LARP Day: The Unofficial LARP Holiday

When is LARP Day?

LARP Day lands on November 1st every year.

While LARP Day is the symbolic start of when great deals can be found, many Halloween & costume retailers continue to slash prices in the days and weeks that follow, or start slashing prices in the week or so beforehand. 

The golden rule among veterans is: buy your must-haves when they first go on sale, but wait a little longer for non-essentials if you can.

What to get on LARP Day?

Remember to think of what props or costuming your character or prospective character needs and focus on those. Having ideas of vibes and colors for each character you are buying can help you find what you need and even discover things you didn’t even know you wanted. But also help you stay away from items you don’t currently need, like say “oh, this dark spider glass doesn’t match my bright and cheery sea-themed druid”.

As for examples of good things to keep a look out for, Noobmama gives a great starting point with her comic here:

Now here’s a breakdown of categories and tips for your shopping list. 

Fantasy Props 

• Lighting & basic props: LED candles, string lights, flicker bulbs (but not necessarily specialty props yet). 
• Wands, magic staffs, scepters, wands: Cheap Halloween magic props can sometimes serve as base pieces for more durable, custom builds. 
• Masks, wings, gems, veils: You can harvest interesting bits (gems, feathers, filigree) to add to your own aesthetic. Be careful that the masks and wings work for your larp. 
• Fog machines, smoke pellets, battery foggers: If they’re discounted enough, these can elevate the ambiance for your scenes or group pavilion. Check with your larp on the allowance of such items. 

Things to Avoid 

• Any cheap “weapons” (plastic swords, axes, etc.), won’t be allowed at most LARPs, including any Mystic Realms events. 
• Steer clear of full “bagged” Halloween costumes, they often are too cartoonish and cheaply made. Many can’t handle consistent movement in the woods and will be too thin to be warm for the winter.
• Be wary if things are also too fragile for use at LARP. If you’re wearing it, you need to be able to run and comfortably move with it.
• Glass items, though not universal, if you are supposed to be wearing a glass vial you don’t want it to break on you. If glass is bought, you need to be very careful with that item and never wear it on you.

Other Halloween & General Retail Stores

While Spirit Halloween may be widely known, many other places participate in the post-Halloween markdown bonanza. 

• Big box stores & mass merchandisers: Walmart, Target, Michaels, Jo-Ann, etc. These often carry props, decorations, crafts, glitter, paint, and fabric tend to be discounted heavily after October.
• Drugstores / convenience stores: CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc., may carry various basic props and decor that can add something to your kit.
• Party supply stores: such as Party City, often carry props, skeletons, spooky décor and offer discounts after Halloween. Keep in mind that their stock is often of a lower quality. The same applies to any dollar or discount store like Dollar Tree or Dollar General.
• Online Halloween retailers: These stores often have a wide selection of great stock and sometimes offer deals after Halloween, but we recommend sticking with brick-and-mortar stores. Physical stores need to clear out their stock and thus offer deeper sales than you will find online.

Important note for these stores

Many of these stores will start sales the week or so before Halloween and begin trying to clear stock as soon as possible for the fall and Christmas stock they will be bringing in. For Spirit Halloween and Halloween-specific retailers, sales start on November 1st. For these other stores, the sales will likely finish around LARP Day.

LARP Stores

We’ve reached out to several LARP and fantasy gear shops (Burgschneider, Calimincil, The LARP Store, Dark Knight Armory, etc.) to see if they’ll run any promotions for LARP Day. Most have not yet gotten back to us but here are the current responses:

• Questworthy Treasures is looking into doing something for the holiday and will update later as more details arrive
• Epic Armoury – has confirmed they have no special LARP Day sale right now, but are looking into and considering the idea 
• Kult of Athena, Burgschneider, Holy Clothing, and Dark Knight Armory currently don’t have any plans

We’ll update this blog if any more respond or reach out.

LARP Day Buying Strategy

LARP Day is a fun, grassroots tradition that blends resourcefulness, thrift, and imagination. Here’s how to maximize it:

1. Make a short “essentials” list beforehand. Know which props or materials you need most for your characters or game..
2. Map out your local stores (Spirit Halloween, big-box stores, craft shops) and plan a route to visit multiple sellers in one day.
3. Don’t overspend early. Let the “must-haves” guide your first purchases; leave room in your budget for later markdowns.
4. Document & share your finds with plenty of photos. Your friends and fellow larpers will want to see your haul! We’d love to see what you found. Be sure to share with Mystic Realms on the various socials with the hashtag #LARPDay
5. Group up with friends as LARP Day should be enjoyed amongst friends and fellow LARPers.

Closing Thoughts 

LARP Day is about community as much as it is about savings. It’s a day when groups of players gather, share shopping routes, and enjoy the excitement of finding the perfect cloak, creepy skull, or bottle of fake blood at bargain prices.

Whether you’re a necromancer collecting bones, a druid picking flowers, or just someone who needs a reliable cloak for winter campaigns, November 1st is your day.

– Written by Shawn Plucker