All Hallow’s Eve is nigh, and what better way to celebrate than by hosting a Halloween Party? Celebrate Halloween by gathering your people and sharing sweet and spooky treats, fun games and more! Learn all of our best Halloween party ideas and more in this tutorial.
Halloween is around the corner and I feel like I am never quite ready enough. It always rolls around so fast!
From the kids’ costumes to making sure we have enough candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters, I get why adding a Halloween party into the mix might not be at the top of everyone’s list.
But as I always say: hanging out with your people doesn’t have to be stressful!
From sinister decorations to spooky desserts, Halloween parties can be so much fun, but they do NOT have to be over-the-top to be a great time for you and everyone you’re having over.
I’m sharing my process for planning, as well as all my best Halloween party ideas below.
1. Choose your Halloween party date, and put together a guest list.
The first thing you need to do in order to host a Halloween party is to choose your party date and then invite friends and family.
Obviously, you need to do what works best for you here, and you should choose a time in the lead up to Halloween Night.
A Friday or Saturday probably works best for most guests. Also keep in mind that Halloween parties are usually held at nighttime for that extra spook factor.
A few ideas:
- 1-2 weeks before Halloween: These days are best for families who may want to save Oct. 31 for other activities.
- On Halloween (Oct. 31): This is a totally different vibe. Parents may or may not want to come if they have little ones who will be trick-or-treating.
What is the perfect number of guests? That’s up to you and your space! If you’re hosting a bunch of adults, the vibe will be different than if you’re inviting families with small kids.
Consider the size of your home and the type of party you want to host — do you want this to be an intimate gathering or a larger, more festive event? Will it be indoors or outdoors? Are you providing everything or will you need some help?
2. Decide upon and set ground rules.
Since you’re hosting this shindig, you get to decide the rules and pass them along to your guests. Think through your ground rules before sending out your invitations.
Why? So you can set expectations immediately on what this party will be… as well as what it won’t be.
Some things you might want to consider are…
- Should guests wear their Halloween costumes? And will there be a costume contest? (If so, do you need prizes?)
- Are kids invited? If so, adults may want to choose slightly less scary costumes.
- Should they bring anything? This could be a BYOB thing, or guests could grab some candy or make a snack to share.
- What’s the vibe? Whether spooky or cutesy, guests will want to know. Halloween isn’t for everyone, so be honest about how scary your party may be.
- Is there a theme? It doesn’t have to but I’ve been to some fun parties inspired by franchises like Game of Thrones and Harry Potter.
This said, you can have as many or as few rules as you want.
When I was a kid, the only rule was you had to bring something to put your candy in. Costumes optional.
3. Invite friends.
You can send out a digital invitation with the details or a printed design… you do you! (I’m sharing some ideas below…)
You can include any written instructions and rules on the invitation.
Some things you might want to include are…
- Time / date / location
- What to bring: This could be a candy container, a treat, beverages, etc. Or they can just come as they are (er, costumed, of course!).
- What to wear: If there’s a theme or contest, let guests know so they can plan the perfect outfit. If you’d like to request they keep costumes family-friendly, say so.
- Trigger warnings: If your party will be very scary, horror-like, gorey or bloody, you may want to let potential guests know in case that’s not something they’re into. If you will have strobe lights, it’s nice to share that, as well — those aren’t for everyone.
Halloween Party Invitation Ideas
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You can invite your friends however you like to your event. If you want to send a printed invite, great. If you’d rather invite via text or a simple email, have at it! The key here is making it easy on yourself.
If you’re looking for something to make your Halloween Party to feel a little more special, here are a few ideas of how to step up your invite game.
4. Stock up on supplies.
You don’t have to have a lot of things to put together your Halloween party! You may have some supplies already or maybe you could borrow some of them from a friend or neighbor.
If you decided on a theme, you can keep things in line with that to make everything a little simpler yet cohesive.
For example, if you’re having a monster-themed party, you can serve melting monster punch, but you’ll need a punch bowl, ladle and cups.
- Classic Halloween decor: Spider webs, pumpkins or carved jack-o-lanterns, candles, Halloween-colored lights, spooky centerpieces and maybe a Halloween tablecloth (reusable or disposable) would give your space some serious Halloween vibes.
- Serving dishes and utensils: Themed paperware, like plates, cups and napkins, as well as utensils. We try to purchase reusable or compostable options when we host parties to be a little more eco-friendly.
- Audio equipment: You might want to have speakers for spooky music or a playlist. You can also sometimes stream music through TVs.
- Halloween party games and props: you might want to have additional items, like a Halloween piñata or a bobbing for apples setup. Consider if you’ll have prizes for the costume contest.
- Food and drink accessories: Some good things to have on hand include at least one cocktail shaker, a cauldron (or punch bowl) for festive punch, ice molds in spooky shapes, and/or a drink dispenser.
Again, these are all optional, but I want to put them out here as inspiration for you!
You’re going to want a creative mix of appetizers, main dishes, drinks and desserts that scream Halloween.
If party guests want to contribute, organize a potluck-style event where each person brings a dish. Provide guidance on the theme — suggest spooky or Halloween-themed dishes to keep the menu cohesive.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes that would be great to serve and share as Halloween party food:
- Appetizers: Pumpkin deviled eggs, colorful Halloween trail mix, a spooky charcuterie board, pumpkin hummus, mummy-wrapped jalapeño poppers set the mood.
- Main Dishes: Spaghetti and “bloody” meatballs, witch’s stew (chili or butternut squash soup), barbecued meat with pumpkin BBQ sauce would all be delicious.
- Desserts: Graveyard pudding, pretzel mummies or monster rice krispie treats are all excellent for this spooky season shindig.
- Drinks: Fizzy potion punch, caramel apple cider, bloody apple cider punch, and non-alcoholic options like a spiced apple cider are great for sharing.
I’ve also got a list of the Best Halloween Food Recipes, as well as the Best Halloween Drink Recipes if none of the ideas above are speaking to you.
6. Set the ambiance and decorate.
The decor is up to you! It depends on your theme…
- Themes: Choose a theme like Witch’s Lair, Haunted House, Pumpkin Patch or Mad Scientist Lab for a cohesive look in your space. You could also decorate with inspiration from a scary movie like Hocus Pocus or Carrie (prom night). You also do not need to choose a theme if you do not want to and can decorate as you see fit!
- Lighting: Use dim, warm lights with candles or string lights to set the spooky mood.
- Music: Create a playlist of Halloween classics like “Thriller” or eerie orchestral music to play in the background.
7. Plan a game or a contest.
Games can bring people together, keep the party from going dull and make your event more memorable.
If games and contests make you roll your eyes, you can skip this part!
- Costume contest: have categories like scariest, funniest or most creative costume. Offer small prizes to the winners.
- Bingo: host a round of bingo where guests fill out spooky bingo cards* (affiliate link).
- Scavenger hunt: host a scavenger hunt with things guests can spy around your home. You can include types of costumes like vampires, skeletons, witch, superhero or princess, as well as include items like pumpkins, spider webs, skulls, candy eyeballs, etc.
- Themed games: consider a fortune telling booth, a piñata for kids (and kids at heart) to smash, bobbing for apples, a Halloween trivia quiz or a dance-off.
- Pumpkin carving contest: like the costume contest, have categories! Award a prize to the winners. If you do this, you will need enough carving pumpkins to make it happen. You will also need pumpkin carving tools* (affiliate link) for a crowd. Have guests help provide for this since it’s a lot.
8. Take a deep breath and keep your cool.
Pulling it all together is a breeze if you plan ahead.
Here are some things I like to do for myself when I host a party:
- Final checklist: one or two days before the party, double-check your supplies and confirm with any guests who are bringing dishes, drinks or other supplies.
- Set up what you can: prepare as much as you can ahead of time. I like to set out my dishes on the table and add a sticky note to each one with what that dish will contain. (e.g. non-alcoholic punch in the punch bowl, alcoholic punch in the pitcher, Halloween cookies on a platter.)
- Run and empty the dishwasher: This is one of my tips for quick partying. That way, as you cook the day of your event, you can reload the dishwasher with ease.
- Stay relaxed: On the day of the party, focus on enjoying the process. Guests will follow your lead, so if you’re relaxed, they will be, too.
Tips for Hosting a Halloween Party for Kids
If children of any age are coming to your Halloween party, it’s important to make some kid-friendly adjustments.
Here are some thoughts:
- Activities: plan age-appropriate games like a pumpkin toss, a candy scavenger hunt, pumpkin sugar cookie decorating station (with fun sprinkles and frosting) or painting mini-pumpkins.
- Decorations: avoid anything that is too scary for little ones. Or be up front about the Scariness Scale, so to speak, so parents can plan accordingly.
- Food: stick to finger foods and easy-to-eat items, like mini sandwiches, fruit and themed cupcakes. Be considerate of allergies too.
- Timing: an earlier start time is ideal because it allows kids to enjoy the party and still get home in time for bedtime.
Tips for Hosting a Halloween Party for Adults
When the kids are away, the adults will play! A no-kid party is extra fun for Halloween because you can go wild with costumes and decorations.
Here are some thoughts on an adult Halloween party:
- Cocktails: offer a selection of spooky cocktails, beer or wine. (We love candy corn martinis.) Be sure to offer some non-alcoholic options, too, like soda, apple cider or mocktails like this blood-red cranberry mocktail.
- Entertainment: consider a movie marathon with classic horror films as a centerpiece or to have on in the background, a haunted house walkthrough or a more complex game like murder mystery.
- Ambiance: opt for more sophisticated decorations like candlelit tables, dark florals and gothic accents.
