China's Halloween 2024 marked by control and caution

As Halloween festivities unfolded in Shanghai, the vibrant celebrations of previous years were notably subdued amid increased police presence and restrictions.

A year after Shanghai's lively Halloween celebrations captured global attention, attendees dressed as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and comic book superheroes were escorted away by police as authorities seemed to tighten control over the festivities, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.  

Videos shared on social media depicted a significant police presence in three bustling bar and restaurant areas, where revelers usually partake in this annual tradition, more commonly associated with the United States.

This raised concerns about the increasing restrictions on personal freedoms in China.  These strict measures in China's most cosmopolitan city come after last year's sometimes rowdy celebrations, when young people enthusiastically marked the first Halloween following the lifting of China's stringent Covid-19 restrictions. Many attendees wore costumes that provided social commentary—a rare occurrence in a country where dissent is not tolerated in any form. 

This year, Chinese police seemed eager to prevent similar scenes, with multiple videos showing officers stopping individuals in various Halloween costumes and escorting some away.   It was unclear whether these individuals were detained or simply removed from the area, and the specific circumstances leading to these encounters with law enforcement were also not clear. Some videos continued to circulate on China’s heavily censored internet, while others appeared to have been removed.  

While some officially sanctioned Halloween events, such as those at Shanghai Disney Resort and the Happy Valley amusement park, proceeded as planned, the noticeable crackdown on certain public Halloween gatherings this year caught the attention of Chinese social media users. One Weibo user, China’s equivalent of X, remarked that her social media feed felt particularly empty. “Was dressing up for Halloween no longer allowed at Julu Road in Shanghai this year? How come there hasn’t been a single photo in my feed?” she asked, referring to a popular nightlife area. 

By Naila Huseynova