Walking into a Halloween party with your friends is an exciting experience. Everyone looks at you as your group arrives. Whether you’re dressed as a popular character or have a coordinated theme, dressing up together is a great way to make your Halloween celebration even better.

The Magic of the Coordinated Squad

Last year, my friends and I felt uninspired. We were tired of the usual “buy a mask at the pharmacy on September 30th” routine, so we decided to come together for something different. We picked a simple throwback theme: a box of classic crayons. It sounds basic, but when we stepped out in our matching, brightly colored DIY tunics, everything changed. People pointed, smiled, and asked us to take photos. We didn’t just wear costumes; we created a wave of nostalgia that connected everyone. This is the secret of great group Halloween costumes—it brings people together, guarantees fun photos, and turns an ordinary night into a memorable experience.

If you want to create that same magic with your friends, look no further. We have a list of creative, funny, and trendy group costumes for every group dynamic.

TV & Pop Culture Icons

If your group spends hours in the group chat discussing the latest streaming hits, box office blockbusters, or legendary commercial drops, these pop culture looks are guaranteed crowd-pleasers.

• Abbott Elementary: Dress like the dedicated staff from the country’s favorite mockumentary. The good news is that everyone in your group probably already has cardigans, lanyards, and button-down shirts in their closet to help you achieve this look.

• Gilmore Girls: Celebrate the show’s iconic legacy by having your trio dress as Sookie, Lorelai, and Rory. If you have a larger crew, expand the roster to include Luke (complete with a backwards cap and flannel) or Paris Geller.

• The Barbies: Sure, Barbie and Ken make a great couples look, but rocking up with an entire crew of diverse, high-fashion Barbies proves that every night is girls’ night.

• The Dunkings: Recreate the viral Super Bowl energy of Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Tom Brady. Grab matching bright orange sweat sets, pink accessories, and use iron-on transfer paper to stamp the “Dunkings” logo across the chest. Don’t forget your coffee cups!

• Inside Out Emotions: With Inside Out 2 introducing new mental tenants, there are now nine distinct emotions to choose from. Have your friends pick between classic Joy and Sadness, or debut new fan-favorites like Anxiety, Ennui, and Embarrassment.

• Bridgerton Ladies: Bring high-society Regency romance to your Halloween party. Go thrift shopping for pastel empire-waist gowns, lace gloves, and elegant tiaras to transform into Kate Sharma, Penelope Featherington, and the rest of the Ton.

• Heathers: Get ready to rule Westerburg High. Grab your blazers, pleated skirts, and croquet mallets to transform into Veronica and the iconic trio of Duke, Chandler, and McNamara.

• Clueless: As if anyone could resist this ’90s throwback! The yellow checkered and plaid blazers never go out of style, making Cher, Dionne, and Tai the ultimate fashionable trio.

• The Scooby Gang: A timeless five-person masterpiece. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and a designated Scooby-Doo are instantly recognizable and incredibly fun to portray.

• The Breakfast Club: Honor the ultimate Brat Pack classic. The jock, the brain, the princess, the criminal, and the misfit can all be easily replicated using staple items already hiding in your closets.

• Stranger Things: Take a trip to Hawkins (or the Upside Down). From Eleven’s iconic dresses to Steve and Robin’s Scoops Ahoy uniforms, the character options for large groups are endless.

• The Golden Girls: Pass the cheesecake! Grab some adult-sized grey wigs, oversized statement jewelry, and floral tracksuits to become Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia for the night.

Nostalgic & Fun DIYs

For the crews who love a good crafting night, these retro throwbacks offer the perfect balance of childhood nostalgia and budget-friendly creativity.

• Beanie Babies: A total ’90s favorite. Cut cute animal ears out of felt and hot-glue them to matching hoodies. Then, cut a heart-shaped “Ty” tag from red cardstock, tie it around your neck with a ribbon, and protect it with clear contact paper so you don’t “lose value.”

• The Powerpuff Girls: Sugar, spice, and everything nice. Grab oversized t-shirt dresses in bright pink, lime green, and light blue, cinch them with thick black belts, and you have Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup ready to save Townsville.

• Care Bears: Cozy, colorful, and full of love. You can buy pre-made onesies or DIY your own by hot-gluing felt “belly badges” (like sunshine, hearts, or rainclouds) onto vibrant monochromatic sweatsuits.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Unlock ultimate childhood memories. Use green shirts as your base, spray-paint disposable aluminum baking pans green to tie onto your backs as shells, and wear color-coded fabric masks for Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael.

• Lip Smackers Collection: Perfect for a massive group of girlfriends. Use colorful t-shirt dresses to represent different fruity flavors, iron on a custom vintage Lip Smackers logo patch, and wear matching plastic beach buckets on your heads to serve as the bottle caps.

• Lisa Frank Stickers: Bring the neon rainbow aesthetic back to life. Think animal prints, vibrant body glitter, and bright wigs to emulate the legendary elementary school stationery.

• Where’s Waldo?: The ultimate low-effort, high-reward family or group costume. All you need are red-and-white striped shirts, matching beanies, round glasses, and classic denim bottoms.

• Oompa-Loompas: Give your friends a sweet surprise. You’ll need white overalls, brown shirts, orange face paint, and those unmistakably bright mint-green wigs to channel Willy Wonka’s famous workers.

• Robot Family: Put those leftover delivery boxes to good use. Cut out arm and leg holes, spray-paint the boxes silver, and use flexible aluminum dryer vents for the arms to create a charmingly low-tech robot family.

• Greek Gods & Goddesses: Turn bedsheets into elegant white tunics and use metallic gold sticky foil or craft foam to design matching laurel wreaths, lightning bolts, and majestic accessories.

Punny & Playful

If your squad’s primary goal is to make people laugh, these clever, lighthearted, and pun-centric themes will keep the conversation flowing all night long.

• The Martini Trio: Dress up as your squad’s favorite cocktails. Create a big martini glass collar using clear acrylic sheets around your neck. For the garnish, inflate green balloons and stick them on a wooden dowel to look like olives, or use a green decorative paper fan to resemble a lime wedge.

• Cardboard Crocs: Pay homage to the world’s most polarizing shoe. Trace a massive Croc silhouette onto cardboard, cut a hole in the center for your face, and use craft foam to create giant, personalized “Jibbitz” charms to hot-glue onto the front.

• Charcuterie Board: Turn girls’ night into a walking feast. Use red berets layered with textured felt to mimic slices of salami, and wrap purple holiday ornaments in floral wire to fashion a matching grape-bunch headband.

• Colorful Ghosts: Put a vibrant spin on the oldest trick in the book. Instead of plain white sheets, buy budget-friendly bedsheets in an array of pastel or neon colors, cut out eye holes, and hit the town as a bright, spooky spectrum.

• Rock, Paper, Scissors: The classic playground trio look. Pair clean white tees with dark pants, and use cardboard or fabric markers to construct giant, wearable cutouts of the three legendary game choices.

• The Weather Forecast: Perfect for families or friend groups of any size. Have your group divide into different meteorological elements: one person can be a fluffy white cloud, another a bright yellow sun, another covered in raindrops, and someone acting as the frantic news reporter.

• Soda Bottles: Celebrate your favorite fizzy drinks. Pick a dress color that matches your soda of choice (like red for cola or orange for citrus), cut out letters from white adhesive felt for the branding, and strap a silver aluminum pie tin to your head as the bottle cap.

• ’80s Jazzercisers: Bright, dynamic, and wonderfully tacky. Dust off the neon spandex, high-cut leotards, leg warmers, and sweatbands for a high-energy night of retro fitness fun.

• Carpool Karaoke: Bring the music with you. Paint a large yellow presentation board to look like a classic taxi cab, attach velcro straps so it hangs comfortably around your neck, and carry a portable bluetooth microphone to blast your favorite playlist wherever you walk.

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Pro-Tips for a Flawless Group Entrance

To ensure your night goes well, remember these three guidelines:

1. Prioritize Mobility: You will wear these costumes for a long time. If your costume has heavy cardboard, big inflatables, or tight masks, make sure you can easily take them off or adjust them. This way, you can sit down and enjoy a snack comfortably.

2. Choose Scalable Themes: Friend groups change often. Choose a theme that still works well if someone cancels last minute. Themes like Crayons, Inside Out Emotions, or M&Ms are great whether you have three people or twelve.Friend groups change often. Choose a theme that still works well if someone cancels last minute. Themes like Crayons, Inside Out Emotions, or M&Ms are great whether you have three people or twelve.

3. Start the Logistics Early: Planning a group costume can feel chaotic. Start a group chat at least a month in advance. Use it to assign roles and finalize details.