by Kaelynd Brouillette ’29 on October 30, 2025
Opinion
Halloween has undeniably always been the best holiday. Childhood Halloweens were magical. Between the chilly fall air, the crunchy leaves, and going door-to-door with your pillowcase collecting candy, the environment was absolutely perfect. Halloween looks a little different now that we are in college, as the holiday still has its magic, but in a different way. It now revolves around costume coordination over group chats, “Halloweekened” culture, and partying the weekend away. Although this is not a bad thing, it is definitely different than when we were kids. While Halloween has changed from a neighborhood-wide event and pillowcases full of candy to costumes curated for Instagram and college parties, its evolution reminds us that the holiday still captures the same desire to escape reality, just in a different form.
I remember being so thrilled to dress up for the Halloween parades in school and to show all my friends my costumes. Dressing up then was not for the sake of getting attention, but for the sake of imagination. Choosing costumes, trick-or-treating with friends, and the suspense of knocking on doors all mattered so deeply as children, as they were a way for us to express ourselves on a day where everyone else was, too. Halloween lets kids experiment with identity in harmless, playful ways. It was about curiosity and creativity, like the fun DIY costumes we all made. As people get older, priorities shift—the same desire for fun and belonging just finds new outlets. The holiday as we know it now is more aimed at socializing, drinking, and documenting our weekends, rather than trick-or-treating or imagination. Costumes are strategic, planned around what is funny or attractive, and I’ve found it to be quite stressful trying to coordinate with friends. In college, Halloween becomes about going out, and can also feel performative: we are curating moments for social media and silently competing with others to have the “best costume.” It is natural for celebrations to evolve, but also that something meaningful shifts when innocence turns into performance. Halloween has grown up alongside us, trading bags of candy for beer and revealing costumes, yet it still mirrors who we are at each stage of growing up: always searching for new ways to feel seen and connected.
What I’ve realized is that how we celebrate Halloween in college says less about the holiday itself and more about our generation as a whole. College Halloween reflects how young adults balance fun, image, and identity in today’s society. Halloweekend has become an event that reflects the modern pressure to maximize every experience, whether that be on social media or through other forms of validation. People go all out in college—planning multiple costumes and trying to attend every party, showing how performance has replaced spontaneity. The more we grow up, the more we chase the feelings of nostalgia we had as kids, although how we do that looks much different now.
Halloween is still the best holiday, but that “best” means something different at every stage of life. The heart of Halloween—creativity, connection, and escape—has never disappeared; it has just evolved with us. Even as the costumes and traditions change, the feeling that Halloween brings us still lingers. No matter who you are, Halloween is timeless and still finds a way to connect people. Despite how old we get, Halloween will always be a reminder of the joy of pretending and the magic of one night where we can be someone else.