Whilst not celebrated to the extent of the USA or United Kingdom, Halloween is still celebrated in Australia and it is becoming more and more popular.
When is Halloween in Australia?
Halloween in Australia is celebrated on October 31st.
Why is is celebrated in Australia?
Well much like in the USA and United Kingdom, Aussies like to party and have fun too. Celebrations for Halloween in Australia are largely an excuse for a party and for families and friends to get together.
Halloween also coincides with the end of spring and improved temperatures in Australia which is also when more Aussies tend to go out more than in the colder winter months.
How popular is it?
Halloween is something that has been growing in popularity in Australia. According to the SMH, it used to be frowned upon due to it being synonymous with the Americanisation of Australian culture.
It is now seen to be much more of an event and an excuse for a party and as you can see from the below Google Trends data, has shown no signs of slowing down with searches spiking from mid-October to Halloween itself.
What do people do to celebrate it?
Much like other countries it is celebrated with themed parties for kids, companies, and friends.
This generally involves people dressing up in scary costumes and either going to parties or navigating their local neighbourhoods trick or treating (or both).
You’ll often find that families decorate their homes to fit the Halloween theme with decorations such as fake spider cobwebs, skeletons, witches, orange lights, pumpkins to name a few.
Does it differ to how Americans celebrate it?
In terms of how it is celebrated, they are very similar, however, Aussies do not celebrate it to the scale of Americans and it is still often referred to in Australia as an “American” thing.
In fact, in a survey carried out by the ABC, Aussies said they were not a fan of it and it doesn’t align with Australia’s culture and heritage.
Whilst it is growing in popularity but it is yet to become as embedded in Aussie culture as it is in the states.