Here in New Orleans, we don’t wait for Halloween to come around to dress up in costume.  Mardi Gars, Jazz Fest and Saints games are all acceptable occasions to party in disguise. 

If you don’t have any Halloween costume ideas yet, or just want something easy and inexpensive, there’s still time left to find the right costume for you.

Economics sophomore Peter VandenBerg, along with several other students, has found pop culture references easy to recreate.

“I’m planning on being Duff Man from the Simpsons. I’m going to the Salvation Army to collect articles of clothing to assemble. My costume will be homemade,” VandenBerg said. “Costume shops are for rich kids.”

Music education freshman Andy Williams found inspiration for his costume in his own closet.

“My bro and I are going as Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street.” Williams said. “After finding a few things in my closet, we went to thrift stores on Freret street and Magazine street and we ordered masks online.”

Inanimate objects can be cost-effective costumes that’s why general studies business sophomore Emily White is going as a French Quarter.

“I’m wearing a black beret that I’m borrowing from a friend. And a black and white striped shirt and other typical French items.  I’m making a giant quarter out of cardboard and aluminum and I’ll be attaching that to myself,” Emily White said.

“Cardboard and aluminum are good and cheap,” general studies sophmore Emily White said.

This year costumes are not just for parties and trick-or-treating. 

“I’m dressing up as a nerd and I’ll be spending my Halloween night in the library studying trying to get all my work done,” said Taifa Goff, English writing sophomore.

Not all students are even interested in dressing up this year. Philosophy sophomore Christopher Backes is one of them.

“I most likely won’t be dressing up. Mostly because it is on a Sunday and church takes precedence over Halloween,” Backes said.

Carl Harrison can  be reached at [email protected]