Some might say that Halloweekend is the single most important and stressful weekend of the academic year. The pressure to pick costumes that are flattering, unique, and inexpensive leaves many students stumped and the Harvard mail rooms overflowing with overnighted Amazon packages. It’s not only Amazon: there are countless resources at any student’s fingertips when it comes to costume planning (Spirit Halloween, Halloween.com, and their friend’s closet to name a few).
However, even though there is no shortage of costume options and suppliers, the same costumes are inevitably seen again and again (and again). Of course, there’s no shame in keeping things predictable and opting for a fan favorite (in fact, you may even be compelled to treat this article as a ‘last-minute costume ideas’ inspiration). However, in the spirit of the game, we’ve created a few fictitious betting lines to predict the most likely to-be-seen costumes of this year’s Halloweekend.
First, we have the famous Vampire at +280 odds. This one’s a fan favorite for several reasons. Importantly, it is highly “throw-togetherable” in a last-minute scramble. Simply pick out your perfect black top and skirt, smear on some fake blood, and you are all set to look the part of an infamous bloodsucker. If you’re throwing this together in the true eleventh hour, you can even visit your dining hall and use the ketchup dispenser for your fake blood needs. The Vampire costume allows everyone to wear clothes they already own (and look good in). It also allows for a certain degree of ambiguity… Are you an Edward Cullen or a Damon Salvatore? Who knows.
A firefighter, a policewoman, a UPS worker, and a doctor walk into a bar…what an atypical friend group. Well, coming in at +330 odds, all of these bar-goers are actually college students participating in a group “occupations” costume. This costume provides unmatched variety while still allowing a group to coordinate under a single theme. It can undoubtedly be posed in the group chat with minimal backlash. Maybe firefighter red is your roommate’s color and police officer blue is yours. This group costume allows both parties to not compromise on their chosen hue and still show that they put effort into coordination. If a third friend is not a fan of blues and reds, they can be a UPS worker, a FedEx worker, or a waiter…the possibilities are endless.
You probably can’t name all of the Disney princesses, but I’d guarantee a friend group near you can. At #3, we have a costume that is worn by preschool children and college students alike: the group princess costume. There are 13 Disney princesses to choose from—enough that everyone in a friend group can be a different princess. We’ve seen some impressively flattering renditions of the group princess costumes, often including a corset and knee-high socks. However, we don’t think it’s this costume’s appearance that makes it a fan favorite. As a child, many college-aged girls probably dreamed of living the life of a Disney princess. By now, most of us have given up on our dreams of communicating with woodland creatures and being saved by Prince Charming (and replaced it with something equally exciting, like Med School). However, Halloween offers the opportunity to put the tiara back on. The princess costume is an optimal way to return to childhood folly in a way that won’t have you receiving side-eye or general concern from your peers. The princess group costume allows college girls to step back into their childhood for one night: it’s no surprise that this costume has +800 odds.
The costumes mentioned above are largely tailored towards a female audience. However, Halloween is not just a day for the girls and the ghouls. Though men are more than welcome to explore any of the options above, we don’t see “princesses” being the most worn costume of most college-aged boys (unless they lost fantasy football or wanted to do something unique). Up next is a prediction for what will be worn by the men of Cambridge this October.
Hopefully, your Halloween night doesn’t involve a run-in with the law, but for many men on the Halloween scene, it may look like they’ll be spending time behind bars. Coming in first for the men at +550 odds we have the classic prisoner costume. When we think of a prisoner costume, one thing comes to mind: versatility. Do you look best in stripes? An orange jumpsuit? A white tank top? Most importantly, this costume is sure to create the perfect segue for any prison-clad man to talk to a cop-dressed girl. It’s not only a good costume, it’s a good conversation starter, and thus, you’re sure to see inmates on the loose this Halloween.
For those members of the Harvard community who are in a relationship this October, the costume-choosing process can look a little different. Hence, the Indy Sportsbook simply cannot fail to predict the most popular couple costume on the scene.
Coming in at +1000 odds and soon to be donned by a couple near you, we have The Joker and Harley Quinn. Since the Suicide Squad movie premiered in 2019, this costume has been worn by countless couples. Notably, Nicki Minaj and her husband rocked this costume in 2019. This duo is something that couples can agree upon: it’s recognizable, iconic, and likely a flattering costume for both parties. This costume is sure to grace both the streets of Cambridge and your Instagram feed.
If one thing’s for sure, it’s that regardless of costume, you’re in for an eventful night in Cambridge this Halloween. The Indy team is projecting an unusual amount of tricks (as opposed to treats) on October 31st. Of course, these are only predictions for the moment. Rest assured, the Indy staff is working tirelessly to run all of the numbers and bring you the most accurate Halloween data possible.
Antonia Melina Salame ’28 (amsalame@college.harvard.edu) can’t wait to see how these predictions play out at IndyWeen this Friday.