Halloween weekend will have some students wearing chill costumes Friday and more complex costumes for events on Saturday.
The Athens Halloween Block Party and other Halloween festivities will see students, locals and visitors alike dressed in various costumes during the Halloween celebration to show extra spirit.
Monica Kizis, a junior studying international business and marketing, said she wore two different costumes during Halloween weekend last year.
“I heard that you do wear one on Friday and you do wear a different one on Saturday,” she said. “And plus, I didn’t wanna wear the same costume two days in a row.”
To kick off the weekend, she wore a Batman T-shirt that had a cape because she wanted a “laid-back” costume for night plans when no one can see what you’re wearing. For Saturday, she was a vampire decked out with fake blood and “jarring” makeup, but her costume was missing the fangs because it wouldn’t fit her teeth, she said.
Brandon Thompson, an Athens local, said he deejays at the block party under the alias DJ B-Funk, and he always wears a costume. Because he’s participating in one of the biggest Halloween celebrations in “the world,” he said he feels like it’s a “duty” to the people.
Thompson said he tries to create a pop culture theme that ties together his costume and music choices at every block party. Last year, he went as a character from Stranger Things and played clips from the show throughout his set.
He recently started trick-or-treating in Athens with his daughter and said he might pull out an old giraffe costume for the occasion.
People may also wear a second costume during Halloween weekend if they can find an easy one to assemble or if they can reuse a previous year’s outfit, Thompson said. During the holiday ruckus, it’s also likely that someone’s original costume could be ruined before the night’s over and they’ll want a backup.
Corder Van Bibber, a sophomore studying chemistry and psychology pre-medicine, said he’s going home for Halloween weekend to attend barn costume parties in his rural hometown and plans on being a Hershey Kiss because he saw some cool designs for it on the internet.
Van Bibber will not be wearing a second costume because it’s not worth the effort, but said he knows a few people who will wear two costumes during Athens’ Halloween weekend. He said they might be participating in the costume contest and only wear their complex, “uncomfortable” outfits for the judging.
Whether someone’s wearing a costume that only makes sense with other people could also be a contributing factor for them having multiple outfits, Vanbibber said.
“Someone might have a couple costume or a group costume and they’re going to a different party without their group,” he said.
Another benefit of having two costumes could be experiencing two entirely different nights. People who transform into a character will react and interact with others differently, depending on who they are at that moment.
Thompson said he’s going to be Bob Ross this year because he already owned some of the materials and other staple props were easy purchases. Putting on costumes is fun for him because he gets to take on that person’s appearance and mannerisms.
“When I dress up in that costume, I like to become that person,” he said.
