Why did The Weeknd wear a bandaged face at award shows?

The bandages were part of the After Hours narrative. As the character's story progressed, the injuries became more severe, ending in what appeared to be full facial reconstruction. When asked by Variety what the prosthetic plastic surgery makeup actually meant, The Weeknd said it was a satirical response to Hollywood's toxic culture of appearance manipulation. The extreme transformation was a comment on how celebrities alter themselves to maintain a version of perfection for public approval.

The Weeknd Costume – Halloween 2026 Style Guide

Q: What is the story behind The Weeknd's After Hours red suit character?

The After Hours era (2020) was a running narrative performed across music videos and real-world appearances. The character is a wealthy Las Vegas high-roller whose night goes badly. He starts pristine in early videos, shows up to talk shows with a bloodied face, appears at award shows with his entire head wrapped in medical gauze, and finally removes the bandages in the Save Your Tears video to reveal prosthetic plastic surgery makeup. The narrative was inspired by Martin Scorsese's 1985 film After Hours and the 1995 film Casino.

The Weeknd Halloween Costume Items

The Weeknd After Hours Halloween costume infographic showing red blazer, black long sleeve shirt, black work pant, tie, afro wig, sport sunglasses, oxford shoes, earrings, gloves, bandages, and fake cigarettes

The Weeknd Costume Items

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The Weeknd After Hours Red Suit Abel Tesfaye

1 Red Blazer (essential)This is the costume. A single-breasted red blazer worn buttoned over the full black outfit is the After Hours character. The fit matters at the shoulder. Too wide and the silhouette goes baggy; too tight and it reads as a fashion blazer rather than a character piece. Single-breasted, structured fit, solid red.
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2 Black Long Sleeve ShirtPlain black, fitted, tucked in. No texture, no buttons visible at the chest. This forms the base the rest of the outfit sits on, and it needs to read as part of a black suit beneath the red blazer.
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3 Fake Cigarettes — PropThe character is a high-roller in Las Vegas and the cigarette adds to that read. At a party where people might not immediately place the costume, it gives you something to do with your hands while the look registers.
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4 Black Work Pant (essential)Slim or tailored fit, matched as closely as possible to the shirt. The goal is a continuous black base from collar to ankle so the red blazer interrupts it cleanly. Fashion trousers with visible design features will break that read.
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5 Black Tie and Handkerchief SetThe tie gets knotted properly and the handkerchief goes into the blazer breast pocket. These two details push the look from “man in red jacket” toward “man dressed for a very specific occasion that did not go well.”
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6 Cubic Zirconia Stud EarringsSmall, clean, and consistent with his accessory choices across the era. Both ears. They are not flashy enough to draw attention on their own, which is the point.
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7 Short Curly Afro WigThe hair shape from his early career through the After Hours era is the most recognizable thing about his look after the red suit itself. If your own hair is not a close match, the wig does most of the recognition work that the rest of the accessories cannot.
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8 Large Sport SunglassesHis signature eyewear choice across the After Hours era. These go on after the wig and sit large on the face, which creates a specific head shape that fans of the era will recognize. Aviators or small frames will not read the same way.
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9 Touchscreen Leather GlovesA recurring detail in his stage and promotional looks. They add a layer to the formal high-roller character without needing explanation. Skip these if the venue runs warm.
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10 Fabric Adhesive BandagesFor the Super Bowl variation. Wrap around the face and forehead in place of the wig and sunglasses. This is the look from the 2021 halftime show, where hundreds of dancers wore the same combination. It is the more dramatic version of the costume and will prompt more questions at a party.
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11 Black & White Lace-Up Oxford ShoesThese finish the formal lower half of the costume. They appear in the Blinding Lights music video look and keep the outfit reading as dressed-up rather than casual. Check your closet for a clean black pair before buying.
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How to Style The Weeknd Halloween Costume

The red blazer reads in two seconds from across a room, but only if the black beneath it is continuous and unbroken from shirt to trouser. A mismatch in black shades between the shirt and the pant splits the base and makes the blazer look like it was added to a different outfit. The wig goes on before the sunglasses, and the sunglasses should be large enough to dominate the face. If the glasses are too small, the head shape does not match and the recognition drops off.

Abel Tesfaye walked onto the Jimmy Kimmel Live! stage in January 2020 in the red suit with a bloody nose and a bandage on his face. The album had just been announced and the full narrative had not been explained yet. A large portion of the audience genuinely believed he had been mugged or hurt before the show. He performed Blinding Lights, answered questions, and said nothing to clarify the injury. That was the whole bit.

Decide between the wig build and the bandage build before you leave

The two versions of this costume require different items on your face and head. Switching between them at the party is more complicated than it sounds, especially if the wig has any grip to it. Pick one and commit. The bandage version will get more questions at a crowded event. The wig and sunglasses version is easier to maintain over several hours.

Wear the blazer buttoned

An open red blazer reads as someone who found a jacket at a thrift store. The character wears it buttoned. The closed blazer creates a clean vertical line from collar to waist and makes the whole look read as deliberate. If the fit is tight enough that buttoning it is uncomfortable for a full night, the blazer is too small.

Other The Weeknd Looks to Know

The red suit is just one era. These three builds cover the rest of his career.

2016 Era

Starboy Look

He cut the iconic afro for this era and moved into sleek black and white pieces with XO branding. Sharper and cleaner than After Hours. The easiest of the three to assemble from an existing wardrobe.

Black or white bomber jacket
Slim black trousers
XO or cross-pendant chain
White high-top sneakers
Close-cut hair or short wig

Any Era

All-Black Monochromatic

His default off-stage look across most of his career. All black, fitted, no logos. The wig and sunglasses from the main build carry over. Takes about ten minutes to put together and reads clearly enough for a low-effort night.

Black leather or bomber jacket
Black fitted turtleneck or tee
Black slim trousers or jeans
Black Chelsea or ankle boots
Afro wig and sport sunglasses

Super Bowl 2021

Bandaged Face Variation

The same red blazer from the main build, with white medical bandages wrapped around the face and head instead of the wig and glasses. This is the look worn by The Weeknd and hundreds of clone dancers at Super Bowl LV. It will read at a distance and prompt more questions than the wig version.

Red blazer, black shirt, black trousers
White fabric adhesive bandages
Wrap face, forehead, and sides of head
Skip the wig and sunglasses entirely
Oxford shoes as normal

The Weeknd Group Halloween Costume Ideas

Couples Idea

The Weeknd & Jocelyn (The Idol)

Might work, but The Idol was cancelled after one season and the show’s reception was divisive enough that recognition will vary significantly by crowd. The Weeknd played Tedros, a manipulative music industry figure, opposite Lily-Rose Depp’s Jocelyn. The visual contrast between the red suit and a pop star aesthetic is clear, but at a general party, expect to explain the pairing more often than not.

The Weeknd Jocelyn

Duo Idea

The Weeknd & Michael Jackson

Excellent duo with a real-world connection that does the explanatory work for you. The Weeknd has publicly cited Michael Jackson as his primary musical influence, and critics have noted similarities in his falsetto vocal style. Both costumes are individually recognizable, and the pairing has an answer built in for anyone who asks why you are together.

The Weeknd Michael Jackson

Group Idea: Iconic Male Artists

The Weeknd, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Bob Marley, Eminem

Strong group when all five builds are solid. Each costume is individually recognizable to a wide audience, and The Weeknd’s stated influences include Bowie and Eminem, which gives the group a real thematic foundation. The range of looks is wide enough that visual variety is not an issue. The risk is that a weak costume in the group pulls the whole concept down, since this only works if every individual reads clearly.

The Weeknd Michael Jackson David Bowie Bob Marley Eminem

The Weeknd in his red blazer and black outfit from the After Hours era, showing the full costume build used as a group Halloween costume reference

The Weeknd Halloween Costume DIY Tips

Building the Look

Most of this build is thrift-friendly. The red blazer is the one item worth sourcing carefully. Everything else — black shirt, black trousers, oxfords — exists in most wardrobes or at any second-hand store.

Red blazer: the item to spend money on. A cheap blazer that does not fit at the shoulder is immediately readable as a cheap blazer and pulls the whole costume down.
Black shirt and trousers: thrift these or check your closet. They just need to match in tone.
Black tie: basic and cheap. Any black tie works. The handkerchief can be a folded black pocket square from any fabric store.
Afro wig: buy this if your hair does not already match. It does a lot of recognition work.
Sport sunglasses: check your collection first. Large frames in any dark lens shade work.
Bandages: cheap and available anywhere. If you are doing the Super Bowl version, buy more than you think you need.
Oxford shoes: check your closet. Any clean black lace-up shoe in a formal silhouette works here.
Fake cigarettes: buy these. They are cheap and useful at a loud party where the costume needs a visual prop to anchor a conversation.

Playing The Weeknd at the Party

The After Hours character is not unhinged. He is very calm. The unsettling part is that he sounds completely rational while describing things that are not. Play him quiet and composed.

When someone asks what happened to your face: say nothing. Let them look. Move on.
The character cleared his entire Instagram account and posted “no more daytime music” to announce the era. That energy is available to you.
He refused to break character in interviews, at award shows, and at promotional events throughout 2020. The commitment was the whole performance. If you are doing the bandage version, staying in the bit all night is the most accurate thing you can do.
For the Super Bowl version: the character’s individuality was supposed to have been completely stripped away. If someone asks who you are, “I’m everyone” is both correct and unsettling in exactly the right way.

The Weeknd Halloween Costume: FAQ

How do I dress like The Weeknd for Halloween 2026?

Red blazer over a black long sleeve shirt and black work pant is the base. Add the black tie and handkerchief set, oxford shoes, afro wig, and sport sunglasses. Carry fake cigarettes as a prop. For the Super Bowl variation, skip the wig and sunglasses and wrap white fabric bandages around your face and head instead.

Is The Weeknd Halloween costume still a good choice for Halloween 2026?

Yes, and broadly. The red suit from the After Hours era is one of the most recognizable artist looks of the past decade, reinforced by the 2021 Super Bowl halftime show. Fan recognition is near-universal, and the costume reads coherently to people who have never heard the album.

What is the story behind The Weeknd’s After Hours red suit character?

The character is a wealthy Las Vegas high-roller who begins the After Hours era looking pristine and gets progressively more damaged across music videos and public appearances. Inspired by Martin Scorsese’s 1985 film After Hours and the 1995 film Casino, the narrative ran through the entire album cycle. He showed up to talk shows with a bloody nose, appeared at award shows with his head wrapped in medical gauze, and revealed prosthetic plastic surgery makeup in the Save Your Tears video. When asked by Variety what the extreme transformation meant, he described it as a commentary on Hollywood’s culture of appearance manipulation.

Who is The Weeknd?

The Weeknd is the stage name of Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, a Canadian singer and record producer born on 16 February 1990 in Scarborough, Ontario. He began by uploading songs anonymously to YouTube in late 2010 and released three critically acclaimed mixtapes in 2011. His song Blinding Lights charted for a record-breaking 90 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and was ranked number one on the Billboard Greatest Hot 100 of All Time list in November 2021 (Fandom).

What happened at The Weeknd’s Super Bowl LV halftime show?

The Weeknd headlined Super Bowl LV on February 7, 2021 at Raymond James Stadium. During the performance, he was backed by hundreds of dancers all wearing the identical red blazer and white face bandages. The imagery was the final statement of the After Hours narrative: the character’s desperate search for validation had completely stripped away his individuality, leaving a stage full of identical copies.

What makes Blinding Lights historically significant?

Blinding Lights charted for 90 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, setting a record at the time. In November 2021, Billboard ranked it number one on their Greatest Hot 100 Songs of All Time list, placing it above long-standing record holder The Twist. The song was first teased publicly in a Mercedes-Benz EQC television commercial in November 2019 before its official release.

What is The Weeknd’s connection to The Idol?

The Weeknd co-created and starred in The Idol, an HBO series in which he played Tedros, a cult leader in the music industry. Lily-Rose Depp played Jocelyn, a pop star whose career Tedros manipulates. The show aired in 2023, drew significant controversy over production changes made during filming, and was cancelled after one season.