Dressing up for Halloween in Paris? Better hurry - the costumes are going fast!



Yikes! Where did October go? Those were my thoughts yesterday when I happened to look at the calendar and noticed that there were only three more days until Halloween! All of a sudden, I realized that I still hadn't responded to Penny's question (in the comment section) about where you can buy a costume in Paris.

Part of the problem has been that I didn't really have a good answer until a couple of days ago when I came across Kerouac's photo report about the rue du Faubourg Montmartre. Without a moment to spare, I jumped on the metro to the 9th arrondissement just as the ghosts and goblins were starting to appear. Scary things happen in Paris when the sun goes down...

Watch out behind you! These poor unsuspecting people are sitting right in front of a ghoulish vampire in the metro!
"After work I always drink a neck."
There are devils in our midst. You can just make out the tips of this young woman's red pitchfork.
The lines in front of Au Fou Rire (22 bis rue du Fauburg Montmartre) and Clown Montmartre (22 rue du Fauburg Montmartre) were growing by the second as more and more people arrived to select their costumes. I'm glad that I wasn't the only one that didn't realize that Halloween is on Monday!
While standing in line, wannabe witches and pirates studied books with photos of costumes. The crowd became more and more nervous whenever one of the employees announced which costumes were already sold out. 

Want to be a sexy female pirate or a doctor? Costumes range in price from Euros 22-30 ($31-42). 

Time for a treat? Go to A La Mere de Famille at 35 rue du Faubourg Montemarte. Founded in 1761, their chocolate is delicious and the woman in the store was extraordinarily nice. She readily agreed when I asked if I could take some photos of their displays and even went to the back to get some more chocolate to fill in the empty spots. I could do a whole post on their tasty sweets.
Looking for a more theatrical costume? Go to Theatr'Hall, 3 carrefour de l"Odeon, 75006. 

Now that you've seen the costumes that Paris has to offer, what are you going to be on Halloween? I'm not sure if it will be a "trick" or a "treat", but I'll reveal my costume on Monday!

Wondering if most of these people are French or Anglophones? I know that I was -- so I hung around and eavesdropped on some of their conversations. The vast majority turned out to be French. Who says that they don't like to dress up for Halloween?

Comments

  1. What a great and timely tour. I'm happy you were inspired to explore the Parisian costume scene.

    Now the big question, have you made a costume decision and will we know on Monday?

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  2. Is Halloween just for children, or do the adults get into it as well?

    Here the parties are on Saturday, and I'm sure a few on Monday as well, but I have two to attend on Saturday. I'm still working on my idea, as it's very late for me to commence. It will be simple but I hope to make it scary. I think all Halloween should be scary.

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  3. Penny, I made the costume decision shortly after reading about the Garment District on Boston Zest

    Joseph, Almost all of the customers at the costume shop were adults. I'm not sure if very many French people are like Stephane, but he LOVES to dress up. It's one of those things that always surprises me about him because it doesn't fit my idea of Swiss people. Maybe he likes it so much because he didn't get to celebrate Halloween as a child. Poor guy!

    Can't wait to hear more about your scary costume! My costumes have almost always been scary - witch, two-headed monster, vampire, etc.

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  4. I am COMPLETELY surprised that Halloween is celebrated in Paris. Really....
    nancyb

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  5. Nancy, We used to get a few trick or treaters every year in Switzerland. I remember that there was quite a lot of news some years ago some Catholics demonstrated against Halloween in France. I would say that most people still see it very much as an American holiday. One of the biggest complaints is that the children don't "do" anything for the candy. They ring the doorbell and push their open bags at you but don't say "trick or treat" or the French equivalent.

    The more important day is still November 1 (All Saints Day) when people put flowers on the graves of their ancestors. I'll be in Geneva otherwise I would go to Pere Lachaise. It's supposed to be the best day to visit the cemetery.

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