ADULTOWEEN: HALLOWEEN IS GROWING UP
Ferrero research, now in its third year, reveals how nostalgia, changing social rituals and generational shifts are reshaping the way people celebrate.
- Halloween has grown up: up to 70% of adults across North America, UK and Australia say it’s as much for them as it is for kids.
- It’s not only about celebrating, you’ve got to relive it: Halloween sparks nostalgia for 69% of Americans, 61% of Canadians and half of Brits
- Dating is apparently scarier than Halloween: 69% of Americans would rather enter a haunted house than run into an ex, while 57% would rather meet an actual ghost than get ghosted.
Walk through a neighborhood in London, New York, Toronto or Sydney in October and you will likely encounter familiar signs of what has now become widely recognized as the “spooky season”. With carved pumpkins making their gradual appearance in porches and homes, webs and skeletons populating every mall and store’s shopping window, Halloween’s sense of anticipation approaches way before the calendar red-circled October 31st.
Adultoween, Ferrero’s Halloween consumer research, now in its 3rd year, aims to “dig out” even more about a celebration that’s increasing in popularity worldwide, and to give a growing lens on how familiar traditions continue to find new meaning across generations.
The research builds on Ferrero’s longstanding attention to get to know consumers, and its continued interest in exploring how their habits, traditions and ways of celebrating evolve over time. In 2026, Adultoween expanded beyond United States & Canada, unveiling how people in the United Kingdom and Australia have increasingly been embracing Halloween. The research confirms what is no longer a trend, but a widespread truth: Halloween now belongs also to adults and adults are claiming back the right to enjoy it (at least) as much as kids. You can travel the world, but Americans, Canadians, Brits and Australians are going to agree (up to 71% of the time) in considering it an age-inclusive celebration.
A growing sentiment, as the 2026 research marks a +8ppt in the US, compared to last year’s Adultoween.
It’s beginning to look a lot like… Halloween season
While traditions may vary across countries, the “eerie side” of All Hallow’s Eve continues to evolve across all generations: adults are increasingly claiming Halloween as their own multi-week celebration made of new rituals, new social occasions, new shared experiences.
The pattern closely follows what we have been seeing for decades around Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Ramadan, where the seasonal experience is way more rooted, to the point that Christmas lights and treats start to appear as early as October.
Adultoween, powered by nostalgia
There is a huge emotional and generational driver behind the rise of Halloween. Millennials, for example, are consistently reporting some of the strongest emotional connections to the holiday across markets, closely followed by Gen X.
For 2 of out 3 Americans (69%, +5ppt vs Adultoween 2025), Halloween offers something quite special: the permission to reconnect with childhood traditions, while creating new ones, or even their own. This suggests that nostalgia is less about recreating the past than giving familiar traditions a new place in adult life.
An escape that feels fun, low-pressure and socially acceptable, behind their own favorite disguise, or with their unmissable treat.
A truly global celebration, reinvented by Gen Z
Despite both Brits and Aussies clearly identifying Halloween as an American-rooted tradition, they can’t seem to live without it. One third of Brits love it to the point that has become their favorite holiday – a choice that spikes even more with younger generations.
In UK and Australia, half of Millennials and Gen Z rank it as their top celebration, making it theirs and considering it an opportunity to gather, either for an indoor party (widely preferred) or a night out.
Gen Z leads the charge (and change), redefining Halloween with new traditions and trends that travel from social feeds into everyday celebrations. They are taking a centuries-old tradition and are now blending it up like pumpkin spice latte, mixing entertainment, social sharing, self-expression, food trends and fashion.
Just bear in mind that Halloween things might be getting quite serious, quite soon: almost 60% of Australian Zoomers want it as a national holiday.
Should I stay (home) or should I go?
One of the clearest trends emerging from the research is how Adultoween is a surprisingly low-key, stay-at-home oriented celebration.
Rather than elaborate plans, around 6 out of 10 respondents across markets surveyed associate Halloween with small moments that are easy to enjoy: watching an all-time favorite horror movie or series, throwing a house party with either friends or family, or enjoying their favorite treat (candy buyers are up 9 points from 64% in 2025)… in the comfort of their homes.
Celebrating is mandatory, but personal enjoyment and comfort are non-negotiable. Perhaps that is part of Halloween’s new appeal: making an occasion feel special no longer requires making it a big occasion.
Ain’t no tricks… when talking treats
The strongest evidence of Adultoween comes from shopping behavior. Most adults are saying they plan to buy Halloween treats, way in advance, even if they don’t expect a single trick-or-treater.
This is reflected by the stock up, which in the UK starts way before October 31st, with 27% of British Zoomers and 24% of Millennials hunting for treats as soon as they hit the shelves, or during the Halloween week at the latest. Packaging plays a key role, with a preference towards fun and spooky limited-edition seasonal wrappings. Bonus points if it’s a TikTok trending product – a common influence along UK, Australia and North America.
Whether shared during a movie night, enjoyed with friends or kept as a personal treat, seasonal Halloween candies continue to bring people together and help create memorable moments throughout what we can officially call a “whole new season”.
About the Research
The findings are based on Ferrero-commissioned consumer research conducted in August 2026 among nationally representative samples of 1,000 adults in the United States, 1,000 in Canada, 1,000 in the United Kingdom and 1,000 in Australia, for a total of 4,000 respondents.
