How brands are localising Halloween for India

India may not have pumpkins on porches or candy-filled sidewalks, but it’s slowly finding its own way to celebrate Halloween. Over the past few years, October has started to look a little spookier, cafés and pubs serving eerie lattes and cocktails, colleges hosting costume days, brands dropping limited-edition collections, and Instagram full of DIY costumes and dark-themed drops.

What was once a Western curiosity has crept into India’s retail and media calendar, from Halloween-themed sales to spooky influencer campaigns. For Gen Z and young millennials, it’s less about fear and folklore and more about self-expression and participation. And for brands, it’s becoming an opportunity worth watching. It's also a chance to ride global pop culture while creating uniquely local moments. The question now is: can Halloween go from niche to noteworthy on India’s marketing map?

The question is, can Halloween ever become a commercial holiday here, the way it has in the West?

The Gen Z effect

Halloween in India may not have deep cultural roots, but it’s found the perfect audience, Gen Z, a generation that turns every trend into self-expression.

Rahul Dayama, Founding Partner, Urbanic and VP, Savana, said, “Halloween today is more than a Western tradition — it has become a moment of expression for young audiences in India. For us, it wasn’t about chasing a trend or a sales spike. It was about connecting with a generation that enjoys dressing up for the mood of the moment. Gen Z loves to experiment, and Halloween gives them a reason to play with their identity and aesthetics.”

On the creative front, that very idea of “play” is what excites storytellers. Sudish Balan, Co-founder & Chief Creative Officer, Tonic Worldwide, said, “You don’t adapt, you translate it into a language people actually live. Halloween in India isn’t about carved pumpkins; it’s about shared laughter, drama, and a little chaos. When we worked on Bingo’s Desi Bhoot Bachao, the goal was simple — make Halloween feel homegrown, not hand-me-down.”

Even from a media standpoint, the younger generation is driving the momentum. Guru Mishra, SVP- Media, RepIndia, said, “Halloween has emerged as a trendy micro-occasion for brands in India given its growing appeal among younger age groups. F&B, lifestyle, fashion, and gifting brands are spending with impetus on digital, user-generated content, outdoor, and experiential media.”

Even QSR brands are catching on. Wendy’s, for instance, is hosting a three-city “Wendy’s Rave-Halloween Edition” across Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune, turning its outlets into spooky, music-fueled diners with jump scares, themed décor, and even a DJ “Wendy” spinning beats. The brand aims to “honor the fearless and expressive spirit” of young consumers who see food, music, and mood as one big playground.

Dating apps are also joining the Halloween conversation. Tinder has launched Dating Scaries, a three-part video series that reimagines dating’s biggest nightmares, from ghosting and gaslighting to the eerie limbo of “situationships.”

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The campaign turns modern romance’s red flags into darkly funny, highly relatable stories. The brand’s goal is to bring a playful, self-aware lens to dating, showing that humour can be both a coping mechanism and a cultural connector. In doing so, Tinder aligns the spookiest season with the emotional realities of Gen Z, reminding them that while dating can be scary, it’s also a space for laughter, honesty, and growth.

Brands are starting to treat Halloween less as imitation, more as interpretation, and that’s where it’s finding meaning.

Where pop culture meets the marketplace

What’s interesting is that the rise of Halloween in India has less to do with tradition and everything to do with the algorithms. OTT shows, social media trends, and influencer aesthetics have all normalised Halloween as part of the global culture feed.

Dayama pointed out that this digital influence has commercial implications. He said, “There’s definitely a spike in sales because Halloween gives people a reason to step out, dress up, and have fun. But beyond that, it’s about capturing the cultural pulse. A lot of what trends today is driven by what’s circulating online — whether on OTT platforms, social media, or pop culture. We use data to understand these shifts and align our content and products accordingly.”

Mishra highlighted how this algorithmic adoption is shaping media planning too. He said, "Halloween is a perfect cultural crossover — popular among horror movie and pop culture fans. Gen Z are both key influencers and decision-makers, while Gen Alpha adds pester power in influencing purchases. We’ve seen higher traction in the east, south, and west compared to the Hindi-speaking belt.”

That pop-cultural familiarity is a springboard for storytelling.

“We’ve seen more brands trying to ‘own’ Halloween in their own way,” added Balan. “It shows that Halloween has evolved from a costume trend to a cultural cue. The trick is to add flavour, not frosting — to find local entry points instead of imported scares.”

This blend of global relevance and local flavour is slowly turning Halloween from a visual trend into a viable commercial season.

Horror to humor

If Western Halloween is about horror, the Indian version is about humour. Both Dayama and Balan agreed that the Indian audiences connect more with fun wrapped in a spooky twist than pure fear.

“It comes down to how creatively we interpret the occasion,” said Dayama. “If brands stop viewing Halloween as a costume-driven event and start seeing it as a platform for self-expression through fashion, art, or community, then the possibilities expand.”

Balan echoed this sentiment through a creative lens. He said, “Indians enjoy horror they can laugh with, not run from. We’ve always been dramatic about fear — our ghosts talk, gossip, and complain. So humour rooted in everyday superstition and social quirks works best.”

He shared that’s why something like Bingo!’s Desi Bhoot Bachao campaign lands. It teases our own myths instead of mimicking someone else’s. 

This cultural remix extends to how media is used as well. “OOH and experiential activations are great for visibility, while social media drives engagement through contests, short videos, and themed posts,” added Mishra. “OTT and gaming platforms also play a big role since Gen Alpha and Gen Z spend significant time streaming and watching their favourite creators.”

In other words, India doesn’t need to “borrow” Halloween; it just needs to remix it with its own quirks, turning fear into familiarity and dressing up into self-discovery.

From moment marketing to meaningful marketing

Of course, the risk with any global trend is that it becomes superficial, just another date on the calendar. But both voices argue that when rooted in cultural insight, even something borrowed can feel personal.

“It only feels like a gimmick when the insight is shallow,” said Balan. “If you find the truth about how people actually behave — their fears, rituals, contradictions — then even a Western festival becomes a powerful stage.”

Mishra shared that most Indian brands are still testing the waters. He said, “Right now, Halloween is a tactical engagement phase — a quick 5–7 day burst. It doesn’t have mass appeal like Diwali or Christmas.”

Dayama shared that adaptability is the key. He said, “Consumer behaviour changes faster than ever. Instead of labelling trends as short-term or long-term, we focus on staying responsive. Whether it’s Halloween or any other cultural moment, we’re built to respond in real time.”

That approach, blending agility with authenticity,  could define how brands build future playbooks for emerging cultural moments like Halloween.

So, can Halloween go mainstream?

For now, Halloween in India is still more of a moodboard than a market boom. But it’s growing, powered by social trends, youth participation, and brands that know how to make global ideas feel personal.

As Dayama put it, “When we tap into what people are already excited about, engagement and brand recall naturally grow.”

Balan reminded us, “When the joke lands in your language, the brand doesn’t need to shout.”

Halloween may not be a mainstream for now and it’s not considered as part of Indian culture. However, with growing number of young demography with cross-over cultural intrigue it is possible that Halloween becomes a household phenomenon among families in Tier I locations organically.

-Guru Mishra

So, maybe Halloween in India isn’t about horror or haunted houses just yet, it’s about having fun with the unfamiliar. What started as a Western import is slowly morphing into a creative playground for young Indians, where costumes meet content and tradition makes space for trend. 

Perhaps that’s what India’s version of Halloween will always be, less about trick-or-treat, more about creativity-meets-culture. Not borrowed. Not forced. Just reimagined.