Scary clowns, skeletons and a gummy house: Inside Sydney’s best Halloween streets

For eight years Alex Frilingos and her family have spent hours decorating every Halloween. “When you live on this street you have no choice,” she says, more serious than joking, while her partner and her daughter’s boyfriend attach an arm to a giant mechanical clown.

“This is the Halloween street – they even close it because that’s how many people come – so you stand out if you don’t [decorate your house].”

Inside, Frilingos has two large boxes filled with sugary treats. “Last year we had 5000 lollies – then we ran out after three hours,” she says.

Opposite her house on Drummoyne’s Renwick Street is Natalie Thornhill, who helped spearhead the street event with the local Rotary Club and council for five years.

“Renwick Street’s always been a trick-or-treat street,” she says. “We now have thousands of people come down.”

The street has become one of Sydney’s most prominent Halloween streets. This year the celebration falls on a Saturday for the first time since 2020, when we were still deep in the pandemic. It means no awkward, undecided Halloween night out on the Saturday before or after the holiday, and that parents won’t need to slap face paint on children minutes after getting home from school.

While fewer Australians are forecast to participate in Halloween this year because of cost-of-living pressures, those who are participating are spending more on the holiday.

A survey of more than 5000 participants from the Australian Retail Council and Roy Morgan found $510 million is tipped to be spent on costumes, decorations and treats, up $10 million on last year.

About 4.4 million Australians plan to celebrate Halloween this year, down 400,000 from last year, with 18-to-34-year-olds the largest age group taking part in the holiday. However, those taking part plan to spend more, on average about $117, an increase of $14, or 13.6 per cent, on last year.

So what are the best trick-or-treating streets in Sydney?

Best Sydney streets for Halloween

Renwick Street, Drummoyne, is one of the inner west’s most popular Halloween streets. This year artist James Dive will transform a suburban home into a multisensory installation in collaboration with candy confection Nerds, called the House of Gummy and inspired by a gummy character.

Over at Trafalgar Street in Annadale, locals have also embraced the Halloween spirit, with spooktacular decorations adorning houses along the stretch, while Marrickville’s Horton Street will close for trick-or-treaters, as will Womerah Avenue in Darlinghurst.

In northern Sydney, Benelong Road and Brightmore Street in Cremorne draw large crowds, as do Burlington Street and Ernest Street in Crows Nest.

Parklands Avenue and Kara and Nundah streets in Lane Cove North are also popular Halloween streets, while in southern Sydney busy locations include Thurlgona Road and Warilda Avenue in Engadine, Sutherland Road in Jannali and Graham Avenue in Miranda.

In the city, The Rocks is playing host to a weekend celebration called Ghost in The Rocks, with live music, immersive experiences, ghost cinema, Halloween market stalls and Ireland’s Halloween Art Dark Trail.

In western Sydney, Blacktown’s Muru Way and Warrick Lane will shut on Friday for a free Halloween event, with entertainment including face painting, a best-dressed competition and a Halloween disco, while in Campbelltown, Queen Street will host the Fisher’s Ghost Parade as part of the annual Festival of Fisher’s Ghost. The parade will finish with a celebration at “Twilight Street” featuring live entertainment, food trucks and market stalls.

Costume trends we’ll be seeing

While there is nothing wrong with the traditional witch, pirate, fairy or zombie attire, there is always fun in a contemporary costume.

Think KPop Demon Hunters, Dolly Parton, Nikki from Obsession or Elizabeth Holmes and Nathan Fielder as a couples costume.

Maybe even a few extra togas this year, channelling Matt Damon’s mighty Odysseus from Christopher Nolan’s record-breaking blockbuster The Odyssey.

That’s not to say Australians have deserted the classics. “So far, familiar favourites such as police officers, Harry Potter characters, prisoner jumpsuits and pilots remain popular,” said Neo Cui, the manager of Sydney Party Decorations.

Back at Renwick Street, organiser Thornhill believes the effort to put on a Halloween extravaganza each year is less about the holiday itself but about what it means for the community.

“It’s an opportunity to build something really fun for the kids and build an event in the community that everybody can get involved in and have a really great day,” she said.

“Who doesn’t love a dress-up? I love Drummoyne. I love my community … and it brings people together. Turns strangers into neighbours.”