Halloween in Ottawa: Summerween capital’s spooky holiday in August

While the warm weather lingers, some residents are already feeling the spine-tingling in anticipation of Halloween.

The trend — known as Summerween — has gained traction, especially on platforms like TikTok, where Halloween lovers find creative ways to celebrate their favourite holiday ahead of schedule.

But for others like Kate Kimber and her son Dawson Kimber, loading up on supplies early and ahead of Oct. 31 is simply part of the fun.

“I call August ‘Aug-Tober,'” said Kate.

The two are already staking out their costumes at Party Mart in Kanata.

“Oh no, we don’t do back to school, we do Halloween. We’re here to look at all the different costumes and prepare for the season,” Kimber said.

And it was a surpringly busy day at Party Mart too. Sisters Abby and Sawyer were shopping for their final costume accessories ahead of a Summerween party this weekend at their campground, where they plan to trick-or-treat — dressed as a vampire and Taylor Swift, respectively.

This early start to Halloween isn’t just about costumes and parties; businesses are cashing in too.

Take Home Depot’s massive 12-foot skeleton that went viral a few years ago. The big box retailer is already offering pre-sales for it, along with other giant creatures for this year’s Halloween season.

“This has become a trend with certain segments of the population and retailers are capitalizing on that,” retail analyst Bruce Winder told CTV News Ottawa. “Retailers will definitely be there in terms of having select items to try to capture early season sales.They’ve been doing that already for years, but this is probably going to continue as a trend — at least for a little while.

“Believe it or not, in months as early as March and April, I’ve heard in the U.S., they put things out.”

Or as kate puts it: “We love Halloween,” and for these enthusiasts, any time is the right time to indulge in the spooky spirit.

Summerween’s origins come from a fictional holiday from the 2012 animated television show, Gravity Falls, where a fun, spooky event that combines the elements of Halloween with the summer season, is celebrated in the town.