Win Halloween with one of these 5 easy, Charlotte-inspired costume ideas
I’m really bad at planning Halloween costumes. In college, I’d just go to the thrift store, buy weird clothes, then make something up later. Examples include ’70s Golf Dude (plaid pants, cardigan and a flat cap that I actually already owned) and Conscientious Objector (fatigues, aviator sunglasses and a peace-sign button).
I’m sure some of you are like me, struggling to find that perfect costume less than a week before Halloween. And, like me, you might be looking for something Charlotte-y and topical, to show off your Charlotte Smarts and creativity.
If so, here are five last-minute, Charlotte-themed costume ideas you can try out this year:
(1) A Charlotte beer
Charlotte breweries are all the rage, so why not dress like one of your favorites? Here are some ideas:
– NoDa Brewing Gordgeous: This one’s super easy, and timely. Just get one of those full-body pumpkin costumes and slap a NoDa Brewing sticker on it somewhere. Boom. Done. Delicious.
– The Unknown Brewing’s Bright Ass Tank Top: Again, pretty simple one here. Just buy a bright ass tank top and some cheap aviators. Bonus points for the horseshoe mustache.
– Legion Brewing’s Carolina Sparkle Party: Wear a Carolina T-shirt (A UNC one, of course. We all know there’s only one Carolina — sorry Gamecocks.). Then walk around throwing glitter everywhere while dancing.
Bonus beer idea: A dog at a brewery — get a dog costume and drink craft beer. The sight of a dog at a brewery terrifies many Charlotteans.
(2) The 2015 Carolina Panthers (before the Super Bowl).
Because Halloween is about pretending to be something else for a night. So let’s pretend that the Panthers haven’t turned into a crap team in 2016.
Wear your favorite Panthers jersey (or buy a jersey T-shirt at Walmart for way cheaper) and walk around talking about how awesome it is to be in the middle of a 14-game win streak, and how you can’t wait until Charlotte hosts the NFC Championship game. Oh, and Dab a lot. People will thank you for this, I promise.
Bonus sports idea: The 2017 NBA All-Star Game — RSVP yes to a Halloween party, then call the day before and say you can’t make it, but you’ll try to make the 2019 Halloween party.
(3) Pat McCrory (and wife).
This is a great couples costume, especially if you’re worried you won’t fit in at the party. Earlier this month, Charlotte’s-favorite-mayor-turned-not-so-favorite-Gov. McCrory said he and his wife, Ann, had been “shunned” at social events since the passage of HB2.
Put on your best suit and tie, or a tastefully conservative red dress, clip on that N.C. flag pin and prepare to get defensive.
(4) Hugh McManaway
Don’t know who that is? You’ve definitely seen him — the gold statue standing at the corner of Providence/Providence/Queens/Queens.
This one takes dedication, though: Get an old suit, floppy hat and round glasses, paint them both gold and use some gold body paint to cover any exposed flesh. You can throw on a “Just Married” sign and tie some balloons to your wrist, if you want to go for a decorated Hugh look.
Then read up on McManaway’s story, so that you can educate people who have always wondered about that statue.
(5) House Bill 2
Grab a plain black T-shirt and some of those iron-on white letters at your favorite craft store, then print “House Bill 2” on the front of the shirt. Then stand near the bathrooms at the party and tell people which bathrooms they can and can’t use.
It might not make you very popular at the party, but it’s topical.
Bonus idea: If you want to do a couples costume, have another person dress in a white shirt with “Charlotte Nondiscrimination Ordinance” printed on it and stand by the bathrooms telling people they can choose whatever bathroom they feel like. The HB2 person should constantly shush and talk over them.
Thanks to Sarah Crosland, Tyler Blackshaw, Katie Coleman and Katie Toussaint for helping me come up with this list.
Photos: Charlotte Observer file
This story was originally published October 25, 2016 at 1:11 AM with the headline "Win Halloween with one of these 5 easy, Charlotte-inspired costume ideas."