How Halloween Became Colombo's Newest Cash Cow

A few years ago, Colombo's idea of Halloween was bored teenagers huddled together to enjoy a horror movie marathon.

- BY RIHAAB MOWLANA

Today, it's a month long moodboard featuring haunted brunches, ragers, themed cocktails, and photo booths elaborate enough to summon the actual dead. Somewhere between the plastic skeletons and pumpkin lattes, fear became fashionable. And profitable.

Halloween was once a foreign holiday we watched in Hollywood movies, filed under "things Sri Lankans don't really do." But like most Western imports, it didn't take long for us to give it a local remix that was part commerce, part content, and a generous dash of FOMO (fear of missing out). It's no longer about horror stories; it's about Instagram stories.

So, when did Halloween stop being spooky and start being strategic?

The Business of Boo