Halloween is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than by hosting a ghoulishly good Halloween party? Whether you're a seasoned party host or a first-time Halloween enthusiast, these 10 tips will ensure your gathering is a scream!
1. Choose a Haunting Theme:
Set the stage for your party by selecting a thrilling theme. Whether it's a classic haunted house, heroes and villains, or a zombie apocalypse, a theme helps you coordinate decorations, costumes, and activities. Choosing a theme allows the aesthetic to be more appealing. It is also a great opportunity to see everyone’s creativity.
For my last Halloween party, my roommate and I couldn’t agree on a theme, ironically. We instead themed different parts of the house. The food and activities ended up being the theme. It was fun to see how people created their own theme by matching their outfit to party challenges.
2. Send Eerie Invitations:
Get your guests in the spooky spirit with creative invitations. You can design digital invites with eerie graphics or send out traditional paper invites with handwritten riddles or poems hinting at your theme. For my last Halloween party, I used Canva to create save the dates and invitations.
3. Decorate with Frightful Flair:
Transform your space into a haunted haven with creepy decorations. Think cobwebs, tombstones, skeletons, and flickering candles. Don't forget the jack-o'-lanterns to light the way. If you have kids, this could be a cool crafting activity.
Follow this link to see how to create a haunted funhouse for your next party! Click here
The hallway leading to the party era was “dark and eerie.” There was a murder room and there was a creepy fun house in the guest bathroom. The main area of the party was PG decorated in consideration of our guests who are easily frightened.
4. Craft Themed Food and Drinks:
Craft a menu of spooky snacks and treats. Mummy dogs (hot dogs wrapped in pastry), "eyeball" meatballs, and ghostly marshmallow pops are crowd-pleasers. Include options for dietary preferences like vegetarian or gluten-free.
Create a selection of signature cocktails and mocktails with Halloween-themed names. Consider a "Witch's Brew" punch or "Vampire's Kiss" cocktail. Offer a variety of options to suit all tastes.
We made food and drinks into a competition. Guests were instructed to match their dish with their costume. I was the Evil Queen from Snow White, so I matched my costume with a gourmet candied apple station. There was a ninja who brought shrimp fried rice, a butterfly who brought wine, and a Pink Lady who brought Coke.
My roommate and I created the party staples like meatballs and Rrice Krispy treats, but my favorite was the drink mixes.
Click Here Recipes for Drink Mixes
6. Plan Ghoulish Games:
Keep the party alive with Halloween-themed games and activities. A costume contest, pumpkin carving, or a spooky scavenger hunt can add to the fun. Prizes for winners are a great incentive.
Games foster a sense of camaraderie and competition that enhances the overall atmosphere. Games also provide a way for guests to interact, break the ice, and can help introverts feel more comfortable in social situations. Games relieves the host(s) from having to entertain the guests.
7. Encourage Costume Creativity:
Make costumes a must. Encourage your guests to dress up with a costume contest and prizes for the best, scariest, and most creative outfits. If you know your friends aren’t the festive type, you could offer a costume station with props for those who come unprepared.
I know that my friends aren't really festive, so I gave them a broad spectrum of how they could participate. They were informed that their costumes would tie in to the nights festivities. This was a great way to let them know that dressing up was important and because my friends like to roast each other, it was the good kind of peer pressure.
8. Create a Chilling Playlist:
Set the mood with a spooky soundtrack. If you don't plan on having a DJ, compile a playlist of Halloween-themed songs and eerie sound effects to play in the background. You can find my playlist for some solid Halloween Jams. Of course, Spotify has some of the classics Halloween playlists, but this one is a party mix with a Halloween mood.
Don’t forget Volume is important. If the volume is too loud, then it is a barrier to conversation. So, if you want your friends to mingle… maybe don’t blast the jams. If you want a real party… then turn up the music, and your friends too!
9. Haunted Photo Booth:
If it’s not on social media, did it even happen? Make sure that you have Instagram-able areas of the party. You could set up a photo booth area with a backdrop that complements your theme. Provide props like masks, wigs, and fake blood for guests to take chilling photos as keepsakes.
10. Killer Competition
To encourage engagement, I had several contests and prizes. Even small prizes inject a dose of excitement, competition, and anticipation into the atmosphere. Competitions and prizes could be games, challenges, raffles. Even if only a few of your guests get excited, it will inject life into the party. After the prizes are given, it’s also a great signal to your guests that they don’t got to go home, but they got to get the $%#@ up out of your house.
I love Karaoke and will force it on my friends anytime I get a chance. My party, my rules! We cued up the youtube instrumental playlist and went to town. I will not lie, there were some people who were reluctant, but peer pressure is a mug. (It’s me. I’m peer pressure lol). This event was the one most people resisted but it actually became the highlight of the evening.
Less you all think of me as some kind of Party Tyrant… we did give out prizes and give aways. As adults, we sometimes miss the joys of kid’s parties. So were there goodie bags? Yes. Did we choose the winner of the nights contests by audience vote? Yes. Would I do it again… definitely.
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If you found this blog helpful and will use any of the tips, please #PellaDoes on IG so I can creep on your party! Follow on IG to see photos from the party.