Halloween falls on Saturday, 31 October 2026, but many celebrities have already started dressing up.
From 13 to 23 October, stars shared costumes on Instagram and wore them to early Halloween parties and charity galas. The clear pattern so far is dressing as another famous person: a pop star, a family member, or a fellow celebrity. This article rounds up the best celebrity Halloween costumes of 2026 so far. More looks are expected in the days just before Halloween, so treat this as an early list, not the full one.
Paris Hilton as Britney Spears
Paris Hilton recreated Britney Spears’ look from her performance of “I’m a Slave 4 U” at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, complete with a snake. Hilton shared the costume on Instagram on 23 October.
It is the fourth Halloween in a row that Hilton has dressed as Spears. She told Billboard that Spears is “not only an icon, but also a dear friend, and I’ll always love celebrating her and the incredible impact she’s had on all of us.”
Hilton later shared a second 2026 costume with her family, inspired by Beauty and the Beast, in which she dressed as Princess Belle. The Spears look is the one that has drawn the most attention, because the 2001 performance is one of the most copied pop moments in Halloween history.
Kim Kardashian as North West — and a costume swap
Kim Kardashian dressed as her own daughter, North West. She recreated North’s alternative style, including a turquoise wig, long nails and goth-style clothing, in a post published on 20 October.
North, who is 13, has a blue-haired look that has drawn a lot of comment online. By copying it herself, Kardashian appeared to back her daughter’s way of dressing, rather than changing it.
At the same time, North dressed as reality television personality Natalie Nunn, wearing a dark bob wig and a prosthetic chin, in an Instagram Story posted on 22 October. Nunn returned the favour the same day, dressing as North in turquoise pigtails and a studded collar. North also dressed as Raven from Teen Titans, wearing a purple cloak with a red gem on her forehead.
The three-way swap is the most talked-about family costume story of Halloween 2026 so far, because each person dressed as someone else in the same small circle.
Cyndi Lauper as Ursula
Cyndi Lauper dressed as Ursula, the sea witch from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, for a performance at the New York Restoration Project’s annual Hulaween Gala in New York on 23 October.
Bette Midler also wore an under-the-sea look at the same gala. The gala is a charity event, and Lauper’s costume fitted its theme: she performed in character, rather than simply arriving in fancy dress.
Lauper is known for bold hair and colour, so Ursula — with her dramatic make-up and larger-than-life presence — was a natural fit. The photo in this section shows Lauper on a red carpet in 2023; it is not a photo of the Ursula costume.
Benito Skinner and Owen Thiele as PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson
Comedians Benito Skinner and Owen Thiele teamed up to recreate pop stars PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, based on the pair’s candy-coloured remix music video.
The look works because it is specific to 2026. Most celebrity Halloween costumes copy an old film, song or famous photo. This one copies a collaboration from this year, and it needs two people to make sense — which is part of the joke.
More early looks
Victoria Justice started the season early, hosting a Halloween party in Los Angeles on 13 October. She went for a goth, zombie-style look, while her sister Madison Grace Reed went as a bloody prom queen.
Chloe Bailey dressed as Meg Griffin from Family Guy. Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian went for a traditional horror look, dressing as vampires. Janelle Monáe also made an early impression with a gruesome, zombie-like look ahead of her annual Wondaween celebration.
Together, the early costumes show two clear trends, according to W Magazine’s roundup of the 2026 costumes: stars dressing as other stars, and stars dressing as cartoon and film characters they grew up with.
What to expect next
Monáe’s look is worth watching for a different reason. Her annual Wondaween celebration has become a Halloween event in its own right, and her costumes are usually revealed in stages, with the full look arriving closer to the night itself. Justice’s early party served a similar purpose: it opened the season, and other stars followed with their own parties and posts in the ten days after it.
Most of the biggest Halloween parties happen in the days just before 31 October, so the best-known costumes of 2026 may not have appeared yet. As Channel 4 FM’s report on the early costumes notes, more celebrities are expected to reveal their costumes as the celebrations continue.
For now, Hilton’s Britney Spears tribute and the Kardashian, North West and Nunn costume swap are the two looks most people are sharing. Both work for the same reason: the joke is clear in a single photo, with no caption needed.
Frequently asked questions
When is Halloween in 2026?
Halloween is on Saturday, 31 October 2026.
Who did Paris Hilton dress as for Halloween 2026?
Paris Hilton dressed as Britney Spears, recreating Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U” performance at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. It was the fourth year in a row she dressed as Spears.
Who did Kim Kardashian dress as for Halloween 2026?
Kim Kardashian dressed as her daughter, North West, copying North’s turquoise wig, long nails and goth-style clothing.
Who did Cyndi Lauper dress as for Halloween 2026?
Cyndi Lauper dressed as Ursula from The Little Mermaid for her performance at the Hulaween Gala in New York on 23 October 2026.
