How to Host a Spooky Halloween Party
Halloween is fast approaching, which means it's time to start planning your costume, gathering your candy, and most importantly, throwing the best Halloween party on the block! Not sure where to start? No worries, we've got you covered!
Halloween is my favorite holiday and now that our kids are older, it's their favorite holiday too! It is just a lot of fun and of course there are always delicious treats to be eaten.
Planning a Halloween party can be just as fun as having the party. I am sure you will have fun preparing with these tips here too.
Picking the theme
The first thing you need to do to throw the best Halloween party ever is to pick your theme! A great way to make your party stand out is to choose a unique theme. Think outside the box and come up with something original that will get your guests excited.
It should also be something that you are interested in or really want to try so you can get excited about it. If you are excited, your party will likely be AMAZING.
But before you decide on the theme you need to think about who will be coming. If it is an adult only party, you can go with some fake blood and scary things. But if it is a child's party or a family party with young children invited, you want to tone it down a bit. Too much blood and gore isn't appropriate for young guests.
Some Halloween party ideas to get you started
Not sure what theme you want for your party? We put together a few ideas to get your mind thinking!
- Haunted house party - this can be done with both adults and children attending. But if the haunted house is super haunted, keep an area safe for young kids. They may not appreciate a really scary experience but the adults and teens will love it. You can keep one area of the house or yard really spooky while another area is mildly spooky.
- Zombie apocalypse Halloween party - this party can be done with preteens, teens and adults. Young kids may get a little spooked by decorations but you can always check with their parents first. Unlike a haunted house party, it is harder to section off parts of the party for spooky and not spooky. I mean, zombies will be roaming everywhere!
- Witches' brew party - now this is the kind of party that anybody can attend unless you make your decorations really spooky. Of course if kids will be attending, keep the brew to a non alcoholic beverage. You can also set up two different brews - an adult one and one for the kids. This will depend on you and your guests. We rarely drink so our parties do not usually have alcohol, but you may want to have some.
- Garage Halloween party - if this was my party, I think I would set the garage up to be the haunted house for older kids and adults. Then have a place inside or outside for younger kids to feel safe. But you can also host the whole party in your garage! Just be sure to clean it up and park outside for the party.
- Murder Mystery Halloween party - this one can be fun for all! Have a "dead body" set up in a scene and leave clues around. The first person to figure it out wins a prize!
- Fun child theme - if your party is just for younger kids, you can base it on your child's favorite characters. Let them help you decide what they want to do!
Decorate accordingly
Once you've chosen your theme, it's time to start decorating! This is one of the most important parts of throwing a successful Halloween party. Your decorations should match your theme, but you can definitely add other spooky and stylish things too. Some classic decorations that will go with just about any theme:
- Hang spider webs in every corner - spiders are a classic spooky decoration for Halloween! They can be added with just about any theme.
- Light some black candles - black is a big color for the spooky day. Candles, black spiders and black cats always have a place at a party.
- Set out bowls of candy everywhere - I mean we all love candy, right? But make it spooky candy or at least in spooky bowls. Or if you are having a witches' brew party, cauldrons are perfect for your Halloween party!
- Skeletons and jack o' lanterns are always a classic decoration for Halloween too and will match any theme unless you are keeping it non spooky for kids.
- And don't forget to put up a creepy sign letting everyone know where the party is at!
Serve spooky drinks and snacks
No Halloween party is complete without some spooky drinks and snacks. You can work your theme into this as well. If you are having a witches' brew party, you want to serve some witches' brew! Here are some drink and food ideas to get you started:
- Witches' brew punch for adults can be a blood orange sangria or another beverage, it doesn't have to be alcohol to have fun. Kids can have something like Hawaiian Punch, it's pretty red!
- Graveyard dirt cups and mummy hot dogs are something kids will love. Adults probably will too!
- Make and decorate some cookies in the shapes of ghosts, goblins, pumpkins, cats or anything Halloween!
- For a zombie apocalypse you can make food that is cooked in a brain mold to add to the theme.
- Serve meatloaf that is in the shape of a skull with onion chunks for eyes and teeth. You can pour tomato sauce or ketchup by the mouth to look like blood.
There are many different things you can serve your guests, these were just a couple ideas. Whatever you do, make sure your food and drink fit with your overall theme.
Play some fun games
What's a party without games? To keep your guests entertained (and perhaps even frighten them), try playing some Halloween-themed games. Plan the games around the guests that will be there. Adults only can play some really scary and spooky games. Kids will want to keep it less scary.
Of course if games fit into your theme (like say the murder mystery Halloween party), then base the games around your theme. Here are a few ideas of games to play:
- Bobbing for apples - while it can be fun with kids, do be sure to keep a close eye on them while they are dipping their heads in the water.
- Pin the nose on the jack o' lantern is perfect for kids to have fun without being too scared. Adults can have fun with this too because you are blind folded so it is a challenge!
- Play charades using horror movie titles - this is best for adults. Many kids will not know the horror movies but it should be safe to play around the kids without spooking them too much.
- For a murder mystery Halloween party you can have a "who done it?" game. Set up a fake crime scene and put clues in various spots. First person to figure it out wins!
- If you are having a zombie apocalypse party, you can have a game involving escaping from or avoiding the zombies.
- If this is a kids party you can also pick a couple of craft kits from a craft store. They usually have inexpensive kits for kids to do. Kids love doing crafts!
There are many games you can play at a Halloween party! Just be sure that you have plenty of prizes for the winners of the games. It doesn't have to be expensive, just some fun (or tasty) prizes.
Have a costume contest
If you want to have a spooky Halloween party, you need to have a Halloween costume contest! Be sure it is on the invite so everybody can dress their best (or worst depending on their costume.) This is one of the best ways to get everyone in on the fun and get everyone in the Halloween spirit. What can be more spooky then a bunch of zombies and scary people walking around?
Award prizes for the best overall costume, best couple's costume, best group costume, etc. And make sure you take lots of pictures!
Conclusion
We hope these 5 tips help you to get creative and plan the spookiest Halloween party on your block! Have some fun with it and your guests will love it.
Just be sure that if there is alcohol that people drink responsibly and do not have too much.
