It’s about that time of year when Halloween costume planning is starting to set in.
If you’re out of classic ideas and looking for something topical and modern, here are some costumes inspired by the happenings of 2024 so that you’re the life of your upcoming Halloween celebration.
Pop stars and musical icons
2024 has been a big year for music. From bubblegum pop to diss tracks, there are plenty of pop culture inspired costumes to try out this year.
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter has skyrocketed this year from an artist with a small but loyal fanbase, to opening for Taylor Swift and releasing some of the year’s most ear-worm worthy hits like "Espresso'' and "Please Please Please.''
As her new album Short and Sweet implies, a costume inspired by the 5-foot starlet will almost definitely include a high-platform heel, pastel-colored dresses and maybe a cup of espresso to get you through the festivities.
Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter
The once-in-a-generation superstar released Cowboy Carter, another critically acclaimed album, in 2024. This time Beyoncé drew from country music inspirations both old and new.
It might be harder to get a replica horse, but a red-white-and-blue ensemble paired with a Cowboy Carter sash, a cowboy hat and boots will be enough to clue people in. While you’re at it, warm up your vocal cords before leaving the house.
Kendrick Lamar
Speaking of bonafide superstars having a major year, Kendrick Lamar may be the most talked-about artist this year. From a heavily publicized beef with rapper Drake, Lamar released "Not Like Us," quickly becoming a mainstream hit. He also recently signed on to be the Super Bowl performer in 2025.
In the "Not Like Us" music video, Lamar has a few outfits that are easy enough to replicate for Halloween, or look to his viral performance at The Kia Forum this summer donning a white get-up and red hoodie.
Chappel Roan
Another major rising star of 2024 is the eclectic-pop newcomer Chappel Roan. The star went from a more undergound favorite to a mainstream pop star amassing some of the biggest crowds of the year with her live performances.
Chappel Roan is known for her wild outfits on stage like painting her entire body green like the Statue of Liberty, dressing like a nun and a Nacho Libre-esque costume. If you’re looking to go all out this Halloween, Chappel Roan may be a good source of inspiration.
Athletes dominating 2024
From Team USA’s dominant showing at this year’s Olympics in Paris to the rise of women’s college, and now professional, basketball, here are a few athlete-inspired Halloween costumes. The best part about these – all you need is a jersey and some sneakers to perfect it (for the most part).
Women's basketball stars
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, despite the perceived rivalry between the two players, are major parts of the surge of interest in women’s basketball. Both players have shown fierce determination and competitiveness that have broken records on and off the court.
Clark currently plays for the Indiana Fever and Reese plays for the Chicago Sky. A red or blue jersey, respectively, would be an easy way to pay homage to the rising athletes.
Team USA
If you have a group of friends whose costumes need to be coordinated, any Team USA costume will be well-received.
If you have a group of 12, you can argue over who gets to wear a Stephen Curry or Lebron James jersey while representing Team USA’s gold-winning men’s basketball team.
Simone Biles further cemented herself as the GOAT of gymnastics in her dominant showing at the 2024 Olympic Games. A red leotard and a gold medal (or seven) is a simple Halloween costume that is topical to the year. Warning, people may ask you to do a double pike in the air, so you might want to stretch beforehand.
Another Olympic gymnast that made headlines this year was Stephen Nedoroscik, aka the “Pommel Horse Guy,” whose performance on the pommel horse led the U.S. men’s gymnastics team to win their first Olympic medal in 16 years. To dress like the fan-favorite gymnast, try a red-white-and-blue tank top paired with a pair of red pants and socks – and maybe some glasses to top it off.
Other champions this year
It's always easy to rep your favorite sports teams around Halloween time. For the Philadelphia sports fans, now would be a great time to invest in Saquon Barkley merchandise, Red October costumes or add a gold medal to a Joel Embiid jersey.
Other recent champions include the star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his sidekick and professional pop star boyfriend Travis Kelce, golf pro Scottie Scheffler and a certain Boston basketball team that won't be mentioned by name.
Costumes inspired by movies and TV
This year may not have had Barbenheimer, but there have been plenty of big-ticket movies and TV shows that have caused enough buzz to warrant a Halloween costume.
Beetlejuice
"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,'' the sequel to the 1998 film, was just released this week starring many of the original cast members and introducing rising star Jenna Ortega into the mix. "Beetlejuice'' costumes are always in style, but the release of the new film is bringing the classic movie back into the limelight, and there are plenty of iconic outfits to replicate yourself.
Wicked
The classic musical’s film adaptation is set to release in theaters this November, but if you’re looking for a costume for dynamic duos to try, looking to "Wicked'' might be the best answer. This simple costume requires an Elphaba and a Glinda, so just decide which person in your pair looks better in green versus pink, add a witch hat and a wand, and work on hitting the high note in "Defying Gravity,'' then you’re all set!
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The Bear
The award-winning FX series The Bear is another perfect low-effort costume. To channel chefs Carmy and Syd all you’ll need is a blue apron over a white t-shirt, a hair net and the amount of pent-up anxiety of someone being hunted for sport. Don’t forget to shout orders, and demand that everyone say “Yes, Chef” to you.
Inside Out 2
If you have a large friend group or family with a wide range of emotions, dressing like the Inside Out 2 emotions is another low-maintenance costume that also pays homage to the sequel’s 2024 release. All you’ll need for this costume is a distinction of which person resembles each emotion the most, and an outfit that matches that particular color.
Molly McVety covers community and environmental issues around Delaware. Contact her atmmcvety@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter@mollymcvety.
