National Costume Swap Day is observed on the second Saturday in October, encouraging families and communities to trade Halloween costumes rather than buying new ones every year.
History of National Costume Swap Day
National Costume Swap Day was launched in 2010 by Green Halloween, an initiative founded by mother-daughter team Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson. The pair had already written a book called “Celebrate Green: Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays,” aimed at showing that festive traditions didn’t have to come with a mountain of waste. Costume Swap Day grew directly out of that mission, targeting one of Halloween’s biggest sources of single-use waste: costumes that get worn once and then discarded or outgrown.
The timing, a few weeks before Halloween, gives families enough time to swap costumes and still prepare before the holiday itself. What started as a grassroots eco-friendly idea has since grown into an annual event embraced by schools, offices, and community groups nationwide.
10 Ways to Host or Join a Costume Swap
- Host a swap party at home, inviting friends and neighbors to bring costumes they’ve outgrown
- Organize a swap table at school or daycare, since kids outgrow costumes quickly
- Set up an office costume swap as a low-effort way to mark the day at work
- Include adult-size costumes too, since grownups can swap for parties and events as well
- Wash or clean costumes before bringing them to a swap
- Partner with a local theater group, since they often need costumes for fall productions
- Donate leftover costumes to a thrift store if they don’t get swapped
- Create a dress-up trunk at home from swapped pieces for imaginative play year-round
- Combine mismatched pieces from different swapped costumes to create something new
- Share photos of your swap event on social media using #CostumeSwapDay
Fun Facts About National Costume Swap Day
- National Costume Swap Day was founded in 2010 by Green Halloween, created by Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson.
- The day falls on the second Saturday in October each year, timed to give families a few weeks to prepare before Halloween.
- Consumer spending on Halloween costumes in the U.S. has been estimated at over $4 billion in recent years.
- Costume swapping helps reduce textile waste by extending the life of costumes that might otherwise be discarded after a single wear.
- Theater groups preparing for fall productions can also benefit from costume swaps, not just trick-or-treaters.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is National Costume Swap Day?
National Costume Swap Day is observed on the second Saturday in October each year.
Who started National Costume Swap Day?
Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson, a mother-daughter team behind the initiative Green Halloween, launched the observance in 2010.
What should I do with costumes that don’t get swapped?
Leftover costumes can be donated to a local thrift store, given to a theater group, or kept as part of a dress-up trunk for ongoing imaginative play.