Spooky season
Something happened in 2023 (maybe it was those four supermoons we saw?) because last year’s events have been downright spiritual, supernatural, and a little creepy. And, frankly, we’re here for it.
Things got a little macabre with the rise of murder mystery parties (in which someone at the party dies and everyone tries to figure out whodunnit). Murder mystery events grew by 52% in the UK, while in the US they grew by 46%, with the best tying the event into a quirky theme, like a murderous dinner party or a Gatsby-themed charity do.
Two costumed party guests pose on dance floor
Rather than murder detective fantasies, some of us preferred tuning into the cosmic vibrations, as psychic and supernatural-themed events grew by 117% in the UK, while nighttime magic and hypnosis events grew 22% in the US over that time (fueled, presumably, by the 344% rise in coffee-related events — at least in NYC).
And, when things here on Earth all seemed confusing, complex, or just too close to home, we turned our focus outwards, as attendance at astrology, astronomy, or stargazing events doubled.
Getting to know you
When not solving murders or pondering the infinite expanse of the universe, 2023 was about togetherness. Oh, you guys.
Maybe it was the doom-and-gloom of the newsfeed or just the need for companionship, but innocent, friendly get-togethers were on the rise. Some of us were building our social circle, with friending events up by 48% from January to September 2023 (compared to the same period in 2022), while others were all business, with a 47% increase in attendance at networking events during the same period.
Of course, there are other kinds of intimacy than the strictly-friends-only sort, and plenty of us put out the feelers. In the US, events mentioning dating or singles grew by 32% from January 2022 to 2023, while — and this isn’t implying anything, just stating facts — UK events mentioning the word ‘naked’ (like naked yoga, for example), jumped 32% in attendance.
Back to the future
Reflecting what we already know — that this grown-up life is way too serious – the year saw events trending towards nostalgia, innocence, and ‘kidulting’. It seems we wanted to revisit the simpler, smartphone-free 80s, 90s, and 2000s as attendance at nostalgia events grew 53% in the UK. The music was definitely better back then, right?
We dialled up the sweet, childhood innocence over the past year, too — big kids that we are. Searches for adult Easter egg hunts increased by 112% in the run up to the holiday in 2023 compared to 2022 (no stats on how the actual egg searching went, though) while it seems many of us couldn’t wait to play dress ups, with a 111% spike in attendance at costuming and cosplay events in the UK.
Two friends at the Heyday 80s Dance Party - Pride Edition
As if that wasn’t all enough to warm your cockles, events mentioning cute and cuddly words like ‘animal,’ ‘puppy,’ ‘goat,’ ‘kitten,’ and ‘bunny,’ grew 37%, while, comparing the first half of 2019 to 2023, these events grew 527% and attendance grew by 373%. Big cuties, the lot of you.