ANZ has projected that its customers will spend a record $2.32 billion during the week of Halloween in 2025, marking a 10% increase since 2022. The forecast covers spending from October 25 to October 31 and reflects the growing popularity of Halloween in Australia.
The bank’s analysis indicates that Australians are increasingly participating in Halloween festivities, with notable consumer activity across food, entertainment, and retail sectors. In 2024, leading categories for spending included food stores, take away outlets, entertainment venues, retail shops, wineries, and bottle shops.
Kate Britton, ANZ General Manager for Deposits and Payments, commented on the trend: “Halloween is now a cross-generational event with strong retail implications. Retailers can expect demand across food, clothing, and entertainment, as Aussies decorate their homes, go trick-or-treating, host parties, or attend events.
“With Halloween falling on a Friday this year, we expect even greater participation as Australians get into the spooky spirit,” Ms. Britton said.
Michael Smith, owner of the Sun Theatre in Yarraville and an ANZ business customer, shared his perspective: “Halloween is one of our favourite times of year in Yarraville – and it just keeps getting bigger. At the Sun Theatre, we’re celebrating with cult-classic horror screenings and encouraging movie-goers to dress in their spookiest costumes and get ready to scream. It’s a fun, festive moment for our community, filled with creativity, costumes and sweet treats,” Mr Smith said.
In terms of demographics for 2024 spending data collected from ANZ customer credit and debit card transactions:
- Generation X led spending at $745 million.
- Millennials followed at $697 million.
- Baby boomers spent $465 million.
- Generation Z showed the highest annual growth rate at 20%.
State-by-state data showed Victoria had the highest overall spend at $613 million during Halloween week in 2024. New South Wales followed closely at $594 million. All states recorded higher expenditures compared to typical weeks.
Additional findings from ANZ’s data show that total spend during Halloween week increased by nearly 5% from 2023 to reach $2.28 billion in 2024. Western Australia (WA), Northern Territory (NT), and South Australia (SA) experienced the largest year-on-year increases in spending—7%, 5.7%, and 5.6% respectively—with SA recording the highest per capita uplift ($29 extra per person). WA had the highest per capita spend overall at $764—a rise of 4%. NSW saw an additional $20.1 million spent during Halloween week compared to normal weeks (a 3.5% increase), while NT recorded a maximum uplift of almost 5% over regular weekly spending levels.