It’s more fun to wear a Halloween costume that other people recognize. And, if you’re going to a party in Louisville, an easy way to don a crowd-pleaser is to draw your inspiration from the city. We’ve compiled a list of costumes that we think will be a hit.
“[Your name]’s Louisville”
Y’know those signs on buildings downtown that say “_________’S LOUISVILLE”? The ones with J-Law, Muhammad Ali, etc.? Be the famous Louisvillian you wish to see in the world.
You will need: a black cardboard frame; black, grey and white body paint
Darryl Isaacs (“The Hammer”)
If you’ve watched network television or seen a billboard, you know who The Hammer is: Louisville’s most recognizable personal injury attorney.
You will need: A suit and a hammer
A Comfy Cow
This Louisville-based ice cream brand is all over the city and ripe for a punny Halloween costume.
You will need: a cow-print outfit, slippers, a robe and a batch of Comfy Cow ice cream
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in front of a podium
Gov. Andy Beshear behind his podium was one of the few comforting things during the early days of the pandemic. This is an affectionate tribute to his once daily COVID updates.
You will need: A straight-faced expression, a suit, a blue button-down shirt, a cardboard box, a printout of the Seal of Kentucky, the adoring attention of moms everywhere.
Muhammad Ali
He’s the Greatest of All Time, not just of Louisville, but the world. Honor Louisville’s famous boxer by dressing as him.
You will need: Boxing gloves, boxing shorts and a robe. (And, it should go without saying, but be respectful. Another race is not a costume.)
Spaghetti Junction
Turn Louisville’s infrastructure nightmare into a frighteningly real costume.
You will need: To glue a bunch of connected spaghetti noodles to your outfit
Moscow Mitch
A clever way to cosplay as everyone’s least favorite Kentucky politician, Mitch McConnell, and to call attention to his unwillingness in the past to investigate Russian interference in our elections
You will need: a turtle costume, a Moscow Mule
The giant gold statue of David downtown
Be one of Louisville’s iconic monuments, the David statue outside of 21c.
You will need: several bottles of gold body paint, confidence
Hunter S. Thompson
The perfect costume for your decadent and depraved Halloween party.
You will need: A white bucket hat, tinted aviator shades, a long cigarette holder, a Hawaiian shirt and a reporter notebook
The Pope Lick Monster / The Goat Man
This is one of those costumes where you could go all out and have the best outfit at the party… or, just as easily, ghost any and all Halloween gatherings. If someone asks where you were, just say you were cosplaying The Goat Man, whose very existence is debated, and boom, you’re really in the Halloween spirit.
You will need: Either an advanced level of SFX makeup and prosthetics, or nothing at all.
A UofL or UK fan
We’ve all had to do a last-minute costume at some point or another. This one is at least Louisville-themed.
You will need: all of the team apparel you own, no imagination
A Racing Louisville player
Be one of Louisville’s badass women’s soccer ball players. It’s a timely costume, too, as they just played their first season this year.
You will need: a team jersey and shorts
A fleur-de-lis
The Jim-from-The-Office of Louisville Halloween costumes.
You will need: a printout of a fleur-de-lis, a piece of tape
A Louisville Slugger
Dressing up as the iconic, Louisville-made baseball bat is sure to be a home run.
You will need: You might want to buy this one from a Halloween store. Sounds complicated.
A cicada
Cicadas are the real-life monsters of the animal kingdom, as many of us were reminded of during the emergence of Brood X this past summer.
You will need: Halved and colored ping-pong balls for eyes, store-bought wings
A bourbon barrel
Embody one of Louisville’s most iconic exports, bourbon.
You will need: to either somehow procure an actual bourbon barrel and wear it around with suspenders like an old-timey cartoon millionaire who’s just gone broke, or wear an all-brown outfit and draw a bourbon label on with a Sharpie
A mint julep
They say the Kentucky Derby mint julep is only good once a year… until now.
You will need: a silver shorts/skirt, a yellow shirt and a green hat or fake plant
For Couples
A Marine and a momYou couldn’t even open YouTube this time last year without hearing this phrase in an Amy McGrath commercial. Now, at least, you can turn that slogan into a clever Halloween costume.
You will need: A uniform for the marine; a baby doll for the mom
The Can Opener and a truck driver
The can opener bridge near UofL has consumed so many trucks this past year that it’s become sentient! This one’s especially great for a short person and a tall person. Plus, if you’re the truck driver, you can make jokes about “hitting that” all night.
You will need: a trucker hat, a plaid flannel shirt, old jeans for the truck driver; UofL gear and caution tape for the can opener… or just hold a can opener.
A jockey and a horse
Name a more iconic duo. In Louisville, Kentucky, you can’t.
You will need: a helmet, white pants and a sporty long sleeve for the jockey; you may want to buy a costume to be the horse.
A skater + the skate park downtown
You will need: a skateboard, your best “skater” clothes for the skater; an all-grey outfit, spray paint (for graffiti)
Group Costume
Yum BrandsKFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell are all headquartered in Louisville, so gather up the gang and represent ‘em all. For KFC, become fried chicken; for Pizza Hut, find a pizza costume; and for Taco Bell, be the taco.
The line at Railbird
OK, so this one is more Lexington-based, but we had to include it. Railbird Festival this year received a lot of flack for its long drink lines. Now, you can turn this tragedy-lite into a group costume.
You will need: Festival gear for everyone and eternal thirst. Make sure to all line up if one person in the group has to go to the bathroom or get a snack.
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