12 Group Halloween Costumes for Small Crews and Big Groups

A good group costume is funnier, louder and easier to photograph than any single outfit. The trick with group Halloween costumes is choosing an idea that scales: it should work with four people and still make sense if twelve show up. Here are twelve ideas, from small crews to big groups, each with what to wear, how to put it together and a tip.

For small groups (three to six)

• Paint swatches. Each person dresses head to toe in one color and wears a white paper card on the chest with a silly paint name, like "Midnight Snack Blue". Tip: line up from light to dark for the group photo.
• The Clue suspects. Miss Scarlet in red, Colonel Mustard in yellow, Mrs. Peacock in blue, Mr. Green, Professor Plum in purple and Mrs. White. Each carries a cardboard "weapon" from the board game: a candlestick, a rope, a wrench. Tip: keep props obviously fake and made of paper or foam.
• A spice rack. Each person wears a T-shirt in a spice color with a big paper label: cinnamon, paprika, basil, turmeric, garlic. Tip: paper chef's hats tie the set together.
• Breakfast cereals. Each person invents a cereal with a cardboard box front worn like a sandwich board. Tip: making up names avoids copying any real packaging.

For medium groups (six to ten)

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Snow White in a blue top, yellow skirt and red bow, plus seven dwarfs in different colored tops, belts and felt hats, each with a name tag: Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey. Tip: the dwarfs can carry cardboard pickaxes and a lantern.
• A rainbow. Seven people in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Add a cloud at each end in white with cotton batting. Tip: the best costume for a group that only agrees on a color scheme.
• The Smurfs. Everyone in white pants and a white floppy hat with blue face paint or blue tops; one person as Papa Smurf in red with a white cotton beard. Tip: test the blue face paint ahead of time, as some colors stain more than others.
• The Wild West town. A sheriff, a deputy, a cartoon outlaw, a saloon piano player in a vest and arm garters, a gold prospector with a pan and a horse. Tip: the horse costume is a good role for the person who joins last.

For big groups (ten and up)

• Where's Waldo crowd. Everyone dresses as Waldo, in red-and-white stripes, jeans, round glasses and a bobble hat. Tip: it is the only group costume that gets better as more people join, and it is easy to find each other.
• A box of Halloween candy. Each person is one candy: a candy corn in yellow, orange and white; a lollipop with a paper plate swirl; a gumdrop; a chocolate bar with a foil wrapper. Tip: make up candy names to keep it brand-free and funnier.
• An aquarium. Fish, a shark, an octopus, a starfish, jellyfish with clear umbrellas and a scuba diver or two. Tip: anyone without a costume can carry a blue streamer and be the water.
• The Minions. Yellow T-shirts, blue overalls or denim shorts, and goggles made from paper cups or a headband. One person can be Gru in a black and gray striped scarf. Tip: it is one of the cheapest big-group costumes, since many people own denim.

How to organize a group costume

1. Pick the idea two weeks out and make a shared list of roles so no one doubles up.
2. Agree on the shared detail, such as one color, the same hat or the same paper label style.
3. Assign one person to make the shared props: labels, hats or signs.
4. Plan a backup role for people who decide to come on the day.
5. Take the group photo early, before anyone loses a hat.

Group size	Best ideas
3–6	Paint swatches, Clue suspects, spice rack
6–10	Snow White, rainbow, Smurfs, Wild West
10+	Waldo crowd, candy box, aquarium, Minions

Dressing up with coworkers? See our group costumes for work. More group ideas, such as a deck of cards and a box of crayons, are in our DIY Halloween costumes, and if your group is a family, try family Halloween costumes.