Halloween in Germany - Celebrate it in German Style? [2024] - Navigate Germany

Halloween is celebrated by many people in Germany just like Americans but it is not a traditional German celebration. If you also want to celebrate Halloween, know how it is celebrated in Germany.

History of Halloween in Germany

Halloween, Samhain’s festival, started in 1991 is the beginning of winter which is celebrated between 31st October and 1st November. People think that the veil between living and dead is the thinnest in this night and allows the supernatural beings and souls of the dead to enter this world. Outbreak of the second Gulf War canceled the carnival season. The German toy industry was severely hurt during the war period and faced financial constraints. After the shortage of revenues, Dieter Tschorn, a public relations consultant, thought about ways to recover his loss, and came up with the idea to bring Halloween to Germany in 1994 and spread this through in German media through a press release on 4 September 1994, so he claims that he is the Father of German Halloween.

Halloween’s Impact on Economy of Germany

30 million Euros have been spent every year on Halloween since 2009. The German candy industry enjoyed a lot of benefits because of the third-largest  holiday after Christmas and Easter that played a great role in the German economy. By 2019, sales for retailers increased in Germany up to 320 million Euros due to Halloween which is just peanuts as compared to the sales in the United States that were 8.8 billion dollars.

Halloween – A Public Holiday

Halloween was a holiday in the 1990s and became famous when imported from Ireland to America and exported to Europe again. Even if you do not celebrate Halloween, you will still enjoy a holiday in Germany. 31st October is known as Reformation Day to celebrate the reformation of the church in Germany. The day after Halloween, 1st November, is All Saints Day and a public holiday in Germany.

Celebrations in Germany

Halloween is liked and celebrated by many youngsters in Germany by throwing parties and events. They design traditional customs and stuff to celebrate Halloween. Children and kindergartens celebrate Halloween in schools by enjoying music, costumes, and snacks.

The Halloween Costumes and Outfit

The Halloween costumes and outfits make you different from your casual look. Only 8% of Germans buy Halloween stuff, decoration items, accessories, make-up, face masks, and costumes from different stores, supermarkets, and costume shops. Wear anything you want to and get ready like a princess, clown, cowboy, dragon etc. According to the 2017 survey, only 32% of Germans used to wear special Halloween dresses, especially the younger generation between 18 and 29.

Halloween Pumpkin

People use pumpkins to celebrate Halloween by decorating pavements, houses, or apartments. Supermarkets are decorated with pumpkins and squashes and jack-o’-lanterns are everywhere across Germany.

Trick or Treat

Süßes oder Saures means sweet or sour and Süßes sonst gibt’s Saures means give me sweets or there will be sour things. Children wander around and ask for the sweets by going to the houses with Halloween decorations and believe that people living in decorated houses will give away sweets. They play pranks and enjoy Halloween but there are people who avoid children repeatedly visiting their houses and ringing the bell; they turn out the electricity lights to convey the message “do not disturb”. According to a 2018 survey, kids were not happy as they did not get candies as only 50% of houses were open and the rest turned their lights off.

Halloween Food

People eat buffets, snacks, pizza, cupcakes, and finger food. People excite their parties by offering themed snacks and popular dishes such as pumpkin soup and spicy deviled eggs, popular drinks such as hot apple punch and cold blood bunch and beverages such as black currant juice and blood oranges.

Halloween Events and Festivals

There are a lot of Halloween events across Germany such as pumpkin festivals and fantastic parties for older people at local clubs and bars between September and November. Some events are;

• Ball bizarre in Dresden
• Halloween Europa park
• Halloween at Legoland
• Halloween in Berlin
• Halloween horror festival at movie park Germany
• Ludwigsburg pumpkin festival
• Pumpkin halloween festivals

Ball Bizarre in Dresden

Ball Bizarre is a club in Dresden where people walk through the “path of death” to reach the club entrance. The scary path is designed underground that gives the smell of Halloween during Halloween-themed parties organized at Ball Bizarre Club.

Halloween Europa Park

Europa Park is Germany’s biggest amusement park where management organizes different Halloween events from October to November. The park is divided into themes with Halloween decorations such as squashes, pumpkins, goblin loose, eerie sceneries, and vampires.

Halloween at Legoland

You can celebrate Halloween with your family at Legoland as there are a lot of pumpkin decorations and treasure hunts for newborns and little kids through cute, scary, and funny activities. Kids love to wear unique Halloween costumes and get a free admission ticket to the park on 31 October.

Halloween in Berlin

Berlin, Germany’s capital, offers parties and events to celebrate on 31 October such as the horror event at Berlin Dungeon. If you love horror movies, you will love to celebrate Halloween in Berlin. Halloween parties are organized at different locations in Berlin such as Haus Ungarn, Club Ost, Ava Club, Kulturbrauerei, and Bebo Bar. 

Halloween Horror Festival at Movie Park Germany

The Halloween horror festival is organized at a movie park in Germany where the park is decorated with a Halloween theme during October and November by using scary, terrifying, and horror settings with 250 zombies, ghouls, monsters, witches, mazes, beasts, and nightmarish creatures. Rides for children, girls, and ride lovers are also decorated at this park.

Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival

Ludwigsburg pumpkin festival is to celebrate Autumn and Halloween in Germany by using  pumpkins. You can find a lot of winter squashes and pumpkin-related activities at this world’s largest pumpkin exhibition near Stuttgart. Many magical displays are organized and seasonal foods and pumpkin carvings are also available there. The festival starts in August and attracts almost 200,000 visitors till December every year.

Pumpkin Halloween Festivals

Pumpkin festival is famous all over Germany and organized at different locations from September to November to celebrate Halloween. You will find a lot of pumpkin decorations, Halloween parades, themed events, custom parties, and fun activities. A pumpkin carving contest is specifically arranged for kids and adults in late October.

Difference Between Halloween in Germany and America

Halloween in Germany is different compared to Halloween in America in many aspects.

Dressing Up

Very few Germans love to wear Halloween costumes whereas in the United States, people love to dress up, even for work or school. Americans wear happy, joyful, colorful, and funny costumes, but people in Germany wear scary costumes. People at work feel awkward to wear Halloween dresses but if you want to, you should.

Adults and Kids

Halloween is a party celebration for German adults, but American adults celebrate it through parties, dresses, and Halloween food. American kids play trick or treat, whereas German kids are less involved in playing trick or treat. Germans turn their lights off to convey the message “do not disturb”, but Americans do not do so.

Parties and Events

Germans have fewer parties as compared to Americans, but the trend in Germany is changing with time due to social media influencers who make a number of videos on Halloween and share their celebrations.

Why is Halloween in Germany Less Popular Compared to The United States of America?

According to a 2017 survey, 65% of Germans consider Halloween just as a celebration, but not a tradition and 48% of Germans over age 35 think that it is imported from America and displacing and crashing German traditions such as St. Martin’s which has almost similar activities as of Halloween but starts two weeks after it. Germans have a tradition of carving and lighting the beet, so a few people think they do not need another tradition as they prefer to spend money and time on other celebrations.

Conclusion

It is your choice if you want to organize a party or prefer to stay home for Halloween celebration. There are a lot of events at public places like clubs or parks where you can join and enjoy with your loved ones. Wear unique and scary costumes and have fun at Spooky Halloween season in Germany!