13 of the most hilarious 'I hate Gay Halloween' costumes

“I hate gay Halloween. What do you mean we're going to do this costume roundup again?”

Entertainment. Written by Sarah Creighton Keogh.

Some of this years best Gay halloween costumes
Image: @tessiconic, @Brenbash and @toribertha69

Every October, as the veil thins and the nights draw longer, a familiar phenomenon sweeps across queer timelines: Gay Halloween costumes. It arrives not quietly, but in a glamorous, glitter-dusted stampede of wigs, PVC, rhinestones, exaggerated cultural references, and jokes so niche they practically require a dissertation to decode.

Once again, the internet has transformed into runway-meets-theory seminars as the community floods the feed with costumes accompanied by the now-canonical lamentation: “I hate gay Halloween. What do you mean you’re dressed as that?”

Because, of course, queer people refuse to simply put on a witch hat. No, they show up as an anthropomorphised embodiment of a meme only twelve people remember or the sexy/nihilistic conceptual ghost of an A24 film that hasn’t even been released yet. And we love them for it. Gay Halloween isn’t just a holiday, it’s a competitive sport, a cultural study, and a communal performance art piece all rolled into one fabulous, brain-rotted parade. Here are some of our most loved from this year.

1. The black mould in JK Rowling’s house.

 

2. The man that people see in their dreams.

 

3. Ashley Tisdale at the 2005 red carpet premiere of Princess Diaries 2.

 

3. The dog with a kid feeling meme.

 

4. Cynthia Erivo’s acrylic nail.

 

5. Tyra Banks, when she was rooting for you.

 

6. The elephant in the room.

 

7. Literally serving c*nt.

 

8. The butch who runs McDonald’s like the navy.

9. Lady Gaga’s gardener of Eden.

 

 

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A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga)

10. Demi Lovato as Poot Lovato.

 

 

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A post shared by Demi Lovato (@ddlovato)

11. Meg Stalter presenting the cool girl awards.

12. The holding space interviewer.

 

13. Janelle Monáe as Cat In The Hat.

 

So yes, Gay Halloween 2025 was, in its own chaotic, hyper-referential, and culturally overstimulated way, a monumental success. If success means an internet littered with hyper-camp homage, eyeliner-smudged high drama, and a collective queer refusal to do anything by halves, then we truly outdid ourselves.

The costumes were wild, the creativity unhinged, and our ability to turn absurdity into art remains unmatched. Not everyone will get it,  and really, that’s part of the magic. Gay Halloween has never been about universal relatability. It’s about signalling, winking at strangers who do get the reference, and celebrating the joyous fact that our weird little corner of culture keeps expanding.

Now, we rest… momentarily. Because if history tells us anything, it’s that the queers are already plotting next year’s costumes and something tells us the references are only going to get stranger, smarter, and even more deranged.

© 2025 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

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