Summerween is here to make your summer spooky

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Tired of Christmas decor clogging shelves months early? Well, get ready for Summerween, the new trend adding ghosts and ghouls to your pool parties. 

A skeleton wearing sunglasses sits in a pink lawn chair holding a tiki drink against a blue background.

Summerween is an established holiday in the animated series “Gravity Falls,” where residents gather in June to carve jack-o’-melons. 

But on social media…

… the term has gone viral for a few reasons: capitalism, and because we love an excuse to throw a theme party. 

  • Summer is typically when retailers like Pottery Barn and Michaels drop their 2024 Halloween collections. In 2023, Americans spent $5.2B+ on Halloween decor. 
  • It’s also when Halloween attractions, like Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights and Six Flags’ Fright Fest, start announcing fall plans. 
  • Meanwhile, Summerween parties are combining the aesthetic of Halloween with summer vibes. 

Just look at these adorable pumpkin burgers and ghost pizzas

Summer and horror…

… also share a long history. Sure, Halloween takes place around Halloween, but many hits are actually summer flicks: Friday the 13th, Midsommar, Jaws, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, I Know What You Did Last Summer

It’s also a great time to sit in an air-conditioned movie theater, making it a popular season for horror at the box office. 

This year’s releases include A Quiet Place: Day One, MaXXXine, Longlegs, and Alien: Romulus, while last July’s Talk to Me unseated Hereditary as A24’s highest-grossing horror film, earning $92m+ globally against a $4.5m budget. 

There are no more federal holidays between Independence Day and Labor Day, so go ahead. Get a coffin pool float and have yourself a Summerween.

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Topics: Holiday

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