Finding the best places in York to buy Halloween decorations

Whether you’re preparing for a party or simply just want to get into the Halloween spirit, here’s where you can find the best decorations in the city. I ranked a few of the places in York you can buy decorations for the season, so here’s what I thought.

Flying tiger

Our first stop of the itinerary: Flying Tiger

A very strong start. We were provided with some very tasteful Halloween decorations although I’d say this was reflected in the price. I had to feature a these mugs as although they’re not decor they definitely would not go amiss. I’ve got my eye on the ghost one especially, very Phoebe Bridgers-esque. Bonus points for the Halloween music playing, I should’ve asked them for the playlist.

Selection: 4/5

Affordability: 2/5

Overall rating: 4

The Works

The Works wasn’t initially on our radar to visit but this little display drew us in. We were disappointed.

Selection: 1/5

Affordability: 4/5

Overall rating: 1.5 (sorry)

M&S

Despite the small selection, they did have the Halloween decorations we were after although they were slightly pricier than the other supermarkets we visited, classic M&S. If you’re feeling like you want to splurge they also have some lovely Halloween snacks on offer.

Selection: 2/5

Affordability: 2.5/5

Overall rating: 2

Festival of fun

Festival of fun is an independent costume shop in the city. As it’s a costume shop we were doubtful that they would have any Halloween decor and apart from the spiders webs, we were correct. It feels unfair to rate them seeing they didn’t really have any fun decor. But if you’re looking for Halloween costumes (or a Wednesday social outfit) I would recommend.

Rating: N/A

Poundland

Sorry Poundland, we were too quick to judge. Near the door they had a display of Halloween decorations that, as you can see by Abby’s face, weren’t really cutting it. But when we walked round the store we were wowed by what they had to offer. Beware, lots of it is over £1 (scary stuff).

Selection: 4

Affordability: 4

Overall rating: 4

Asda

Asda was a solid contender, a Skeleton for £1 seems like a bargain to me, we had one in our flat last year who stayed up the whole year after Halloween. They’re very easy to repurpose as a Christmas decoration if you whack a Santa hat on them. If you’re employing girl math in this scenario the skeleton is costing you less than a penny a day- practically free.

Selection: 3

Affordability: 4

Overall rating: 4

Morrisons

We were greeted to the store with an extravagant Halloween display and as well as a very “spooky” photo opportunity if you’re feeling brave. We also throughly enjoyed the moving electronic decorations if you really want to push the boat out. The selection here was good however, I’d recommend going a bit earlier in the day because the shelves were looking slightly worse for wear when we arrived.

Selection: 3.5

Affordability: 3

Overall rating: 3.5

Home Bargains

By this point we were flagging but Home Bargains had the biggest selection of Halloween decorations we’d seen so far. Our socks were knocked off.

Selection: 5

Affordability: 4.5

Overall ranking: 5

B&M

Being next door to Home Bargains it’s definitely worth a visit, although in my opinion, Home Bargains’ Halloween variety and price has to make it the winner of the Halloween decor crawl.

Selection: 4

Affordability: 3

Overall rating: 3.5

DIY!

Last year my flat actually made our own Halloween (and Christmas) decorations. We made a Halloween themed paper chain as well as some general spooky drawings – spiders, pumpkins and skeletons was the general gist. Simply get some paper and coloured pens and you’re good to go. A very wholesome evening activity.

So, our rankings say if you’re looking to buy Halloween decorations, Home Bargains is the place to be. Although realistically any of these places would suffice. Alternatively making your own also works, especially if you’re able to rope your flatmates or friends into joining you.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• What your Mario Kart character says about you as a Uni of York student

• The ultimate guide to feeling like a main character in York this autumn

• Here are the five best York inspired Halloween costume ideas