We expect everyday clothes to last. We compare prices, think about how often we will wear something and sometimes justify the purchase by imagining years of use. Then Halloween arrives, and an outfit worn for a few hours can become a permanent resident of the back of a closet.
Americans are projected to spend $4.4 billion on Halloween costumes in 2026, according to a retail-industry estimate cited by The Ultimate Halloween Swap. Sustainability advocate Lexy Silverstein thinks at least some of those purchases could be replaced by something much simpler: passing a costume on.
Launched as a pilot in California and Maryland in 2025, Silverstein’s initiative collected hundreds of previously worn costumes. It is expanding this fall through partnerships with Heal the Bay Aquarium, Occidental College, Girls Inc. of Los Angeles, Opera Santa Barbara and Clinical Associates in Maryland. The model is straightforward: people donate clean, wearable costumes and accessories, and other families can take them home for free. A donation is not required to receive a costume.
The exchange accepts children’s and adults’ outfits, masks, wigs, costume separates and safe, reusable props. The goal is to keep usable material circulating rather than treat an outfit as worthless once its original owner outgrows it or wants a different character.
The waste concern is not just about closets filling up. The announcement cites an analysis by the Fairyland Trust that found 83% of the material in costumes it examined was plastic, including polyester. That finding describes the costumes sampled, not every costume sold. Still, it illustrates why an outfit designed for a single party can remain in the waste stream far longer than it was worn.
And Halloween has always allowed more than one way to dress up. Homemade costumes, borrowed accessories, elaborate cosplay and thrift-store discoveries share the same holiday. A swap asks whether the store-bought costume can join that tradition of reuse rather than be treated as a one-time purchase.
There is a financial argument, too. A secondhand costume can give a child an entirely new character without requiring another family to buy it. For a holiday built around pretending to be someone else, the outfit hardly needs to be new to its next wearer.
In Southern California, the campaign includes an October 11 noon swap at Heal the Bay Aquarium on the Santa Monica Pier and an October 16, 11:30 a.m. swap for Occidental College staff and faculty. Other participating donation locations include two Girls Inc. school sites in Los Angeles and Opera Santa Barbara. Maryland participation is through Clinical Associates; the announcement does not supply public swap dates for that partner.
Perhaps the bigger shift is in how a costume is valued. It can be an expression of creativity, a carefully made piece of cosplay, or an inexpensive superhero outfit worn by three different children over three Halloweens. None of those stories requires the costume to become trash after its first appearance.
The easiest Halloween tradition to change may be what happens on November 1. Instead of storing an outfit until it is forgotten, a family could make it someone else’s favorite costume next year.
How the 2026 swap works
- Cost: Free; receiving a costume does not require a donation.
- Accepted: Clean, gently used children’s and adult costumes, accessories, wigs, masks, separate pieces and reusable safe props.
- Highlighted events: October 11 at noon, Heal the Bay Aquarium, 1600 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica; October 16 at 11:30 a.m., Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles (staff and faculty swap).
- Additional partners: Girls Inc. of Los Angeles (Knox Elementary and 93rd Street Elementary), Opera Santa Barbara, and Clinical Associates in Maryland. Check the organizer for site-specific participation and dates.
Sources and publication notes
Original announcement (Oct. 9, 2026): https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-ultimate-halloween-swap-expands-across-southern-california-giving-halloween-costumes-a-second-life-302903219.html
Organizer details: https://lexysilverstein.com/blog/lexy-silversteins-ultimate-halloween-swap-is-back-give-what-you-have-find-what-you-need/
Note: The announcement says drop-offs and swaps run through Nov. 6, while the organizer’s site also describes some drop-offs through Nov. 15 and gives a different Opera Santa Barbara street number. Readers should confirm current hours and addresses with organizers before traveling.
Original announcement (Oct. 9, 2026): https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-ultimate-halloween-swap-expands-across-southern-california-giving-halloween-costumes-a-second-life-302903219.html