Indians can’t have enough of festivals. America’s Halloween is the new excuse for them to party
Schools don’t organise plain old-fashioned fancy dress competitions anymore. They call them ‘Halloween costume parties’. “I was surprised when my son came to me and said that his school is hosting a Halloween costume party for parents. I went on a tizzy looking for a costume,” says Namrata Rajghat, mother of a 14-year-old boy in Mumbai.
She was hoping to spend the Halloween day (Oct 31st) watching horror movies on TV instead. Four English TV channels were running marathons of popular spooky movies, and TV channels were re-playing Bhooth episodes.
Since when did India start ‘celebrating’ horror?
Almost four years back, experts say. Now, we have imported Halloween decorations, a large variety of costumes for people of all ages available at most malls and many high-end shops attracting attention by decorating them as spookily as possible. “Indians are now exposed to international travel and concepts so it is possible to market them,” says Rima Pradhan, senior VP-marketing at Viviana Mall.
Malls are constantly looking for newer ways to bring in footfalls. Halloween events, marketed as community events, draw large crowds, say multiple family groups.
“These celebrations have not only brought people together for fun, but also helped in bridging the wide gap that exists between local and International cultures. The event also resulted in a double-digit spike in terms of business numbers for our participating restaurants,” said a spokesperson of Korum Mall in Thane, Mumbai.
Pradhan says they are constantly working with the retailers to showcase new themes. Currently, they are working on yet another popular US culture, Pub Crawl, where people drink at multiple pubs on a single night. “We are advertising it on hoardings, on social media and giving special offers to corporates,” she says.
Pubs and bars ring in the wicked with witches’ brew, zombie slime, fiendish food and pumpkin stew. All the major eateries—be it Blue Frog, Skim, California Pizza Kitchen and JW Marriot—branded their food and drink with special offers to attract folks of all ages.
Halloween brunches for children with tricks and treats, coupled with after-hours for parents were offered as combos by major hotels for their Indian and international patrons. Jay Singh, founder and JMD, JSM Group, who runs the Hard Rock Café believes that this is one of many festivals that will take off in India. “There are several other festivals and the numbers are increasing. What comes to mind are St Patrick’s Day, Oktoberfest, Cinco de Mayo, Thanksgiving, Halloween. To market a successful event, it should be fun and engaging and should turn into a celebration. Of course, marketing is very critical for success,” Singh says.
For parents like Rajghat, an American festival is a stress-free way of relaxing without having to host relatives or slave in the kitchen. “It is an easy festival where we can just outsource everything.”
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Celebrating Horror")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}