Last year's Vancouver-themed costumes centred around the pandemic and, of course, some very recognizable local celebrities. This year will be the first Halloween without any major restrictions and so we're back with some updated suggestions.
Here are some extremely niche and original Halloween costume ideas based on concepts that only Vancouverites could get away with.
The Barge
It's no secret that we here at V.I.A are a big fan of the Barge (R.I.P) and this year is the only year you could dress up as it for Halloween and have it be relevant. Real enthusiasts would create a kind of box sandwich board barge but you could get away with wearing a red shirt and blue pants if you want to be lazy and abstract. Alternatively, a barge tombstone would work too and we sell grey team barge shirts so half the outfit is already done.
Zellers Employee
Back in August, it was announced that Hudson's Bay will be reviving the long-lost Zellers brand and in honour of this joyous announcement why not dress up as an employee of the red and white retailer? It literally just consists of a red shirt, black pants or jeans, and a name tag. If you want to go for full authenticity, people selling vintage (yes, they're technically vintage) Zellers uniform shirts on eBay and Poshmark.
Tiny Room for Rent
There have been a lot of tiny rooms listed on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace over the last year, and it wouldn't take much to turn this expensive phenomenon into a cheap costume. We suggest gluing doll furniture to a black shirt and listing yourself for $900/month.
Celebration of Lights
Team Canada won the annual Celebration of Lights this year and overall the event was a huge success not to mention massively well-attended. In homage to one of our city's favourite events, attaching battery-operated twinkle lights to a black shirt or dress would make a really cute costume.
Grizzlies Player
The formerly-Vancouver NBA team the Grizzles moved to Memphis in 2001 and some people still aren't over it. There's even a movie dedicated to the subject coming to VIFF next week. So if you have a Vancouver Grizzlies jersey kicking around, we know you're always looking for an excuse to break it out. If you don't have a jersey but want to dress up as a player for Halloween they sell them on eBay, albeit for a pretty penny.
A London Fog
Did you know the London Fog tea drink was invented in Vancouver? So were California rolls but everyone puts sushi on Vancouver Halloween costume lists. A London Fog gives the opportunity to be a little more creative. A Big Ben, Tower of London, London Bridge, or any other iconic landmark surrounded by clouds is really all you need to put this word-play costume together. If you want to cheat, there's also technically a coat with the same name - but that's less fun.
- For a list of other things invented in Vancouver that could be turned into punny costumes, check out this list.
Jericho Bunny
Upgrade the tired Playboy bunny Halloween costume by dressing up as a Vancouver-specific Jericho bunny. For an added spooky touch make it a dead zombie Jericho bunny. A brown outfit with ears and a tail completes the basic look, the amount of blood and gore is up to you.
Lost Luggage
This was the year of airport horror stories, the most common one being lost luggage with people resorting to air tags to keep track of their bags when the airlines couldn't. Dress up as luggage and wander around the party with a map asking people for directions. For added authenticity attach an Air Canada tag to your wrist.
Duckana
This summer everyone lost their minds over a combination duck-banana garden ornament from London Drugs (our office included). Dressing up as a duckana would be the ultimate niche Vancouver costume. You'd start with an all-yellow outfit and then create a peel using yellow fabric hanging off of your waist or torso, then all you need is a duck head. You can find cute little duck hats on Amazon.
ICBC gas relief rebate cheque
Don't show up to the party, BAM costume complete.
