While globalisation sees the world become smaller, the opportunities we have to learn from different countries and embrace new celebrations only continue to grow. As the party industry continues to become more multi-cultural and inclusive, we decided to take a virtual trip to find out more about a number of key territories and their local customs. Part one in our round-the-world journey sees us drop in on the USA, Italy, Holland, Poland and Spain to find out more.
Perhaps the biggest party territory, North America has a significant influence on the global market, leading the charge in Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day and Mardi Gras celebrations. Lynn Roberts, senior vice president of sales and David Coggin, senior director of sales for Disguise shared their insight on the North American market in 2021:
“The major annual party seasons in the US are New Year’s Eve, 4th of July,Comic Con, Halloween, Christmas and Mardi Gras. We think most people will still be celebrating these in some way over the coming year, whether that is socially distanced in small gatherings, or with family. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has kept the public well-informed and in general most people realise that they need to socially distance and wear masks when around others. The pandemic has definitely affected all North American Halloween and party retailers. Some were very cautious in their buying decisions with the uncertainty that Covid brings. No one knew whether or not children could or would Trick or Treat, if bars would be open, or if Halloween parties would still happen. When it came down to it, Halloween was still celebrated and families made their own decisions based on how comfortable they were and if they wanted to participate. Whether that was trick or treating in their local neighbourhood while wearing face masks, or staying home and celebrating inside. The adult market saw the biggest decline, with bars closed and the limitations of large gatherings for Halloween parties.
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Above: Comic Con is a major event for the cosplay and dress-up sector in the USA.
We feel like Halloween 2021 could be more successful than anyone anticipates. Hopefully with the vaccine being rolled out, we will be able to celebrate holidays more normally as we did before Covid. We have developed a great new line of Halloween costumes/accessories for 2021 and are excited to build upon our growing gaming brands like Minecraft and Nintendo. But most of all, we are looking forward to seeing kids and adults dressing up and enjoying Halloween!”
![press-release-costumes-2[1]](https://partyworldwide.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/press-release-costumes-21.jpg)
