Where Las Vegas Buys Costumes This Year
Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday, and Las Vegas costume shops say the rush came early. Mark Sauls, owner of Star Costume and Theatrical Supply, told FOX5 in mid-October that the crowds that usually come in the last 10 days of October were already in the store. The Retail Association of Nevada expects Nevadans to spend $224.4 million on Halloween this year, up 3.7%.
For a real costume, two year-round shops are worth the drive: Star Costume & Theatrical Supply (3920 W Charleston Blvd, Suite F) for a 22,000-square-foot stock, rentals and professional stage makeup, and American Costumes (953 E Sahara Ave, Suite B-8) for the Vegas looks: showgirl, Elvis and stage costumes, plus wigs and boas. For makeup, thrifted pieces and last-minute accessories, the malls fill the gaps.
One warning before you search: older "best costume shops" lists for Las Vegas are out of date. Party City announced it was closing all of its stores, and Black Cat Costumes announced its closing in 2021. Use the addresses below, which we checked against each shop's own site in October.
Star Costume & Theatrical Supply: Buy, Rent and Make Up
What it is
Star Costume & Theatrical Supply is a dedicated costume store with about 22,000 square feet of costumes and decorations, at 3920 W Charleston Blvd, Suite F. The shop sells and rents costumes for adults and kids, and stocks cosplay accessories and theatrical makeup.
Kids
Star sells and rents costumes for kids as well as adults, so one trip can cover the whole family. Bring the child along for a fitting rather than guessing at sizes, and plan for shoes they can walk in for an evening of trick-or-treating.
Hours this week
Star is open every day from 10am to 8pm through October 31, including Halloween itself. It closes Tuesday and Wednesday, November 3 and 4, after the season. The phone is 702-731-5014.
Makeup
This is where to buy makeup that lasts a full night out. Star carries the professional stage lines, Ben Nye, Kryolan and Mehron, and the shop suggests calling ahead if you need a particular shade. If you're doing a zombie, a skull or full-face paint, buy here rather than from a seasonal kit.
Renting a Costume: Deposits, Pickup and Returns
Renting runs on a schedule. At Star Costume, rentals start at $75. You pick the costume up the day before your event, and a deposit equal to the rental price goes on your credit card at pickup. The rental fee covers one day of wear, and the deposit comes back when you return the costume the morning after.
For Halloween on Saturday, October 31, that means picking up on Friday, October 30 at the latest and returning on Sunday morning. Bring a credit card for the deposit, and ask at pickup exactly when the costume is due back. If your party is on Friday the 30th, pick up on Thursday.
What to ask before you rent
Try the costume on in the store, with the shoes you plan to wear, and check every piece is in the bag: hats, gloves and props are the pieces most easily lost at a party. Ask what the deposit covers if a piece comes back missing or stained, whether you can make small fixes like safety pins, and what time the store opens the next morning so you can plan the return. If you're renting for a group, reserve together so the sizes are held.
Buying makes more sense if you'll wear it twice, if you plan to cut or paint it, or if the event runs more than a day. Packaged costumes also need no deposit and no return trip.
American Costumes: Showgirls, Elvis and Stage Looks
American Costumes (953 E Sahara Ave, Suite B-8) is the shop for a costume that only makes sense in Las Vegas. It rents and sells showgirl and Elvis costumes and stage and celebrity looks, along with headdresses, wigs, boas, hats, gloves, shoes and rhinestone jewelry. Its customers include theme weddings, stage shows and parties, not just Halloween.
The shop doesn't post its hours online and asks customers to call ahead at (702) 671-0116. Call before you drive over, especially on the last weekend. It's in the Commercial Center on E Sahara.
Finishing the Look at the Malls
Most homemade costumes are a few good pieces and the right makeup. The malls cover both.
Makeup
At Town Square (6605 Las Vegas Blvd S) on the south end, you can do all your makeup shopping in one stop. MAC (Suite K-126) has makeup artists for color matching, Ulta Beauty (Suite A-103) mixes drugstore and prestige brands, and Sephora (Suite D-131) has testers for most lines. On the Strip, the Sephora at Fashion Show (3200 Las Vegas Blvd S, Level 1) is open until 9pm on Friday and Saturday. For heavy face paint, prosthetics or a specific stage shade, go back to Star Costume.
Pieces and pop culture
East of the Strip, The Boulevard (3528 S Maryland Pkwy) has Hot Topic for accessories and apparel and a Goodwill of Southern Nevada store for blazers, dresses, boots and anything you plan to cut up. The mall is open daily 11am to 8pm. Target (4001 S Maryland Pkwy) is down the street at Flamingo Rd, open daily 8am to 10pm for basics and supplies. Both are covered in our shopping near UNLV guide.
Spirit Halloween and the Pop-Up Stores
Spirit Halloween runs its seasonal stores across the valley. They carry packaged costumes, masks, wigs, props and decor. Locations change every year, so use the store locator on the Spirit Halloween site to find the one nearest you before you go. Haunted Attraction Network reported that every Spirit store nationwide had opened by October 16, and that most close on Monday, November 2, with a few closing on Halloween. Hours vary by store, so check your store's page.
Pop-ups are fine for a packaged costume in a standard size. For rentals, real wigs or stage makeup, go to Star Costume or American Costumes.
Planning the Final Weekend
The last few days before Halloween are the busiest of the year for these shops, and this year the rush started early. A weekday morning is the calmest time to shop. Star opens at 10am every day through the 31st.
Renting? Reserve or pick up by Friday, October 30 for a Saturday night, and bring a credit card for the deposit.
Buying makeup? Buy it a few days early and test it on your skin, especially adhesives and full-face paint.
Shopping on the 31st? Star Costume is open until 8pm. Call American Costumes first, since it doesn't post hours.
Rental fell through? A packaged costume from a Spirit store plus makeup from Town Square or Fashion Show can still come together the same day.
Staying on the Strip? Sephora at Fashion Show is the closest fix for missing makeup, and Town Square is a short drive south.