Plymouth shoppers set to spend a scary 1.4 million hours preparing for Halloween

Plymouth will be pulling out all the stops for Halloween this year as shoppers are set to spend more than 1.4million hours preparing for their spooky celebrations*.

In a survey of 2,000 people by British Land, owners of Drake Circus, Plymouth residents said they are planning to devote almost a whole working day (seven hours) on average to their ghoulish preparations, which will include choosing fancy dress, creating Halloween themed goodies and designing spooky decorations.

For many Plymouth residents, a large amount of this time is likely to be spent turning their homes into a Halloween extravaganza, as almost one in four say they’re more likely to host a house party for Halloween than any other occasion throughout the year, including birthdays.

But whether Plymouth locals are hosting or attending a party, it appears traditional Halloween activities remain popular favourites. Pumpkin carving (28%) and dressing their children up in costumes (21%) both feature on the list of the top ways that residents will celebrate Halloween this year, along with creating spooky decorations (15%) and making Halloween-inspired food and drink (16%).

Greg Lumley, centre director at Drake Circus said: “Halloween has surged in popularity over the past few years with shoppers going all out to plan the perfect party or costume.

“Our research is evidence that people are investing a lot of time and effort into making sure their Halloween is a success and they feel a certain amount of pressure to make their celebrations spectacular. We’re expecting a busy period between now and the 31st as shoppers look for all of the weird and wonderful Halloween treats and essentials that our retailers have to offer.”