HALLOWEEN

A History of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Family Halloween Costumes

The Knowles-Carters are the holiday’s first family.

Oct. 27, 2018

Courtesy of @beyonce

As the woman responsible for the most-liked Instagram photo of all time, Beyoncé knows how to make the platform work for her—especially when it comes to sharing her family’s Halloween costumes. She’s honed the power-move formula few, if any, can replicate: Keep a visual director on staff so the art direction is airtight; make the grid work for you; and follow no one. Bonus points, too, if you, like Beyoncé, can establish tentpole dates to drop your best content—like your summer vacation, say, or Halloween,.

In what has become an annual Knowles-Carter tradition since 2013—around when Instagram was first becoming ubiquitous—Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Blue Ivy, and now hopefully the twins Sir and Rumi have graced each October 31 with coordinated family costumes (and often with an encore set, too).

Now, Beyoncé and the rest of the family don’t go for especially meme-able or ultra-current costume ideas, exactly. You won’t find them going this year as, for example, Justin Bieber and his burrito (though that would be amazing). They err more on the side of musical icons like Janet and Michael Jackson or Salt-N-Pepa or Lil Kim and the Notorious B.I.G. Here, let’s revisit all of Beyoncé’s family Halloween costumes.

Beyoncé went solo on her first Halloween Instagram in 2013, with this photo of herself as an angel. Unspectacular, but it looks good.

In 2014, she debuted the first family costume on her Instagram: herself as Janet Jackson, and Blue Ivy as Michael. (Blue, as always, is the obvious winner here.)

And now we have the complete family Halloween look: The Knowles-Carters in Coming to America, with Beyoncé as Queen Aoleon Jay-Z as Prince Akeem. and Blue Ivy as queen-to-be Imani Izzi. American royalty, indeed.

In 2016, Beyoncé drafts in mom Tina Lawson to help her and Blue nail the Salt-N-Pepa look. Bonus points for the video cut to “Smoosh It.”

The same year, they also gave us… Barbie and Ken? Sure, but feels a little uninspired for Beyoncé.

2016- part two Barbie and Ken Dolls

Apparently 2017 merited not one, but two Lil Kim and Biggie looks.

For 2018, Jay-Z was likely Beyoncé’s Instagram husband for her photo shoot as “Phoni” (aka Toni) Braxton. But he joined Beyoncé, who also dressed as Olympic legend Flo Jo, to play the part of Tommie Smith, who made history with his Black Power salute during his medal ceremony in 1968.