Halloween at Berkeley is always pretty interesting because it kind of just spawns out of nowhere... like, it’s during midterms, the semester gets hectic as students are already thinking about finals, and then suddenly people are running around in last-minute costumes. However, this strange mix of chaos and effort unites us all, and experiencing Halloween at Berkeley is an absolute blast! In this blog, I will overview what I have worn for halloween during my time atBerkeley while giving you some Berkeley-inspired costume ideas that are convenient and budget friendly!
Freshman Year: Alien Superstar
My first Halloween costume at Berkeley was an idea I thought would be quite silly. My costumewas based on the song by Beyoncé, “Alien Superstar.” I wore a black and white patterned polotop, a black utility vest, baggy cargo pants, sneakers, and topped it off with a creepy alien mask.Got the concept? 80% superstar and 20% alien, but it was loads of fun even though I was walking around barely being able to see anything. It wasn’t a flashy costume, but it had personality, and that’s kind of the secret to Berkeley Halloween: even the simplest outfit can become a moment if you fully lean into it, because us busy college students just need to throw together something last minute and budget friendly!
Sophomore Year: Lightning McQueen
The next year, I had two costumes! The first being: Lightning McQueen... somewhat! I wore a red and black racing jacket with a shirt that has McQueen’s face on it, wide black pants, and a red and black cap. It was easy to put together because it was clothes that I could wear on a daily basis, but still recognizable. I kept yelling “Kachow!” all night and ran around campus pretending like I was a car.
For the second round, I switched it up completely and went for an alpha werewolf look. I wore a white tank top with a gray cardigan, gray jeans, gray sneakers, a wolf hat, and some red face paint! I decided on this fit because I already had the wolf hat due to a filming for a dance cover I was involved in, so it made convenient costume shopping easier! Having two very different costumes in one weekend made it feel like I got to play two separate roles, one fun and quirky, and one a bit more spooky for the halloween bit.
So, for my junior year, i’m still unsure what I will be but throwing together something last minute and convenient is my specialty, I guess! Anyways, if you’re stuck on what you should be for Halloween, here are some ideas that have some Berkeley spice to it that are (hopefully) convenient and fun!
10 Berkeley-Inspired Costume Ideas
1. The Campanile
The Campanile is the ultimate campus icon. All you need is a gray outfit, some cardboard for the tower walls, and a cone hat for the spire. If you want to go above and beyond, strap a Bluetooth speaker inside your costume and play bell chimes every hour. There’s always at least one Campanile costume every year, but you can put your own spin on it!
2. The Berkeley Squirrel These squirrels are EVERYWHERE. Wear brown, attach a fluffy tail, and carry a croissant or half-eaten bagel that you aggressively guard all night. Practice the twitchy little head movements, stare people down when they approach, and move like you own the place. If you want to be extra, stash snacks in your pockets and steal food from friends all night.
3. Sproul Tabler
A group costume that works every time. Wear club shirts, carry flyers, and pick a high-traffic spot to yell at anyone walking by. You can even bring a fake clipboard and furiously write names down. The trick is to look both desperate and enthusiastic like a real club recruiter.
4. Cal Construction Worker
Berkeley is permanently under construction. Reflective vest, hard hat, boots, and some caution tape is all you need. Walk slowly and block random doorways at the party. Tape a sign to yourself that says “Sorry for the inconvenience. Personal growth in progress.” People will get it immediately.
5. Oski Through the Ages
Regular Oski is classic, but doing Oski across different eras is even better. Pick a decade or era of Oski and you’ll likely be surprised at how the bear looked in his early days. If you’re feeling crafty and can paper machete an Oski head that looks like how it did during his debut, then you got pure nightmare fuel right there!
6. Campus Ambassador / Tour Guide
If you know, you know. Khakis or jeans, a Cal shirt, a gray jacket, name tag, and maybe a hat. Carry a sign or microphone and randomly stop groups of people to “give tours.” Yell random facts with fake confidence. The more official you act, the funnier!
7. Mic Man
If you’ve ever been to a Cal football game, you’ve seen the mic man. Fancy blue polos, tight khakis, sneakers, a megaphone, and relentless energy. Stand on random places and start “Go Bears” chants throughout the night. If you can rope a few friends into being the band, even better!
8. Locked in Doe Library
This one is for the academically haunted. Wear a hoodie, headphones, carry a laptop covered in stickers, and tape empty Yerba Mate cans to your outfit. Draw tired eye bags on your face. It feels like everyone on campus has been this person at some point, but that’s mean you’ll have the most relatable costume!
9. The Boba Line
Grab some friends and each dress as a different element of a boba order! Cup, straw, pearls, toppings, etc.! Then just stand in a straight line for extended periods of time to mimic the actual experience. One person can even dress as the stressed cashier calling out drinks. To me, boba
is very fitting for the Berkeley experience considering how many we have all within feet away from each other.
10. Midnight Fire Alarm Evacuation
This one’s simple. Pajamas, blanket around your shoulders, slippers, messy hair, annoyed face. Carry a water bottle or your laptop like you were ripped out of bed. Occasionally say “I have a midterm tomorrow” and you’ve got it. Maybe you can find someone dressed as “Locked In Doe Library” and debate on who’s fit is more relatable.
Halloween at Berkeley can seem stressful without the right outfit, so hopefully you get the gist that if you can throw something together out of things you already have (and maybe find art supplies you can use for free through various departments on campus), then you have the perfect halloween costume that captures the campus’s vibe perfectly. My takeaway is to just commit to the bit and become that character to the max! That’s all it takes to make Halloween season at Cal all the more memorable, so go out there, be creative, and have fun!