Halloween Costumes for 13 Year Olds: 30 Ideas

5 min read · The Costume Rack

The best Halloween costumes for 13 year olds are classics with a grown-up twist: a vampire in a real blazer instead of a shiny cape, a black cat in a plain black outfit, a zombie made from old clothes, or a duo like angel and devil. They look cool, they're school-safe, and most can be built from your own closet.

Thirteen is your first teen Halloween. The costumes from last year suddenly feel kiddy, but the stuff online is either too costume-store or too try-hard. The Costume Rack fixes that by matching you to a costume from what you already own in about two minutes: Start my costume.

What works at 13: not kiddy, not try-hard

Here's the sweet spot. A costume at 13 should:

• Use real clothes as the base. Jeans, hoodies, black outfits. Not a plastic bag costume with a printed picture on it.
• Have one strong detail. Ears, a hat, fake blood, a cape. Not ten accessories.
• Work with your friends. At 13 (8th grade in the US and Canada, Year 8 or Year 9 in the UK), Halloween is a group thing.
• Be comfortable. You'll be walking, sitting, maybe trick-or-treating for hours.

What reads as kiddy: full-body foam suits, cartoon characters for little kids, and anything with a giant printed face on the front.

What reads as try-hard: way too much makeup, complicated wigs, or costumes you can't move in.

Costume ideas for 13 year old girls

Twelve halloween costumes for 13 year olds girl edition, from cute to cool.

Cute

1. Black cat: black top, black jeans or leggings, ears. Eyeliner whiskers optional.
2. Fairy: pastel dress or skirt, small wings, a little glitter.
3. Angel: all white, a halo headband.
4. Pumpkin: orange sweater, green hair clip or beret.

Cool

5. Vampire: black dress or black jeans and a blazer, red lipstick, high collar.
6. Witch: black outfit, striped tights, a pointed hat.
7. Devil: red or black outfit, red horns.
8. Pirate: white blouse, vest, red sash, boots.

Spooky

9. Ghost: an all-white outfit with a sheer white veil.
10. Zombie: old clothes, ripped and dirtied.
11. Mummy: white leggings and top, wrapped in strips of fabric.
12. Skeleton: black leggings and top with white bone shapes taped on.

Costume ideas for 13 year old boys

Halloween costumes for 13 year olds boy edition. Easy, not embarrassing.

1. Vampire: dark shirt, blazer, popped collar, fangs.
2. Werewolf: flannel, ripped jeans, fur-tufted gloves.
3. Cowboy: flannel, jeans, boots, hat.
4. Pirate: loose white shirt, bandana, eye patch.
5. Zombie: old school uniform or hoodie, ripped, with fake dirt.
6. Skeleton: black hoodie with white tape bones.
7. Mummy: wrapped bandage strips over a white base.
8. Bat: black hoodie with felt wings on the arms.
9. Party clown (the creepy version): oversized colorful shirt, suspenders, red nose.
10. Devil: black outfit, red horns, a pitchfork.

Duo and group ideas for 13 year olds

Halloween costumes for 13 year olds girl duo (and mixed duos, and groups) are where the fun is.

For pair ideas that go beyond this list, see our halloween costume ideas for middle schoolers, which has more friend-group builds for grades 6 to 8.

The hardest part of a group costume at 13 isn't the costume. It's the group chat where three people say "I'll be the witch." The Costume Rack puts everyone on one rail: you share one link, each friend claims their costume, and nobody turns up as the same thing. Start my costume

Scary but school-safe

Halloween costumes for 13 year olds girl scary (and boy scary) can still pass a school dress code. The rules most schools follow:

• No masks that cover your whole face (teachers need to see who you are)
• No realistic-looking weapons
• Nothing too revealing or too gory

So go scary through mood, not gore:

• Zombie: ripped clothes and dark smudges, not dripping blood.
• Ghost bride: white dress, veil, gray eyeshadow under the eyes.
• Vampire: pale makeup, red lip, black collar. Fangs that come out for class.
• Skeleton: bone tape on black clothes. Spooky, no mess.
• Werewolf: fur tufts and claws, skip the full mask.

Save the extra-scary version (more fake blood, darker makeup) for the party or trick-or-treating that night.

Build it from your closet

DIY Halloween costumes for 13 year olds cost way less than a costume store run. Try this four-step method:

1. Pick your base color. Black, white, red or orange covers most costumes.
2. Raid your closet. Find the main pieces: top, bottoms, shoes.
3. List what's missing. Usually just one or two things: ears, horns, a hat.
4. Make or borrow the missing piece. Paper horns, felt ears, a borrowed blazer from a parent.

Closet build examples

• Vampire: black jeans + a parent's blazer + a red scarf as a cape lining.
• Cowboy: jeans + flannel + belt. Borrow or buy only the hat.
• Witch: black dress + striped tights + DIY cardboard hat.

Easy halloween costumes for 13 year olds don't need to cost a lot. Most cost under the price of a pizza.

Your first teen costume, sorted in two minutes

Tell The Costume Rack your vibe (spooky, glam, funny or cosy), what's in your closet and how you feel about face paint. It matches you to one of sixteen costumes, breaks it into pieces with a closet version of each, and sets a countdown of one piece a day so nothing is left for the 31st.

Start my costume

FAQ

What are good Halloween costumes for 13 year olds?

Vampire, black cat, witch, werewolf, skeleton, zombie and pirate are all solid picks. They look grown-up, they're easy to make from real clothes, and they work for school, parties and trick-or-treating.

What are cute Halloween costumes for 13 year olds?

Black cat, fairy, angel and pumpkin are the cutest options that don't feel kiddy. Keep the base outfit simple and add one cute detail like ears, wings or a halo.

What are scary Halloween costumes for 13 year old girls?

A ghost bride, a zombie, a vampire or a skeleton. Do the scary part with makeup and ripped clothes rather than gore, so the costume still works at school.

What are good halloween costume ideas for 13 14 year olds in a group?

Angel and devil for two, ghost, skeleton and mummy for three, and a haunted-house crew or pirate crew for bigger groups. Assign each person a role early so nobody doubles up.

How do I make a DIY Halloween costume at 13?

Start with clothes you already have in one color, then add one or two missing pieces like ears, horns or a hat. Paper, felt and cardboard make most of those in under an hour.