Halloween is right around the corner, and it’s estimated that 179 million Americans will be celebrating the spooky season this year. That amounts to a record $9.1 billion in spending on Halloween-related purchases. Although spending on candy will account for $2.4 billion, the biggest spend of the season will be for costumes. Spending for costumes in 2017 will reach $3.4 billion, followed by $2.7 billion in spending on home décor. Approximately 69 million Americans expected to be in costume – and about 16% of those dressing up will put their pets in costume, too.

Halloween Traditions

Halloween fun starts with the classic night of trick-or-treating, but the fun doesn’t have to end as you get older. Halloween is celebrated all over the world. The ten coolest places in the world to celebrate Halloween range from Salem, Massachusetts, which offers a full Halloween experience with its history of witches, to Mexico’s infamous Day of the Dead celebration. Coming in as the no. 1 scariest place to be on Halloween is New Orleans. Halloween in New Orleans is the second-largest celebration after Mardi Gras.

For those interested in scarier adventures, this website will help you find a haunted house near you.

Halloween and Pets 

Pets don’t get left out at all when it comes to Halloween, either. 20 million people love the tradition and will dress their pets in costumes, spending about $350 million in Halloween pet fashion. If you thought only you could enjoy pumpkin treats, your pets also have access to pumpkin-flavored food and treats. Pumpkin-flavored dog food sales have soared in the past years, rising from about $2 million to $12 million between 2014 and 2015.

Halloween is a fun and affordable holiday and this year promises to be record breaking.