Halloween, the US trick-or-treating ritual is worth over 1.1 billion
Confesercenti estimated 3.7 million presences in hotel facilities. For theme parks it could become the most important event of the year
by Enrico Netti
It took a few decades for Halloween to become such a social and commercial phenomenon that it outclassed festivities such as Carnival, for example. According to calculations made by Confesercenti for Il Sole-24 Ore, this holiday-happening set in motion consumption of over 1.1 billion euros for the entire month of October, including purchases of themed products and activities outside the home. The desire to have fun involves almost two-thirds of Italians, but this trend is in slight decline (-3%) compared to 2024. In terms of turnover, for example, it is well above the Carnival business, which this year, according to shopkeepers, was worth over 250 million.
The main expenditure item, amounting to more than 300 million, is related to costumes, sweets, themed gadgets such as make-up, costumes and masks, spider webs, skeletons, pumpkins and anything else that can give a thrill or a treat, i.e. candy, which has taken first place among the sweet products consumed at this holiday. Last year, for example, consumption in October was up 13% on the monthly average with sales of more than 55 million euros, according to an elaboration of the Italian Food Union on Niq data.
On the out-of-case consumption front, between evenings out in public establishments such as pizzerias, pubs and discos, 35% of Italians will spend an additional 250 million euros. The impact on the tourism sector is more complex to determine due to the proximity of All Saints' Day, which falls on a Saturday. Here Confesercenti estimates about 3.7 million presences in hotel and non-hotel structures with an expenditure of about 500 million.
Who are the protagonists of this fever triggered by the Night of the Witches? Business is mainly driven by the under-34s, the millennials and Generation Z, where 70% of the participants are concentrated against 58% of the more adult groups. Then there are the families with at least one minor: three out of four households are involved.
"Halloween has now become, even in Italy, a time for socialising that involves above all young people and families with children," explains Giancarlo Banchieri, president of Fiepet Confesercenti. "For public establishments, it is an anniversary that brings vitality to neighbourhoods thanks to themed evenings, events and entertainment occasions that strengthen the role of bars and restaurants as meeting places.
