Halloween is coming up which means it’s time to heat up your glue guns, search your wardrobes and get a costume ready! 2026 has already been a packed year for queer culture, providing plenty of inspiration for the perfect fit. So, when it comes to your Halloween costume ideas, we’ve got you covered. Read ahead if you just can’t decide who or what you’re going to show up as to one of the biggest nights of the year!

Brokeback Mountain 
Released in Irish cinemas 20 years ago, Brokeback Mountain is the soul crushingly beautiful cowboy movie everyone loves, and screams at their screens to end differently. The unforgettable performances made by every member of the cast, especially the ever vocal ally that was Heath Ledger, solidified this as a certified queer classic.

So for the 20-year anniversary, what better excuse to dress like a gay cowboy? 

Tim Curry
Among the list of queer icons we tragically lost this year was one famous for his costume designs. Tim Curry was renowned for his extravagant looks and makeup, all of which can be replicated!

Pirates, party clowns, pansexual scientists, private butlers and a Premier of the Soviet Union, the list really is endless for the incredible and genderless looks that Curry curated over his career. You truly can’t go wrong with this option.

Dolly Parton
Another list of timeless classics awaits you with Dolly Parton. If you want to look classy and honour one of the best musicians to ever live, look no further. The 1997 Grammys, the 1978 Playboy Bunny, the list goes on. Take inspiration from Parton and it’s impossible to be underdressed.

Interview with a Vampire
A Halloween costume classic! Dressing up as a vampire always looks good, but what’s better than a vampire you may be asking? An early 20th century queer vampire. Get your pearls, fur coats, extravagant suits or dresses out and sharpen your fangs if you want to be remembered as one of the best dressed at the party.

Claudia, Lestat and Louis are among the countless characters with looks that scream stylish vampire.

Life is Strange
If you’re a lover of the incredible story that is Life is Strange, please enter the iconic duo that is Max Caulfield and Chloe Price into your consideration for a unique costume. The couple reunited this year in Life is Strange: Reunion, for the first time since the original in 2015. 

If you want to channel your time powers too and truly dress like it’s 2015, get your hair dyed a bad shade of blue and bring out a polaroid camera for a very sapphic Samhain.

Rhaenyra, House Of The Dragon
If you dress like the ‘True Queen of the Seven Kingdoms’, you are guaranteed to be remembered (bonus points if you arrive to a party on dragon-back). A crown, some fake chainmail and a t-shirt with the Targaryen crest painted on it is all you need to have a rightful claim to the throne and impersonate the literal bisexual queen herself this year.

Nick and Charlie, Heartstopper
Need a simple couples costume? Easily done! After the bittersweet goodbye we said to Heartstopper earlier this year, why not keep the show alive a little longer and dress up as the lovable couple, Nick and Charlie? Simply pick a favourite outfit from each of the characters, and to go the extra mile, you can paint yourself with some of the iconic Heartstopper motifs such as the leaves or hearts. If a couples costume isn’t your thing, you could dress up as any of your favourite characters: Tao, Elle, Isaac or otherwise!

Euphoria
After Euphoria wrapped up with its climactic third and final season this year, it couldn’t be more timely to imitate some of the stunning looks in the show. Zendaya alone shows off some amazing and easy to copy outfits as Rue, full of layered denims, shirts and jumpers. However, if another character is more your speed, there’s a deep well of different looks for everyone in Euphoria.

Yellowjackets
If you’re excited as you should be for the fourth and final season of Yellowjackets, why not celebrate it early this Samhain? Some fur, torn bedsheets and fake face cuts is all you need to be a sapphic survivalist for October 31.

Chappell Roan in ‘expectations’
The newly-released remix of Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘expectations’ presents Chappell Roan in her first-ever feature, and the music video shows her in a stunning look. So if you have some ’80s/’90s style pantsuits, bright fur scarves or bold makeup to go full glam, you can definitely pull off dressing as your favourite lesbian pop legend.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Do you have a lot of fake blood? Do you have some clothes you’re willing to ruin? Yes? Perfect! One of the easiest costumes on this list is from a hugely popular horror movies from this year. So get your lake swimming gear ready and douse yourself in fake blood that you’ll probably be washing off yourself for a week if you want to go as Hannah Einbinder or Gillian Anderson in Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. If you’re feeling a little more crafty, Little Death would also be an iconic choice!

Elvira
No Halloween costume list is complete without the Mistress of the Dark herself, Cassandra Peterson’s pansexual icon Elvira. If you have a long black flowing dress, serious eyeliner skills and have been waiting for an excuse to use absurd amounts of hairspray, Elvira is really the only choice. Just do your best to not hex anyone. 

1348 Ex Voto
A game that may have flown under the radar this year is from the 15-person indie developer team, Sedleo. The plot follows main character Aeta, voiced by Alby Baldwin, searching for lost lover Bianca, who is voiced by Jennifer English (famous for her role as Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3) in medieval Italy. The only hurdle with the Aeta outfit is the need for you to have a bowl cut and a cool sword. However if you are a true knight, you might just find your own Bianca this Halloween.

Tanya, The White Lotus
The mention of Jennifer Coolidge is a prerequisite for any good queer Halloween list. So get your biggest pair of sunglasses, some scarves to wrap your head in and practice your best impression of some iconic Coolidge lines if you want to make everyone else think “god I should have gone as that”. Just maybe stay away from any yachts (if you know you know).

Patricia, Widow’s Bay
If you’re a fan of campy horror, obscure costumes and one of the most popular shows in recent years, you can very easily go as a character from Katie Dippold’s Widow’s Bay. Protagonist Patricia shows off some fun and simple colour-popping outfits in this instant cult classic, from floral dresses with tiaras to spooky headpieces. Much of what she wears can be homemade or acquired on a small budget!

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is coming to cinemas in Ireland on November 18. While you should think about booking your tickets, you should also consider dressing up to get your anticipation even higher! From some of the Capitol-inspired fashion, to the battle ready looks of Katniss, you can really have some fun with this idea and put your own spin on it.

 

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Hopefully you have gotten some inspiration from this list, but if not, be sure to check last year’s list!