Cincinnati has plenty of weirdness that’s begging to become the most niche Halloween costumes ever. Turn these Queen City landmarks, personalities and headlines into memorable, possibly award-winning getups and laugh as your friends from other cities try – and fail – to get it.

Glier’s Goetta Tube If goetta is good enough for its own festival, it’s good enough for a Halloween costume. Bonus: you probably won’t have to worry about anybody else wearing the same getup! Photo: goettafest.com
3CDC “Coming Soon” Sign These are common enough to be a fixture in Cincinnati lore now. Photo: Provided 3CDC
The Brady Bunch at Kings Island Remember when the Brady Bunch crew filmed at Kings Island in 1973? This is your group costume, groovy plaid pants and all. Photo: IMDB
Loveland Frogman The Cincinnati area’s most famous cryptid is just begging for the costume treatment. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Tyler Davidson Fountain at Fountain Square Wear something bronze-ish, hold blue streamers and call it a day. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Joey Votto Bobblehead Even though he’s recovering from shoulder surgery, Votto IS the Cincinnati Reds at this point and deserves his own costumed tribute. Alternate costume: Votto wearing a broadcast earpiece and a tank top that says “Gym Day.” Photo: Provided by FOCO
Skyline Chili 3-Way Multiple Locations The history of Cincinnati-style chili goes back to the 1920s, when it was invented by Greek immigrants who used Mediterranean-inspired spices to create a meat sauce used initially to top hot dogs sold out of a cart. The beef-based sauce — it’s kind of like a runny pasta sauce with hints of cinnamon, chocolate and other spices — eventually became the key ingredient in the 3-way, a plate of pasta topped with chili, an unnecessary amount of shredded cheddar cheese and a side of oyster crackers. Adding onions to the 3-way makes it a 4-way; onions and beans make a 5-way. Local chain Skyline Chili was founded by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambrinides in 1949, inspired by his mother’s family recipes from their hometown of Kastoria, Greece. In an eternal regional chili war, locals are divided over whether Skyline has the best chili and the other popular local chain, Gold Star, is for losers, or if it’s the other way around. You’ll find die-hard supporters of both. But if you want to go non-chain, there are more than 250 chili parlors in Cincinnati — restaurants big and small offering their own take on this regional favorite. Most people, however, start with Skyline. Photo via Facebook.com/SkylineChili Photo: Provided by Skyline
Oyster Cracker Party all night dressed as this iconic Cincinnati snack. Couples costume idea: Have your significant other go as hot sauce or a 3-way. Photo: Jason Zhang, Wikimedia Commons
Holtman’s Donuts Sign Alas, Holtman’s closed its Over-the-Rhine location in 2022, but the iconic pink sign still would make a peak Cincinnati Halloween costume. Photo: Provided
A Pothole Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by one of Cincinnati’s biggest frustrations. Photo: DDohler, Flickr Creative Commons
Fritz the Hippo The Cincinnati Zoo’s newest baby hippopotamus is just as cute as his famous big sister Fiona. Photo: Lisa Hubbard via The Cincinnati Zoo
Brent Spence Bridge Only wear this costume if you want everybody to hate you. Photo: Anthony 22, Wikipedia
A Big-Lipped J.D. Vance “All you do is kiss my ass to get my support,” former U.S. President Donald Trump once told “hillbilly”-turned-MAGA Republican and Middletown native J.D. Vance. Photo: Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons
Capitoline Wolf Statue Okay, yes, it was a gift from Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and, yes, it was stolen from Eden Park in 2022. That just means you have options: the full statue, the missing bear, or the two creepy kids. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
You know Blake Maislin’s phone number by heart. 444-4444 Photo: Google Maps screengrab Photo: Google Maps
Kroger Bag Need a last minute costume? Become the tumbleweed of Cincinnati. Photo: Sarah Stierch, Flickr Creative Commons
Fashion Icon Joe Burrow Okay, sure, he’s the Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback, but Burrow has become almost as well known for his style. Toss on some rose sunglasses and a SpongeBob suit and tell everyone you’re on your way to the game. Photo: Facebook.com/CincyShirts
You’ll put Frisch’s tartar sauce on anything. Burgers, fish sandwiches, fries, onion rings… the limit does not exist. Photo: frischs.com Photo: frischs.com
Florence Y’all Water Tower Northern Kentucky’s big beacon is begging for the costume treatment. Photo: Jason Riedy, Flickr Creative Commons
Photo via Facebook.com/LaRosasPizzeria Photo: Facebook.com/LaRosasPizzeria
The Queen City Building Break out that tiara to watch over the city dressed as Cincinnati’s tallest structure. Photo: Wikimedia Photo: Ynsalh/Wikimedia Commons
“Hell is Real” Sign What’s scarier than traffic on I-71 in Ohio? A reminder of our own mortality! Bonus: the sign exists in Kentucky, too, so your costume covers both states. Photo: Joseph Novak, Flickr Creative Commons
Bird or Lime Scooter Dress up like one of these damn scooters and spend your entire evening darting into traffic or narrowly avoiding pedestrians. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Ezzard Charles Statue The statue that pays tribute to Charles was installed in the West End in 2022, so you can be among the first to sport a costume celebrating Cincinnati’s World Heavyweight Champion. Photo: Provided by Cincinnati Parks
Lux Mundi The giant Jesus statue outside the Solid Rock Church on I-75 near Monroe is pretty scary, right? You also could go vintage and dress as the “touchdown Jesus” statue that stood in this spot until it was destroyed by lightning. Photo: Traveler100, Wikimedia Commons
You and your friends compare chocolate chunk sizes at Graeter’s. Is there anything better than Black Raspberry Chip ice cream? The answer is no. Photo: Jesse Fox Photo: Jesse Fox
Rose Lavelle Put on a jersey and throw your hair into a ponytail to become Cincinnati’s local Olympian and soccer hero. Bonus points: be the Lavelle mural that can be found at The Banks. Photo: Nick Swartsell
Flying Pig You don’t have to run a marathon to put on a tail, snout and wings. Photo: Erica Minton, Flickr Creative Commons
You have a big opinion about the Cincinnati Bell Connector. It’s a hot topic. Still. Photo: Scott Dittgen Photo: Scott Dittgen
Rhinegeist Can Represent Cincy’s beer history as a can from Rhinegeist or any of the other local brewers. Photo: Facebook.com/Rhinegeist