Why I’m now a Halloween fan

Surprisingly, Halloween has never been something I’ve looked forward to. Dressing up in a costume has never really interested me, and once I was too old to go trick or treating, I simply saw it as a non-event that only others got excited about. Now I’m at university, however, my opinion has changed.

Maybe it’s due to my increased focus on nightlife that has caused me to be swayed. Previously, the only reason I bothered going out for Halloween was due to FOMO, the fear of missing out. This year, I thoroughly enjoyed my two-day spooky bender. The first night saw me dressed as fantastic Mr Fox. I won’t lie, I threw the costume together very quickly from what I could find. Despite my half-hearted effort, I could easily say it was one of the best nights out I’ve had since moving to Newcastle.

It reminded me of freshers week. Everyone was sociable and talkative. People that you would never mix with were sparking conversations—a stark contrast to most weekends. My generation isn’t the best at creating dialogue in person; maybe because we were the first to grow up with the smartphone. All we really know is how to Snapchat people; however, you wouldn’t have thought this from the positive, sociable atmosphere inherent in all the clubs I visited.

So, due to my newfound love of Halloween, I put in more effort for the second night of partying. I really wanted to bring something different to the table, something that would also show off my personality. I don’t take myself too seriously and I’ve always been one of the funny ones. I queued for far too long to get into the costume shop, but it was my fault I’d left things to the last minute. As I browsed through what was left, nothing caught my eye until, on the top shelf, I found the perfect Halloween costume. I would be…Greg the Egg.

I’m not joking, I went dressed as a fried egg to a house party and everyone loved it. What a perfect way to introduce myself to new people.

‘What’s your name?’ they’d ask.

‘Oh, I’m Greg the Egg.’

Of course, I endured and delivered plenty of eggcellent puns. ‘Will you be the salt and pepper to my egg?’ was a personal favourite. Song lyrics that could be replaced with the word ‘egg’ were bandied about all night, too. I really enjoyed the occasion, given that Halloween has always been an event I’ve never really cared about.

Sure, Halloween still represents consumerism at its finest. Most costumes are made of shockingly poor-quality materials, yet people will still pay around £20 for something that, if they washed it, would disintegrate almost immediately—but does this really matter to them? As long as you’re enjoying yourself and having fun, the price tag isn’t so important. Halloween is the perfect excuse to escape the doom and gloom currently choking the country, even if only for a brief moment. Sometimes, we all need a break from politics and the news—it’s often too depressing to watch. Halloween has provided some escapism for me this year, and I can’t wait for October 31, 2023.