Sensational Halloween Costumes with LED Lights

Sensational: [sen-sey–shuh-nl], adjective:

1. producing or designed to produce a startling effect, strong reaction, intense interest, especially by exaggerated, superficial, or lurid elements
2. extraordinarily good; conspicuously excellent; phenomenal (Webster’s Dictionary)

Everyone likes to dress up at Halloween—young children, teens and adults of all ages. No one wants to wear the same costume they had on last year and no one wants to look like all the other spooks on the street. Where did this fascination with sensational costumes come from?

Dressing up at Halloween likely came from a few different traditions, an article from Live Science indicates. October 31st is the last day of the Celtic calendar and was a celebration of the Lord of the Dead. The Celts feared this day and wore masks and costumes to ward off evil spirits. The more sensational the costume, the greater its power against evil. Gaelic people thought that the dead should be honored. They held festivals and dressed up as those they were honoring.

Some say the fascination with costumes also comes from the medieval practice of “mumming” which involved dressing up in costumes, singing, dancing, play-acting and making mischief. Even psychologists now recognize that there are emotional benefits for people when they dress in a disguise. Mask therapy has been shown to give a sense of entertainment, disguise, protection and empowerment. And aside from all of this, it’s just plain fun.

The Quest

Halloween is now so popular that there’s often a quest for finding the most unique and sensational costume. Are you a little bored with what you can find at the costume shop? It takes a bit of effort, but a unique costume is possible. Some people go for designing a costume with the greatest gore effect. Others have been making or buying costumes that create an illusion of one type or another—some scary and some laughable. But, one of the best ways to have a truly sensational costume for Halloween is by using holiday LED lights.

Halloween Costumes with LED lights

LED lights can be charged by battery so that your costume lights can work for quite a long time. Also, since LED lights do not heat up, they are perfectly safe to use in any costumes—touching fabric, cardboard or other materials that could be flammable with incandescent lights. Rope lights, tiny twinkle lights, battery operated lights, and icicle lights in many color options can be the perfect way to jazz up a costume. Often, the lights can be reused in a different costume later, or become part of your Halloween light decorations another year.

Here are Five Sensational Ideas for LED lights for Halloween Costumes:

1. Make a Jelly Fish costume with LED lights in the headpiece.
2. Make a simple stick man costume with LED rope lights, velcro and a black unitard.
3. Make a robot costume with a cardboard box, some paint, and some LED lights.
4. Create a unique princess costume or fairy costume by sewing LED lights into the skirt of your costume. If you are truly motivated you can also create fairy wings that light up by downloading these free instructions.
5. Use LED lights with any costume by attaching a strand to your fans, headpieces, hoods, (any part of the costume) and even to shoes.

Using LED lights in your Halloween costume can also add safety to the night and help illuminate a darkened sidewalk and make a person more visible to motorists.

Whether you are trying to ward off evil spirits, feel empowered, celebrate a festival of saints or have the most memorable costume—LED lights are a great option for your costume. What are your ideas for sensational costumes using LED lights? Startling, phenomenal? Please share.