doing up close, and next year you will know exactly what you want. Most of the cosplayers you will meet started that way.