There’s nothing more fun than putting on a costume and becoming another person for a few hours, especially when you’re dressing up as familiar heroes or archetypes from the past. It doesn’t matter if you’re dressing up as a knight in shining armor, as a princess, or as a pirate captain; there’s something inherently exciting about dressing up.

The only limiting factor is your ability to purchase a new costume. Fortunately, there’s a holiday that encourages all of us to swap costumes with one another to extend our fantasy closets. This holiday is called National Costume Swap Day, and it’s observed on the second Saturday in October—right before Halloween!

The History of National Costume Swap Day

This holiday was created in 2010 by Green Halloween—a movement designed to encourage people to swap costumes with each other to reduce waste and save money. Swapping costumes is a green way for people to extend their fantasy closets but do it without having a massive impact on the environment or their wallet.

How to Host a Costume Swap Party

A great way to celebrate this holiday is by throwing a costume swap party. And putting one together isn’t as difficult as you might think. Below are some tips for throwing a costume swap party that people will enjoy and will talk about for years to come.

• Set your party on the second Saturday in October at a time reasonable enough for everyone to attend.
• Ensure that you have a large enough location for everyone to gather and parade around in their costumes.
• Only bring a costume that you’re willing to part with.
• Make a plan for what you’ll do if there aren’t enough sizes for everyone.

Observing National Costume Swap Day

This is a great holiday for people to get together with friends, family members, and neighbors to swap costumes with one another. It can even be turned into a costume-swapping party where each person brings one costume that they would like to swap with other people. While observing this holiday, be sure to use the hashtag #NationalCostumeSwapDay to spread the word about this holiday.